Motherly Instinct in Male Cats

By Libeth Maldo

My good kisser cat (the subject of my article, "How to Teach A Cat to Kiss") is a castrated five year old male mongrel.

When another kitten took refuge in my house, I was apprehensive because I wasn't sure how my first cat will react. Would he be happy to have a playmate? Or would he be antagonistic and jealous if he would see another cat sharing with him my love and attention? Upon introduction, he gave the kitten a passive look then rolled his eyes and shifted his attention to the vacuum cleaner. He would softly snarl whenever the kitten came near him. I had to think of a probable solution to a problem that might possibly arise when time comes that the two cats could not get along well together. It was farthest from my mind to get rid of the little kitten for he already charmed my heart. I decided to keep the kitten at the basement and let the older cat stay inside the house.

I learned two things:

1. It's not good to make the kitten and the older cat stranger to each other.
2. Cat owners must take initiative to create a friendly atmosphere for the two cats by allowing both to mingle with each other. But always be on guard to protect the kitten from being bitten or scratched by the older cat.

If you are in the same situation as mine, you can observe the behaviors of your cats as they go through the process of getting to know each other and become more than friends in the future.

At first, the older cat will go far whenever the kitten approaches. The act insinuates that the bigger cat avoids the kitten because he does not want to harm the kitten. It is also a gesture that he can possibly accept the kitten's presence. He then starts to play with the kitten by allowing it to play with his wagging tail. There may be an instance when the cat becomes overexcited that he can hurt the kitten unintentionally. You can always call his attention but don't scold the older cat. Instead, let him lick the kitten. Then encourage him to play again with the little one. As the older cat licks the kitten, there is a certain character trait that is being developed in him.

In the case of my good kisser cat, a motherly instinct was developed in him. He took care of the kitten and pampered it. Even now, that the kitten is already a matured cat, the older cat still pampers it.

Experts explained that the behavior of a female is developed among castrated male cats because the estrogen hormone is the only hormone present in the cats' body after the source of testosterone was removed. It creates a tendency for male cats to behave like females. Estrogen and testosterone are both present in humans and animals. In females (both human and animal), the estrogens are dominant over the testosterones and in males (both human and animal), the testosterones are dominant over the estrogens.

I've been relieved from my worries before-the thought of seeing my two cats quarrel. It's indeed a wonderful experience to see two matured cats loving each other like mother and son. And it is me now who is jealous because the kitten that I love so much prefers his "surrogate mother" than his loving mistress.

A cat lover. She has three grown up cats and one kitten. Most of her writes are dedicated to her pets. Each of her cats has distinct personality and she enjoys sharing wonderful stories about them and at the same time able to share some tips on how to take care of cats and how to teach them some tricks.