Male cat constantly in heat and annoyed that queen is about to give birth

[Natuska]

Hi everyone. Our queen is currently pregnant and due to give birth in 1-2 weeks. We prepared a comfortable space for her and kittens yesterday. She liked it and laid down there. Our male cat, when he saw it, attacked her and chased her away from there. We put him in a different room, but then she became sad and sat near the door waiting for it to open, so we decided to not separate them yet. When we opened the door, she seemed happy to see him, however, he's been attacking her since then and we are really worrying. He's been also having a strong wish to mate in the last month, so he tried to jump her many times, but she didn't even let him come close as she was already pregnant. She is dominating over him, so we didn't worry about her wellbeing, but now with her labour approaching, we are worrying our male cat may stress her out or hurt her kittens when they are born.

We are wondering if we should already separate them even though she hasn't yet gone into labour.

Also, is there any remedy, preferably a natural one, that can make our male cat calmer and/or temporarily less horny, and/or happier about the situation? He did not have the same behaviour when she had kittens in the past, he was absolutely calm around her and kittens when they were born, and cared about them when they were little. We only separated him from kittens when they were 6 weeks old. But now he just seems horny or annoyed about the kittens coming, or both. What can we do to protect the female and her litter, and ensure all our cats are happy? Thanks in advance.

 

[sivyaleah]

First, male cats don't go "into heat". Heat relates only to females, who can only get pregnant during that time period.
Male cats, are always ready to mate if a willing and able female cat is near them. And will attempt to mount other cats even when not in heat sometimes, especially if they have not been neutered.
Is he fixed? If not, why?
You refer to the word "Queen" which sounds like you're a breeder? If so you certainly should know to keep the male cats away from her when she is about to give birth and certainly since this male cat is pestering her so badly.
The remedy, if he isn't fixed is to fix him. Another is to spay your female cat so that he will not be triggered by her hormones.
FYI male cats are known to be aggressive sometimes to newborn kittens so this is another reason to keep them apart right now.

 

[Sarthur2]

Definitely separate your cats! They have NO business being together.

You need to get your male cat neutered. It will calm him down considerably. Then, eight weeks after the kittens are born, your female cat needs to be spayed.

There is NO natural remedy for a male cat’s urges which stem from his testosterone. And there is NO remedy for a female cat going into heat and mating and getting pregnant, other than spaying. In other words, they have NO business together and they each need to be de-sexed.

Also, he has no interest in the kittens and needs to be kept away.

What did you do with the kittens from the last litter? Are you breeding? Are you registered? How long since the last litter? Females should only be bred once per year and not until they are 18 months old.

 

[jefferd18]

Definitely separate your cats! They have NO business being together.

You need to get your male cat neutered. It will calm him down considerably. Then, eight weeks after the kittens are born, your female cat needs to be spayed.

There is NO natural remedy for a male cat’s urges which stem from his testosterone. And there is NO remedy for a female cat going into heat and mating and getting pregnant, other than spaying. In other words, they have NO business together and they each need to be de-sexed.

Also, he has no interest in the kittens and needs to be kept away.re

What did you do with the kittens from the last litter? Are you breeding? Are you registered? How long since the last litter? Females should only be bred once per year and not until they are 18 months old.

She is a breeder of Persian cats.

 

[Natuska]

First, male cats don't go "into heat". Heat relates only to females, who can only get pregnant during that time period.
Male cats, are always ready to mate if a willing and able female cat is near them. And will attempt to mount other cats even when not in heat sometimes, especially if they have not been neutered.
Is he fixed? If not, why?
You refer to the word "Queen" which sounds like you're a breeder? If so you certainly should know to keep the male cats away from her when she is about to give birth and certainly since this male cat is pestering her so badly.
The remedy, if he isn't fixed is to fix him. Another is to spay your female cat so that he will not be triggered by her hormones.
FYI male cats are known to be aggressive sometimes to newborn kittens so this is another reason to keep them apart right now.

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, English is not my mother language and I am not 100% sure about some terminology. What I meant is he's been very horny recently, whereas I was by mistake assuming males would only want to mate if they smell a female who's gone into heat.

 

[jefferd18]

Thanks for your reply. Sorry, English is not my mother language and I am not 100% sure about some terminology. What I meant is he's been very horny recently, whereas I was by mistake assuming males would only want to mate if they smell a female who's gone into heat.

As a breeder, you know to keep him away from a mother to be and her kittens.

 

[Natuska]

As a breeder, you know to keep him away from a mother to be and her kittens.

Kittens are not yet born, but I've separated the cats after I noticed this issue.

 

[Sarthur2]

No, there is no safe herb or medicine to calm your male other than neutering.

Once a female is pregnant, allowing a male to continue to mount her and copulate is torture for her. It is wrong. Most breeders keep a room just for male studs because they cannot be around females after they have mated. Males are always in the mood and there is no cure beyond neutering, but it is not safe, comfortable, or morally appropriate for males to continue to mate with already pregnant females.

