hi new

[funnyfarm]

i am new to all of this i need to ask a question about adult male cats toward newborn kittens. I live on a small farm in tn. my female just had kittens and i want to put them some place safe. but i have males outside will they hurt the kittens

[rg_girlca]

Hi funnyfarm. Welcome to Pet Talk. :)

Male cats have been known to kill newborns kitties, even up to a month old or more. So if it is possible, please, please put mama in a separate room in your house to make sure that she and her babies are safe from harm and until the babies are old enough.

I pray that all goes well.

[Felix]

I agree,please find a seperate room for the mom and her kitties.Welcome to PT :D

[catmandu]

Sadly There Are Feral Males That Will Kill Kittens,so The Mother Is Not Distracted By Them And Will Mate Again.
I Would Keep Them Indoors Where They Are Safe.

[sirrahbed]

I did not know that males would kill baby kittens! :eek:

Welcome funnyfarm :)

[funnyfarm]

thanks for the warm welcome. mommy and babies are doing just fine they now have their eyes open and are just to cute.

[Lori Jordan]

Welcome to Pet Talk!

[Beauty17]

Just a note about "why" male cats may kill newborn kittens: the survival mechanism involved, in terms of passsing on genetic material, involves the fact that if a mother cat loses a litter early, she will most likely go into an early estrus ("heat") so that she will conceive again. If a male cat kills the kittens and then hangs around so that he can mate with her, he can be assured that *his* genetic material gets passed down. Of course none of this is in the cat's conscious mind - it's just built into the behavior of the species, as a way of ensuring that the male has a good chance at getting his line preserved. Or at least that's the widely received theory.

[lvpets2002]

:) Well Hello & Welcome to Pet Talk & enjoy the talks & pictures..
Yes the others are all correct about keep the moma & kittens away from the males..