Did my kitten learn that from his mom?

nath 1

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Hi!

Almost a year ago, I fostered a kitten and his mom who were found wandering in the street and brought to the local SPCA. I was afraid of course they would stain my carpets with their peeing, but almost within the hour of arriving here, both used the litter box. The kitten was approximately 6 weeks old. Of course, I was quite impressed.

It seemed they had spent some time in the street, and maybe the mom had delivered her kittens outside. To me, it is obvious she is not a feral ( I still have her, she is my ray of sunshine!). Is it possible that the mom taught the kitten to use the litter box simply by going into mine the very first time when she arrived to my place, as he may have never seen one before? This mom cat is very bright, and I would not be surprised she taught the kitten to use it. I would be very surprised he learned to use it from another human being, as if people got rid of them by abandoning them, they would not have cared to teach him to use it! Or maybe they just escaped from their home?

I am asking that because their origin is still a mystery to me, and do not even know if the other kittens survived then, which is unlikely, as only another pair of nipples seemed to had been used by an hungry mouth! The likelyhood of the mom teaching such a young kitten to use a litterbox would dissipate part of the mystery for me!

Thx for your answers.

N.
 

tru

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Yes, the mama cats are very good about teaching their babies good habits when given the time and opportunity.



It's often difficult to impress upon people how crucial it is to allow the babies to remain with their moms longer than 6 weeks so they can learn their very important life lessons that help them to be well adjusted in life.
 

aconfident

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Be grateful that the mother cat was sooo good.

Otherwise you would have had a nightmare on your hands!
 
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