My husband and I have four cats, all indoors: Ace, a nine-year-old neutered male we've had about four years; Skittles, a year-and-a-half old neutered male; Pepsi, a year-and-a-half old female; and Ozzy, a nine-month-old neutered male. A few months ago, we were unexpectedly fostering Ozzy (before we adopted him), and he hadn't been fixed yet. We kept him apart from Pepsi and got him neutered as soon as we could, but apparently not soon enough, 'cause last night Pepsi had five kittens.
My concern is that Ace, who is pretty territorial with cats that wonder around outside the house even though he's a completely indoor cat and has been neutered for years—I think since he was a kitten—will kill the kittens if he gets a chance. My husband Shawn saw him sort of bite Pepsi's neck several times while she was pregnant, and he said that that's what toms do to kittens.
Right now all the males are locked in the garage (poor babies), and I was wondering what the danger is and how long I should keep them out there. I'm really not too worried about Skittles, 'cause he's a total sweetheart and completely non-aggressive, but I am concerned about Ace because of how he has acted in the past. Also I'm concerned about Ozzy because he's still a kitten and sometimes acts like a complete fart; he loves to chase Pepsi (and the other cats) until they get so tired of it they hiss at him and smack him.
So ... when is it safe to let my guys out?
My concern is that Ace, who is pretty territorial with cats that wonder around outside the house even though he's a completely indoor cat and has been neutered for years—I think since he was a kitten—will kill the kittens if he gets a chance. My husband Shawn saw him sort of bite Pepsi's neck several times while she was pregnant, and he said that that's what toms do to kittens.
Right now all the males are locked in the garage (poor babies), and I was wondering what the danger is and how long I should keep them out there. I'm really not too worried about Skittles, 'cause he's a total sweetheart and completely non-aggressive, but I am concerned about Ace because of how he has acted in the past. Also I'm concerned about Ozzy because he's still a kitten and sometimes acts like a complete fart; he loves to chase Pepsi (and the other cats) until they get so tired of it they hiss at him and smack him.
So ... when is it safe to let my guys out?