month old kittens threatening the other cats?

our kittens are getting curious and walking around, being all cute and aggrevating the other cats (there are six bonker *aka the old man*, frack, jack, grey *the moma cat* , stow, stinky and tramp. grey is the only female. jack and bonkers are fixed. the other boys are in line for it as soon as we can get it done, b/c they are spraying everywhere and it annoys.
anyway, jack who is two and we've had since he was a kitten, is threatened by the two kittens that we want to keep. he's suddenly very attentive when he normally isn't. he's also helping grey take care of her babies, bathing them, keeping there where we want them, (in a 'cat run' when they aren't running loose) and playing with them. but if we are playing with them, or handling them in anyway, he gets very jealous. he's the only one who does - is this normal?

I'd say it was pretty normal. My cats get "jealous" and antsy when I have foster kittens, even though they are in a separate room. They know something's up, they can smell the kittens and aren't sure what it means.

I'd watch Jack with the kittens to make sure he doesn't inadvertantly hurt them. The learn how to be cats from mom but Jack might be a good "teacher" too.

My cats get upset when I don't give them as much attention as they are used to. If you have new kittens and you are spending time with them that you would normally reserve for your other cats, yes, they can get upset. Not sure that I would call that jealousy, just upset. Jack may be the least of your worries.

The spraying can be attributed to being unneutered, but can also be attributed to being stressed by the other cats in your house. You didn't mention how long the spraying has been going on, but if it started since the kittens arrived, my bet is that they are telling you that they are more upset than your Jack. And if was going on before they arrived, then you may already be at your cat limit.

I live with 10 cats, and have a precarious balance with them. You need 1 litter box per cat plus an extra and you need to keep them impeccable. You need to make sure you can devote time to each cat each day based on their needs. And if one or more becomes ill, you need to make sure you can afford the vet care for them. I'm not one to discourage multi cat households, but also want you to make sure you know what you are getting yourself into by adopting 2 more kittens right now. You may need to reassess your household and do more to make sure all the cats are stress free by the addition of 2 more.

If you're having trouble getting all the other cats fixed (I don't know if it's finanancial, time-related, or what), you might want to reconsider keeping the kittens. Having unfixed cats can get out of hand REALLY fast, and that's how those hoarders on "Animal Cops" end up in so much trouble. And little kittens are so much easier to find homes for than adult cats.

i'm out of work and we are waiting for my husband's disability to kick in - that's why waiting on getting the boys fixed. i should be working soon tho (hopefully) we decided to only keep one kitten. the spraying has been going on a while but we didn't realize it b/c of where they are doing it.

Originally Posted by bennett

i'm out of work and we are waiting for my husband's disability to kick in - that's why waiting on getting the boys fixed. i should be working soon tho (hopefully) we decided to only keep one kitten. the spraying has been going on a while but we didn't realize it b/c of where they are doing it.

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Sometimes the local animal shelter will have a low cost spay/neuter program or they may know of one in your area.

The spraying could be a health problem that may need attention. Not being neutered and having kittens will also contribute to spraying.

There is a recipe for cleaning the urine that contains hydrogen peroxide, a few drops of liquid soap and baking soda. Until you clean all the urine with an appropriate cleaner, they will keep spraying.

Getting them neutered as soon as possible will help. Having multiple litterboxes will help.

Jack may settle down once he is neutered.