not a problem at all, just curious

[kittiekitten]

Hi, as some of you may know we have 4 cats, 1 was a stray then we adopted a cat from pet smart (humane society) and found out she was pregnant. anyways we kept her and her (2) kittens and all is well. everyone gets along very well. i was just curious if this is normal, i went to the vet and something she said got me wondering if this isn't the "norm".
the mother cat is about 2, we got her on vday last year, she had her kittens march 7th of last year, so aparently they are about a year old and she still treats them like they are babies. they will sometimes try and nurse off of her though she is dry (and all of the cats are fixed also) and a lot of the times she lets them for a little while. if she hears them cry or make any sounds she comes running, motherly instincts im sure, but i know outside cats, the mothers dont see them as their babies and what not after they are old enough to be on their own.
the vet had asked how she treats them and all so that is what sparked up my curiosity.
why does she still treat them as her babies when out in the "wild" this isnt the case, or is it in some cases. is it because they are all inside and always have been since we got them?

 

[larke]

Out in the wild, there's competition for food and males, and once kittens reach a certain age they become competition like anyone else, but at home, she has the luxury of remaining 'mommy' if nothing else is threatening her place.

 

[kittiekitten]

Thanks for the response. I had figured it was because they are inside cats, but since the vet asked how she treats them it got me wondering.

I am happy they are so happy, but heck they are overly spoiled and rotten at times! lol I really don't like the fact though that when we play with them, she will sit on the side and watch and not play and I wish the kitten side of her would come out more. We give her alone play time though.

 

[momofmany]

I've witnessed feral cats nursing their young well past 6 months old and others that abandon them the second they are weaned (or even before then). My guess is that all cats take to motherhood differently.