10/19/2026
I received this email yesterday, and before I talk about it, I want everyone to knowā¦ You can email me anytime with questions. I will never share your name or identifying details. But sometimes I may use a question as a learning experience because other people need this information too. ā¤ļø
Here is the email:
āHi, Iām asking because I am kind of desperate. My girl had her kittens in July and is doing great with them. However, she has become aggressive with the other cats in the house, especially one of our other Sphynx. I am hoping that once I get her spayed, this will change. Have you ever dealt with this behavior? If so, help me.
If this continues, I may have no choice but to find her a new home that may not have any other female cats. She is one of my six cats, and I also have five kittens. Iām just frustrated and have never had to even consider removing any of my cats.
Thank you for taking the time to read my message.ā
It is SO important, BEFORE you start breeding, to understand what living with unaltered animals is actually like.
They are HORMONAL! Both males AND females can spray. Sometimes my girls are worse than the boys! They can also become territorial and aggressive. Heat cycles, competition for mates, protecting babiesā¦ these things can change the dynamics of an entire household.
The girls who used to sleep together may suddenly want absolutely nothing to do with each other.
Yes, I deal with this everyday.
Keep the cats safely separated while working out a plan. Spaying can help with hormone-related behavior, but it is not a guaranteed overnight fix. It takes weeks for hormones to balance back out after a spay. Some cats also need a slow reintroduction.
You HAVE to have the right setup to breed. That means a quiet, secure nursery and the ability to separate cats comfortably when needed, with their own food, water, litter boxes and attention. You cannot build a breeding program around the assumption that everyone will always get along.
This is also part of why you see breeders carefully place some of their retired cats. It can be heartbreaking, but their happiness has to come first.
Once spayed, heat cycles stop and hormone-driven behaviors may settle wayyyy down. Many girls can enjoy being spoiled house cats without all the reproductive drama. No more fighting over men. š But the hormonal cats still in the household may make that difficult, and sometimes a quieter pet home is what suits that individual cat best.
Male cats also calm down once they are neutered. We don't keep more then 1 unneutered male in any of our homes because not only is it very stressful on the boys, but they can be very aggressive towards eachother. Even their humans smelling like another whole male can get them very angry.
What worries me is how quickly a behavior change after a litter can put a girlās place in her family in question. She has gone through pregnancy, delivery and raising babies and now because her owner didn't take the time to understand breeding and the effects that has on her cats, she will most likely be rehomed.
I appreciate that this person reached out for help. That is exactly what I want people to do. And sometimes, even with proper help, carefully planned rehoming is the kindest outcome. But we don't need anymore back yard breeders. We need people in it for the long haul, people that want to better the breed. Dealing with unaltered cats is not easy but there are going to be much bigger issues down the road and if this stresses you out, then I would absolutely rethink breeding.
People starting to breed without understanding these realities have major consequences and these cats end up in rescue or shelters when things become difficult. We took in 2 "spraying" cats this year, male and female, that were used for breeding and got dumped for urinating out of the box. The people didn't realize this was normal.
Please, if you are going to breed, do your research FIRST. Learn about unaltered cats, their behavior and the space and care they need. Your responsibility includes the motherās well-being long after her kittens are born.
