Do Cats Miss Their Kittens When They Are Taken Away?

Do cats have a strong emotional attachment to their kittens after separation? Do they miss them after the weaning process?

In this material we’ll talk about the mother/kitten dynamic and why bonds don’t last very long.

Enjoy the video! We hope you find it beneficial.

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[sirdarklust]

Interesting story about my late cat's childhood. First, he was a feral street cat. The mother, who seemed to be just nasty, abandoned the litter very early, so the father (the neighborhood tough guy tom), raised them. It seems it's uncommon for the father to do this, but he was a smart one, and seemed to take pride in his sons. We made friends with dad some time before these kittens were born, but he didn't want to move into the house. The happy ending is that the one kitten of the litter came into the house one day, at about 6 months old (according to his first doctor visit), and decided to stay. He had another sixteen years of the good life. Good choice on his part. It still stuns me what a nice, friendly, warm and happy cat he was, considering he was a street cat. However, I know just below that surface was a killer, as evidenced the time we got a mouse. He was total instinct that evening...

[Budicles]

I appreciate all these videos. I learn so much. Utmost respect to you.

[acetrace]

I'm so glad you did this video, thank you! 😊 I've been thinking and wondering about this exact thing. Now I've learned something else new today and to some it's important to know this. Bless you.

[tonymccarthy]

Thanks for your interesting video. We had a cat named Pyewacket about 23 years ago. She became pregnant at around 12 months of age and gave birth to a litter of 5 kittens. We re_homed 3 and kept the other 2. They all got on well and used to play together. She was always very protective of her kittens named Pebbles and Sooty (both females).

[dawnandy]

A number of years ago I was fostering kittens and the mother of some of them. We adopted 4 kittens that year, as well as the mother of two of the kittens. Well, after a couple of weeks the mother decided there were too many cats in the house. Her kittens didn't need her anymore. She just decided not to return one day. We searched for her, she had a chip, she had been spayed. But we never found her. One of her kittens (now an 8 year old cat) is sitting on my lap and purring as I type.

[Manysdugjohn]

My cat still has affection for 2 of her daughters even after 8 years. Her daughters may fight each other, but she never does so. Always licks them, protects them, and when they scream because of bath(they hate water) she is getting anxious meowing, coming to check if they are ok in the bathtub.

[ronsbrat]

Yes. I've had many cats throughout my 63 years. Many kitty litters too.
My present cat had a litter of 3 kittens not long before we got her. For a while after they were given away she would cry and look for them. So they got her spayed and gave her to me. For a few months after that she did the same thing. Now 9 months later she has settled down.
Even though she's calico her kittens were one grey, one white and one orange.
That's Callie in my picture.
Also.... From 1985 to 1998 I had an orange tabby that was the biggest sweetheart. Loved everything and everybody. Babies of any kind especially. He'd mother them just short of nursing. F it was a kitten he'd even litter box train it. Other baby animals got cleaning and general motherly care. Even helped take care of a litter of puppies with our German shepherd. When they were born he helped her clean them.
I sure miss Friskie.

[bethnicholson]

My precious kitty was found along a road in Pensacola Florida with 5 kittens. There shelters were full. And she was sent to a Pennsylvania shelter with her babies. Thank you for this. She seems very happy with our arrangement. Her and I. She does have a Tom that comes and visits. She is inside only. Loves her kitty TV. I wondered about her missing her babies. Thank you for posting this. They were all adopted before I got her.

[KathySamodio]

I put my kittens for adoption and I’m happy that there were a lot of people interested. However I was feeling uncomfortable about the thought of giving them away and the mama cat feeling lonely. Your video made me more confident about the adoptions. Mama cat will be spayed soon.

[damienthecatdog]

My now senior cat named mama kitty had kittens one year and unfortunately they all passed away very early we were all heartbroken. We rescued a baby kitten that was old enough to be weened but was still tiny we brought him home and mama kitty fell in love and adopted him. I think that was very beneficial for the both of them because our kitten didn’t feel completely taken away from a cat mother figure and mama kitty got a little piece of what she lost back.

[riasomers]

I had an adopted cat that came home already pregnant. She had 3 amazing babies. We adopted out one & the others stayed. Mama only stayed "loving" to one that had a hip issue. The other learned to steer clear of her & her baby. Mama Crystal, baby jasper & Mama's Pearl. All lived long lives.

[lisah]

You always do such nice and informative videos. Thank you!

[barbaracholak]

That's something most cat owners don't want to hear . That's the way it goes.. 💔
Salutations from California 🐾

[MarioDS]

Makes sense and it happens with pretty any kind of wild/domestic animals out there. Rarely sometimes at least one kitten stays with his or her mother. Guess it depends how strong their bond is or their personalities. Seen it in some media.

[PsyChoAnaLize]

My poor mama cat was let outside by her first owner after having a new litter. She was so friendly that the neighbor took her in and had her fixed not knowing she belonged to their neighbor. So she was unknowingly separated from her babies right away and fixes. Then that neighbor let her outside and my Aunt’s family took her in. Then they didn’t want her anymore so she was driven 2 1/2 hours to me. I’ve had her ever since and will keep her for the rest of her life. Anyway whenever she hears kittens crying for their momma she goes searching and meows sadly scratching at the screen. She’s a sweet girl, but was moved around too much and separated from her babies too soon

[lesliebray]

While I agree about the content, there are a few exceptions. I support a rescue that has an older moma cat that gave birth to 4 kittens. She and one kitten developed an enormous bond between each other and refused to be separated. The other 3 went on their way. The fosters tried everything to coax their independence but they would have none of it!! The kitten was a boy. To this day, they are joined at the hip😌😌

[johnkraitor]

My cat loved life once her kittens were old enough to run around. She had some one to play with. She grew up on her own but we could see she was very lonely and was always looking for cats to play with. She made a coulpe of friends with other cats but not enough to play how she wanted. Once her kittens were old enough she would play with them out side all day. I kept all 5 kittens to give her a family she could play with when ever she wanted. The only time she may tell the to piss off would be if thay go sniffing around her back end but thay get on great till this day. Thay are only just over a year old but i think it will be that way allways. The dad is a stray but hes great hes a real family cat who plays with the kittens too. He used to lay down next to the box the mum was feeding the kittens in to keep look out. He would chase all cats away from the property to keep them safe and still allways comes around to visit and spend time with them. He lets them eat his food we give him if thay want it. Its just like a real proper little family but cats.

[ronz]

My view point only.
Long term memory.
If there is a violent separation of mother and child memories remain with mom that have to be sorted out down the line. (cat PTSD) TLC will prevail if recognized and addressed.

[Imagodfollower]

Yes they do miss their babies & they even will cry for them or call them. I had a cat that done this & I felt so bad for her. She was a really good mom & was very protective over her babies.

[noninoni]

I care for about 20 community cats (tnvr and supply food)... After a Mom has her babies in my home, I let them go out on their own once fixed and received their shots and old enough... I will allow a Mom and older kittens back inside if it's too cold or bad weather.. And, during the night I've caught one Mom consistently allowing her 10 month old kittens to suckle!!