Bunches of Qs

Question
QUESTION: My cat silvester is now 3 years old. He is fixed yet he is still "active." He often
"loves" my leg and even flat surfaces. I try to take him off but as soon as I do
he licks his... Parts then waits until I don't pay attention and does it again.
Why does he do this?????? Shouldn't he stop after being fixed?? It was
worse when he wasn't yet fixed (meaning he did it faster and harder
ewwwwwww) He stopped marking his territory but kept "loving"     is there a
way to make him stop???  I'm getting a female kitty in about 20 days so I
don't want him to "love" her.

ANSWER: Jenn,

Yes. Since there isn't another cat in the family, you have become the object of his affections! (smile).

I also have a male neutered cat that is SO affectionate and loving with a strong male mentality, that he will start kneading, licking, and going into a trance-like state. If it is allowed to go on he will ejaculate, then go to sleep!

I have a friend whose cat has a stuffed 'girlfriend'. He does the same thing to the stuffed toy that my cat does, and what your cat is doing to you! He's had this same 'girlfriend' for two years!

Do not scold him for behaving like that because it is instinct for him and he is not being a 'bad kitty'. That will only confuse him because he won't understand what he is doing wrong. The main thing is DO NOT pet him when he starts behaving that way! That will only stimulate him more. What you should do is distract him with food, pull a shoestring, etc. You can try getting a large piece of a soft material at a fabric store, like velour, or velvet. Make him a nest on the floor and put him on that. He should trance on that and leave you alone. Don't talk to him though because then he will refocus on you and come back.

He just has a strong male mentality. Even though he can't actually do anything, he still thinks he can. If he was neutered recently it may be taking a while for the testosterone to leave his body, though it usually only takes about a month.

A female in heat that he can smell may trigger it. Usually they start showing that behavior about 3 years old if they were neutered early.

It should stop when whatever is stimulating him is no longer around, but it's possible that, like mine, he is just a natural 'lovebug' and it will be part of his personalty.

He may instantly grab the female kitten by the neck and transfer his affections to her. I would get her spayed if she is not going to be used for breeding. They can spay as early as 8-10 weeks old. I have my kittens spayed at the SPCA at that age. You may have to keep them separated until his behavior stops.

It's best to have 2 kittens when you have an older resident cat. The kittens need a playmate to play kitty games with and for companionship. An older cat either will not like the kitten or play too rough with it.

You also need to do the introduction period correctly to avoid future behavior problems. You can not just put them together and expect them to get along. That very rarely ever happens. I am attaching a couple of links on how to go about the introduction process:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro

Once they can be together without fighting feed both cats yummy cat treats (like tuna or pieces of raw steak) TOGETHER. That is so the cats will associate each other with something pleasant.

Also getting a pet laser light (at PetSmart, etc.) is great for interaction between the two cats. They both can chase the 'little red bug' on the floor, ceilings, and walls, and they tend to forget about the other cat as they focus on the 'bug' which helps them get used to each other.

It just takes time and lots of patience. It will work out if you take it slow and don't force them together until they are ready.

Tabbi



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for that is was very helpful. I got a
chinchilla about a month or two ago and I
wanted to know if introducing the cat and
chinchilla is the same as introducing the cat
and the kitten. If that is the case then can I just
put the kitten in the chinchilla and the
chinchilla in a smaller cage? The cage is two
stories high... Well 3 if you count the floor
level. And it is about 2.5 feet high. Is that big
enough for a few week old kitten? My cat only
hissed at my chinchilla (and me :) for 3 days.
Now he will walk right past chinchi's cage and
sometimes he will just stare at the chinchilla
and lose interest and fall asleep. He gets a
little scared when I take the chinchilla out of it's
cage and put it near him but he got over his "
must.... Kill ... CHINCHILLA!!!!!" phase.
By the way I wanted a second cat for...
EVER!!! So I already knew the introduction and
stuff but thanks anyway for caring. I already
asked my mom for permission for a second cat
but her answer...well it wasn't yes... It was
more of a your lucky to get one don't push it
type of answer. So I can't have another one.
Do you think my chinchilla can become friends
with my new (soon to be)
kitty???
Sorry I'm asking so many questions it's just
that most people don't knows the answer.   
Thanx again Tabbi
~Jenn

ANSWER: Jenn,

RED ALERT! Your chinchilla is PREY to a cat! Growing up together they may become friends, BUT many times, as a cat gets older, the inherited instinct to hunt and kill prey will kick in and many people have come home found that one of the 'friends' is dead.