You have clearly been given bad advice. Professional breeders do not allow male cats around females unless they are in heat, and then only for 2-3 days maximum.

Again, there is nothing you can give a male cat beyond neutering to calm his urges. That is why neutering is recommended. Males are tortured also by their urges and it is recommended they they be neutered and not used as studs for very long as it is a very unhappy life for them.

Please look into American breeding standards and act appropriately.

 

[Natuska]

No, there is no safe herb or medicine to calm your male other than neutering.

Once a female is pregnant, allowing a male to continue to mount her and copulate is torture for her. It is wrong. Most breeders keep a room just for male studs because they cannot be around females after they have mated. Males are always in the mood and there is no cure beyond neutering, but it is not safe, comfortable, or morally appropriate for males to continue to mate with already pregnant females.

You have clearly been given bad advise. Professional breeders do not allow male cats around females unless they are in heat, and then only for 2-3 days maximum.

Again, there is nothing you can give a male cat beyond neutering to calm his urges. That is why neutering is recommended. Males are tortured also by their urges and it is recommended they they be neutered and not used as studs for very long as it is a very unhappy life for them.

Please look into American breeding standards and act appropriately.

Thanks for letting me know. Rest assured he has not mounted her while she is pregnant. After I noticed the issue, I did not let the male continue his attempts and separated him from the queen. I am not in the US but will check American breeding standards for information.

 

[Willowy]

I think, in other countries (not generally in the US), vets will give male cats a female hormone shot to calm them down a bit, if they're getting too pent-up or are spraying, and the owner doesn't want to neuter at that time. There are risks, of course, as in anything, but worth asking about if he's overly excited.

But as a general rule, yes, you need to be able to keep them separate when appropriate, most breeders have a separate room for their tomcats.

 

[She's a witch]

To add to what’s already been said, if they won’t live separately on a daily basis, she will constantly be pregnant. I understand from your previous posts she’s already had kittens in March this year, and she will again in a few weeks, this is way too much and not a way to treat a cat. If you want to be a breeder, please do it responsibly and ethically so that they are not harmed.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my! A litter in March and again now? Cats should only be bred ONCE per year in a controlled environment. That is the key to healthy cats and kittens. You must control the breeding.

 

[StefanZ]

All this said, it happens high pregs seems to be in heat the very last days before delivery. As we hear sometimes forumists tell their otherwise behaving toms mount their highpreg...
If her heat behavior, ie sending out heat smells, is because her ovaries are squeezed, or if its something of Mother Nature´s doing, I dont know.

I mean, it happens between human bonded pairs, if the delivery seems delayed, they get a discreet advice to have sex, and the delivery will come quicker.

But this is exception to the rule.

If the male cant behave and is pestering, by mounting or otherwise, they must be separated. Momma and childs first!

If they are best friends, and his presence is calming her, he may be allowed to stay near holding company, and perhaps even co-parent.

He CAN have stud pants on, or get some sort of male PILL, if we fear he will impregnate her anew while she is still nursing (and him coparenting).

 

[StefanZ]

Male Pills mentioned.
Im not sure they are to find in USA; because even female Pills are rare in USA.

As I understand it, they are essentially the same as for females.
They take down their urge, but not totally stopping their ability... But still, works.
Long term usage isnt healthy, and may increase risk of cancer, as for females.

The easiest is to in give simply literally the pill. Once a week?

The next easier, is to give it in injection. Duration is 3 months. Works, but there are often serious complications. They can get severely ill. In some milder cases, the stud can get a bare, sore spot where the injection was done...

Nowadays, they operate / inject a capsule [an implant], which is slowly giving the hormone mix... Duration is too about 3 months [or longer]. This is a much safer method than injections,
but is not recommended for long term usage.

 

[lutece]

Nowadays, they operate / inject a capsule, which is slowly giving the hormone mix... Duration is too about 3 months. This is a much safer method than injections, but is not recommended for long term usage.

I have heard good results anecdotally from European breeder friends who have used an implant for males that did not need to be bred immediately. It is definitely longer lasting than 3 months... more like 18 months to two years. It suppresses typical male behavior such as spraying, so the male cat can live in the house with the family and other cats. They had good results and the males went on to sire normal litters later on... Although I haven't talked to my friends about the exact implant they used (since it isn't used in the US), I have the impression that it's deslorelin as described in this paper.

