Loss of a litter...?

Question

several months ago a stray cat that came along with the house we bought had a litter of kittens under our porch. She took 2 into the woods to raise and left one. I hand-raised the abandoned kitten and sadly a few weeks ago, the wild kittens were killed by dogs. Momma kitty is VERY feral and only comes to the house to eat. She is just recently delivered another litter and these kittens were dead at birth. I borrowed a trap from the pound and I am planning on trapping her and taking her to get fixed, shots, etc and then making her a house cat due to the high danger of dogs and coyotes in this area. My question is: Will she recognize the kitten she left behind for me to raise? Since she is probably mourning the loss of her litter and the kittens that were recently killed by the dogs, will she be accepting of the kitten and maybe form a bond with this kitten now? Whisper, the kitten is already well past the stage of needing to be mothered, but I want them to coexist and both be happy. Is this at all possible? I refuse to take this cat to the shelter. She has become part of the family even if it is from afar and the pound will just put her down...

Answer 1

Step1Enclose the cat or kitten in a small space afirst'a bathroom or bed-room works best.

Step2Turn out the light if the cat is terrified; this often has a calming effect.

Step3Put a bed, a litter box, food and water in the room. If the cat is very young (6 to 12 weeks), put her in a large carrier with a grated door and small windows.

Step4Spend at least 2 to 3 hours a day with the animal. Just sitting quietly in the same room will allow the cat to learn that you are not a threat.

Step5Gently compel the cat to let you touch her. Carefully wrap a blanket around her if you have to, hold her on your lap and pet her. Stroke her coat and touch her ears, face and neck as you talk to her in soothing tones. Even if the animal doesn't seem to be enjoying the attention, she is. Hold the cat by the scruff of the neck if she attempts to leave. (The mother cat will do this to carry or train a kitten'it doesn't hurt, and it actually relaxes the animal.)

Step6Present special treats such as chicken or tuna, and leave them if the cat will not eat from your hand.

Step7Gradually allow the cat to roam about in more rooms.

Step8If the cat tries to run away from you repeatedly, enclose her in a smaller space and start again.  

Answer 2

awwww they sound cute i would go to the vet they can help...

Answer 3

No, she will unlikely recognize the kitten as her own but they still may bond. I acquired two of mine this same way - one was the kitten of a wild neighborhood cat. Later, I befriend the mama and had her fixed, which calmed her down a lot. Mother and daughter don't care for each other one bit but the cat that was once too wild to pet is now a couch hog and seems to thoroughly enjoy the fact that her child rearing years are far behind her. She co-exists with my 4 other house raised cats but is a little distrustful of them, from her days on the streets and fighting with other cats. She's bonded with people very well though. I have 5 cats and none of them like each other and it works out ok because they all learn their boundaries with one another.  

Answer 4

Once she's been fixed, bring her home, and put her in the smallest room of the house.  Put a comfortable place for her to lie down in there, a nice litter box, food, water, and a comfortable pillow or two you can sit on and read for at least an hour a day.  Don't make any movements toward her, just sit in there, but move your pillows closer to her food and water every day ... then start putting just water in and taking the food to her by hand, feeding her little treats.  It will take a month or more, but she should become a 'house cat' since you are getting her fixed ... and once she knows you well enough, you can slowly introduce he to the other members of your household, until she's used to all of you.  That includes the kitten ... they may become friends, but it will be just that, since the mother 'rejected' her baby she may think it's dead, and that this kitten is just 'a cute friend' she can 'mother' a bit once she's part of your family.

THANK YOU for doing this ... not everyone is as kind as you are, and this world would be a much better place if more people were like you.  

Answer 5

The cat is most likely going to treat the kitten as a stranger. Cats don't have that great of memories...they will eventually get used to living with each other and become friends..

Answer 6

Its possible she will recognize the kitten.

My mom took in a feral cat three years ago. She was pregnant and had two kittens (one stillborn). When the 2nd kitten failed to thrive, mom asked me if I could hand-feed the kitten. I did and raised him and now have him as a pet (and he is wonderful). The funny thing is that while on vacation, I left my cat at my mom's to babysit. He radiated towards his birth mother and she didn't seem to mind according to my mom.

