Mommy cat comes back home and is mean to kitten - HELP!

rkyle20

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We have a cat that is about 1 year old and about 6-8 weeks ago she had 1 kitten (yes, I know, everyone says only 1 is weird). Everything was fine, she nursed and they played together and everything. About 5 days ago the Mommy cat disappeared and we couldn't find her for anything! Thankfully, she came back home today, BUT she is very mean to her kitten now! If the kitten comes anywhere near her she hisses and attacks (scratches and stuff). Also, the mommy cat also looks like she may be pregnant again, her belly is enlarged. Please help! I do not know what is happening or what to do...
 

tulosai

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If mom is attacking and hurting the kitten it is probably best if you separate them at the moment and try to do a reintroduction. Put kitten in its own separate room and follow the steps in this article exactly: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

Is mom acting weird in any other way? is it possible she is injured and this is the reason for the change? It would probably be a good idea to take her to the vet if you can.

I would also recommend getting mom spayed as soon as you can.  It is generally possible, and safe for mom, to spay her during a pregnancy all the way until she is SEVERAL weeks in, and a skilled vet with experience might be able to do so quite late in the pregnancy indeed. Please see this article for an explanation of some of the benefits of spaying: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/spay-and-neuter-your-cats
 
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rkyle20

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We are definitely going to get her spayed. I will try the re-introduction process. Is it possible she can forget her own kitten after just a few days?
 
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rkyle20

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She is not acting weird in any other way...doesn't seem to be injured at all.
 

tulosai

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Cats go primarily by smell and that is a VERY large part of how they recognize each other. It is possible that for whatever reason the kitten does not smell the same to her now and that is why she is acting this way.  Another possibility, like I said, is that this is health driven in some way.

I hope others will also chime in with feedback!
 

littlebooty

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If she has only just come back and you suspect pregnancy I suspect she just does not have the tolerance she had before especially if she has been been hounded by the local Toms! I noticed a change in my queen towards her sister (very close) after she had escaped.
 
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rkyle20

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I was thinking that too. That maybe she didn't want to play or anything because she was pregnant and grumpy. But, she is acting almost more possessive like when the kitten comes near her or our house she hisses and attacks like she's an intruder. Very weird. We are going to try and do the re-introduction later today when my wife gets home. I also thought, if she is pregnant, maybe she is already close to having them and just wants to be alone. Still weird the way she's acting. It's not like she gets mad if the kitten wants to play or starts to play. She won't even let her come near her or our house.
 

littlebooty

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If she has only just come back and you suspect pregnancy I suspect she just does not have the tolerance she had before especially if she has been been hounded by the local Toms! I noticed a change in my queen towards her sister (very close) after she had escaped.
I just wanted to add - there maybe a health reason, I would get a vet to take a look at her to be on the safe side, I really do think she will have been caught whilst on her journey, so would also be worth mentioning that as well xx
 
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rkyle20

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what do you mean by "caught" while she was on her journey?
 

littlebooty

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When a female is in season the males do get rather forceful and aggressive, she will have had maybe 2/3 days of them chasing her, still get her checked over though for piece of mind xx
 
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rkyle20

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Gotcha...thanks.
 
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