Long-term Contraception in a Small Implant: A Review of Suprelorin (Deslorelin) Studies in Cats​

Long-term Contraception in a Small Implant: A Review of Suprelorin (Deslorelin) Studies in Cats - PubMed

The large variability in the duration of suppression of gonadal activity makes the definition of the optimal time for reimplantation quite challenging. In addition, the temporary stimulation phase occurring in the weeks following deslorelin implantation can induce in adult female cats a fertile...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"Slow-release deslorelin implants have been shown to generate effective, safe and reversible long-term contraception in male and female cats. In pubertal cats, a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant suppressed steroid sex hormones for an average of approximately 20 months (range 15-25 months) in males and an average of approximately 24 months (range 16-37 months) in females. Reversibility has been demonstrated by fertile matings approximately 2 years post-treatment in both male and female adult cats. In prepubertal female cats of approximately 4 months of age, puberty was postponed to an average of approximately 10 months of age (range 6-15 months) by a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant."​

​

And here's another paper discussing various methods

Suppression of Fertility in Adult Cats​

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onlinelibrary.wiley.com

 

[lutece]

Males are tortured also by their urges and it is recommended they they be neutered and not used as studs for very long as it is a very unhappy life for them.

It really depends on the individual male and how they are kept. I've been lucky to have some males that did not spray for several years while they were whole, could run the house and were pretty easy to keep as happy stud males with plenty of family interaction and enrichment. One of our males was a non sprayer until he was 10 years old. Even spraying males can be allowed to run the house part-time if breeders use stud pants.

Whole males tend to be very affectionate and love to be touched, so it's important to give them the physical affection that they crave. Our males have on the whole been very gentle and get lots of love from our whole family including our kids. We have a visiting male right now, and my daughter has been sleeping with him in our guest bedroom so that he doesn't get lonely.

Some breeders keep males in isolation without adequate attention, and that is an unhappy life... If a stud male cannot get the attention and affection he needs as a whole cat, or if he gets too hormonal to behave himself when getting affection from his owners, he should be neutered... but males kept as studs are not universally "tortured" and unhappy.

 

[Natuska]

I think, in other countries (not generally in the US), vets will give male cats a female hormone shot to calm them down a bit, if they're getting too pent-up or are spraying, and the owner doesn't want to neuter at that time. There are risks, of course, as in anything, but worth asking about if he's overly excited.

But as a general rule, yes, you need to be able to keep them separate when appropriate, most breeders have a separate room for their tomcats.

Thanks for your reply. I'd rather not gamble with his health if there are no fully safe remedies/medications to calm him down.

 

[Natuska]

To add to what’s already been said, if they won’t live separately on a daily basis, she will constantly be pregnant. I understand from your previous posts she’s already had kittens in March this year, and she will again in a few weeks, this is way too much and not a way to treat a cat. If you want to be a breeder, please do it responsibly and ethically so that they are not harmed.

Thanks, but according to ANCATS breeding standards, "A female cat must not have more than 2 litters in a 12-month period". Code of Ethics
I am starting to think this topic is quite similar to baby care, as there are lots of different standards and opinions, and everyone is sure they are right. If I become convinced that suppressing/ignoring her heat and not letting her mate more than once a year is a good thing for her, I would do it of course. But following the above code of ethics, it shouldn't be more than twice a year which is pretty much what she naturally wants.

 

[Natuska]

All this said, it happens high pregs seems to be in heat the very last days before delivery. As we hear sometimes forumists tell their otherwise behaving toms mount their highpreg...
If her heat behavior, ie sending out heat smells, is because her ovaries are squeezed, or if its something of Mother Nature´s doing, I dont know.

I mean, it happens between human bonded pairs, if the delivery seems delayed, they get a discreet advice to have sex, and the delivery will come quicker.

But this is exception to the rule.

If the male cant behave and is pestering, by mounting or otherwise, they must be separated. Momma and childs first!

If they are best friends, and his presence is calming her, he may be allowed to stay near holding company, and perhaps even co-parent.

He CAN have stud pants on, or get some sort of male PILL, if we fear he will impregnate her anew while she is still nursing (and him coparenting).

Thanks for the useful information. I didn't know this happens to high pregnant cats. He was trying to mount her so I separated them. But on the other hand, she became quite sad without him and is looking for him, so I sometimes let them be together when I have time to observe them both. Is your cat ok to wear stud pants?

 

[Natuska]

Male Pills mentioned.
Im not sure they are to find in USA; because even female Pills are rare in USA.

As I understand it, they are essentially the same as for females.
They take down their urge, but not totally stopping their ability... But still, works.
Long term usage isnt healthy, and may increase risk of cancer, as for females.

The easiest is to in give simply literally the pill. Once a week?

The next easier, is to give it in injection. Duration is 3 months. Works, but there are often serious complications. They can get severely ill. In some milder cases, the stud can get a bare, sore spot where the injection was done...

Nowadays, they operate / inject a capsule [an implant], which is slowly giving the hormone mix... Duration is too about 3 months [or longer]. This is a much safer method than injections,
but is not recommended for long term usage.

Thanks. I will research pills to see if any of those are safe to give. Otherwise I don't want to risk with his health. I am also thinking to try stud pants. All cats I ever knew or had hated all sorts of clothes, but maybe he will accept it, who knows. Or I will just continue keeping them separated and only let them see each other when I can watch them.