So who knows? It possible. By the way, the feral cat that mom took in is now a fat, happy completely docile house cat. She's a doll. She is spayed and I'm sure that helped, but mom also gave her a lot of space and patience in the first couple of years. She let Frou-Frou (the cat) come to her and eventually Frou-Frou settled down and settled in.

I think you are doing a kind thing by bringing her inside. You might need to keep her separate from your other cat for a few weeks for the comfort and safety of both cats. I don't think she'd hurt the kitten, but you just never know. Plus she'll have that outside smell and that vet smell from her immunizations and spaying. Its a lot for both cats to adjust to. Just give it patience and time. You are doing a wonderful thing for the feral cat.  

Answer 7

Get her fixed, and let her back into the wild. She is too feral to turn into a house pet. The most you can do is prevent more litters of kittens to perpetuate the cycle. This is called "Trap, Neuter (or Spay), Release"

You can find out more about it online.

Answer 8

having a very feral cat in your house just does not seem like a good idea to me. ive dealt with very feral cats at the human society where i work and its never a good thing. they never change. she could attack the kitten, or even worse you. its not worth the risk imo. get her fixed and whatever and give her to someone who has a barn where she can live.

Answer 9

She will have no idea that this was her kitten. Cats do not have life-long bonds with their offspring. If they did, just think of what would happen. Huge cat families everywhere. When a mother cat weans her kittens and they mature, they are on their own, just like with most animals. Thank you for making such an effort for the well being of this cat and kitten.

Answer 10

She may or may not recognize her/his scent.  But if he doesn't it becomes a matter of gradually introducing them to one another.  It will take some time but eventually they should be able to co-exist.  I'm trying to capture a feral cat that has become an outdoor member of my family.  But doesn't seem to be too keen on coming in my house.  I hope it works out for you in that regard as well.

Answer 11

I love it when I hear about people that are willing to take in ferals. It warms my heart.

To answer your question, no, the mom won't recognize the one you've been raising at all. She may, however, accept and bond with the kitten, if she chooses. But that is entirely up to her. I would wait though until she is a bit more workable.

Some say here to do a TSR (Trap, Spay and Release). I, however, disagree with that. The cat rescue that I volunteer at has been taking in and turning ferals around for almost 16 years. It CAN be done.

My suggestion would be to get a cage, dog sized at best. A litter box and a bowl of food and water. Place them all in the cage and then proceed to place the mom in there too. That way, you can work with her without the fear of her running away and hiding. If she can't be touched at all, here's a suggestion that we've been using here at the shelter for years.

Find a nice sturdy, leather glove. A workman's glove. Stuff it with newspaper to make it look like a real hand would be in there. Duct tape the base of the glove and attach it to a wooden pole. Use it to pet the cat a couple minutes out of each day. That way you can begin the rehab process without worrying about getting your hand bitten and scratched. Your "decoy" hand will bear the brunt.

I hope this works out for you! Good luck!

Answer 12

Trap her with a live animal trap, have her spayed, then release her back to the only home she has ever known. Do not force her to be an inside cat, she won't like it.  

Answer 13

mommy cat can probably sniff out that kitten and recognize it as her young.  I mean if you look at some news, sometimes mommy kittens adopts puppies, bunnies, and other kittens as well so......

fear not, worry not, the cat will love its young.

Answer 14

hi

oh you are so kind...i want to thank you for doing this even though it has nothing to do with me!!

I think your cat wont recognise her baby anymore; i have returned kittens to cats after a few weeks and the mother seemed to not treat them any different to any other cat. I am sure with time and care, your Whisper (love the name) and the other cat will learn to get along!! Even if you get some rough going initially...you are so kind to love these cats!

Answer 15

I belive that anything is possible :) the cat could very well get along with the kitten, its possible that she will recognise her baby .. take a look at this little 2 min video , you will see :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adYbFQFXG...