NO! Do not house them together in the same cage! A kitten will play too rough in the first place and the chinchilla cannot defend itself and may end up with painful bites and injuries. ALWAYS supervise their time together, never leaving them alone outside the cage together.
You may get lucky and nothing will happen and they will be best 'buds', but then again.....

Sorry, but another kitten is the only playmate that a kitten should have to wrestle, chase, bite, etc., and sleep with. Two kittens are easier to care for than one because it takes the pressure off of you to keep it amused. Plus humans can't play kitty games like another kitty can. Also a single kitten tends to cry alot because it is lonely, grieving for it's mom and littermates and takes a lot of attention.
You may want to show this to your mom to explain why two kittens are easier to have than one. But all teenagers should have at least cat, if not more, if they love animals.

A chinchilla is OK as company for a kitten....with supervision, or amusement for the kitten to watch, but NOT as a playmate!

Feel free to send a followup question anytime.

Tabbi


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for all of your help. You are the best expert I have ever contacted. I asume you meant have at least one cat or more when you said have at least cat or more. (I will take no points off since you are AWESOME) so younever answered my question about whether the kitten can live I. The chinchilla cage alone. (description in my first follow up) there where a few typos in it so you way have misunderstood... Sorry about that. And I found that by picking silvester up  when he has a "loving moment" he stops and licks my face and runs away (just a few feet) and licks himself.  When I rate you (of you can see your ratings) I will tell you how many kittens I'm getting. If I do get to it's not too bad financially cause when I get a job next year I will pay for food and litter and the cats are free. ( and that's not my choice but I don't mind if it let's me have a few cats ;)
Can you give me a few kittens names (female)?
How old are male cats when they can reproduce?
Females?
Funny story:
I thought that since you have been helping me so much lately you deserve a few laughs.
My current kitty silvester was looking at my mice. He then got bored and tried to jump on my bed but I was in the way. He tried to jump over me and he flew off the bed!! He was clinging on and then pulled himself up just enough to lick some pudding off my spoon!!! He then climbed the rest of the way up and fell asleep at the end of my bed!!! It was so funny (to me at least) (he was not hurt doing any of his crazy stunts.

Thank you again Tabbi!!!

Answer
Jenn,

You should have had a video of Sylvester! That sounded like it was hysterical! Cats do some funny things. I have a timid cat that won't jump on the bed if another cat is up there. He will stand up and walk on his HIND LEGS (little tiny steps) half the length of the bed looking to see if the coast is clear!

Sorry, thought you meant the kitten and the chinchilla together, my mistake. As long as there is room for a litter box, the kitten's food and water, and a bed or towel to lay on then the cage should be fine until it gets a little bigger.

A male cat can reproduce at about 6 months old, a female can have kittens as young as 4-6 months old.

There are a number of free and low cost spay/neuter clinics around. Call the SPCA or local Animal Control to see if they have information on where they can be found in your area. OR, Google the info: type FREE OR LOW COST SPAY NEUTER CLINICS (then the name of your city or nearest larger city) and see what comes up). I've had kittens as young as 9-10 weeks old neutered or spayed by my local SPCA.

Do you use Yahoo Widgets on your desktop? Here is a pet namer widget:
http://widgets.yahoo.com/widgets/name-tagger

Here's a pet naming site that may help you too:
http://home.ivillage.com/pets/petnames/find/

Hope this is helpful.

Tabbi