Community Parenting

[country cats]

I live on a farm and we have barn cats.  The spring is my favorite part of the year because that's when they have kittens!  Recently, instead of the mama cats caring for their own kittens they are taking care of the kittens from the other mama cats too.  They didn't used to do this up until the last two years. There is one cat who isn't a good mom, and often neglects her kittens.  Luckily they get adopted due to the community parenting.  Some of our other cats are good moms and take care of her kittens as well as their own.  There are three mama cats who lay together to feed and take care of the kittens and it's impossible to tell whose kittens are whose.  The cat who neglects her kittens was inside for about a year.  She is the sweetest, most ornery cat.  Just not a good mom.  I think the whole community parenting thing started when we put her outside.  Does anyone know why they are doing this? 

 

[jennyr]

Feral colonies often do this, so that mom cats can get enough time to hunt and feed themselves. It is often sisters who will look after each others' kittens to give the moms a break. It may be that they realised that your cat's kittens were not getting looked after properly and their parenting instincts triggered.