Maternal instinct

Hi,
This seems to be the next chapter in the story of the foster
cat, Victoria, whose litter was terminated during a spay operation.
We also had a family of 4 kittens and mother in the dining room.
Gradually, after she returned from the vet on Tuesday night, Victoria
started to settle down.
You're all correct, by the way-- she's much happier than she was
before the operation -- she's more sociable and seems more contented
and communicative.
Two of the kittens were adopted yesterday, Sunday (to my intense
relief -- 6 foster cats plus our 3 is a lot of cat presence!), but
we now have a new problem: Victoria is very interested in the kittens.
On Sunday morning, when one of them escaped and was trying to climb
the stairs, she licked his head and then took him by the scruff and
tried to drag him upstairs. I wasn't sure what was happening, and
rescued the kitten. Last night, she was meowing for them, and when
she had access to them she was all over them, sometimes trying to drag
them away.
I think that what is happening is that some residual maternal instinct
resulting from the hormones that won't have totally gone from her pregnancy
is causing this interest in the babies. If that's so, I shouldn't have to
worry about it. The mother doesn't seem too concerned, but she was
distracted last night in looking for the adopted ones.
However, I didn't want to leave Victoria in the room with the kittens,
just in case, and she spent a lot of the night sitting outside the door
crying to them.
Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this? How long might it go
on? If it would be better for all 4 involved cats if Victoria were
separated from the family, I would suggest it to the rescue group that
we work with.
Marion

"Marion" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
...
Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this? How long might it go
on? If it would be better for all 4 involved cats if Victoria were
separated from the family, I would suggest it to the rescue group that
we work with.
Marion

No personal experience here, so take it for whatever you think it's worth.
I have read that cats sometimes share kitten raising, and that may be what
Victoria is trying to do. It probably does have something to do with
hormones from the terminated pregnancy. I may be wrong, but as long as the
mother cat doesn't mind, I'd let Victoria spend time with the kittens. It
might be good for their socialization to interact with another cat and be
less stressful for Victoria. A baby sitter would give mom cat a break.
Victoria's hormones should fade in time.
Annie

"Marion" wrote in message
om...
Hi,
...
Does anyone have any ideas or experience with this? How long might it go
on? If it would be better for all 4 involved cats if Victoria were
separated from the family, I would suggest it to the rescue group that
we work with.
Marion

No personal experience here, so take it for whatever you think it's worth.
I have read that cats sometimes share kitten raising, and that may be what
Victoria is trying to do. It probably does have something to do with
hormones from the terminated pregnancy. I may be wrong, but as long as the
mother cat doesn't mind, I'd let Victoria spend time with the kittens. It
might be good for their socialization to interact with another cat and be
less stressful for Victoria. A baby sitter would give mom cat a break.
Victoria's hormones should fade in time.
Annie

In multiple cat settings where one or more females have a litter, it is
a common behavior for the females, whether they are the mother or just a
member of the colony, to share the duties of caring for the kittens. If
the momcat doesn't mind and you can keep all the cats in one area (so
Victoria doesn't move the kittens to where the mom can't find them) I'd
go ahead and let the two adults raise these kittens together. Victoria
will actually be helping take some of the burden of care off of the mom,
she'll satisfy her maternal instincts, and the kittens will get double
the love, so it's a win-win situation.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

In multiple cat settings where one or more females have a litter, it is
a common behavior for the females, whether they are the mother or just a
member of the colony, to share the duties of caring for the kittens. If
the momcat doesn't mind and you can keep all the cats in one area (so
Victoria doesn't move the kittens to where the mom can't find them) I'd
go ahead and let the two adults raise these kittens together. Victoria
will actually be helping take some of the burden of care off of the mom,
she'll satisfy her maternal instincts, and the kittens will get double
the love, so it's a win-win situation.

Megan



"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing."

-Edmund Burke

Learn The TRUTH About Declawing
http://www.stopdeclaw.com

Zuzu's Cats Photo Album:
http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22

"Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one
elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and
splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then
providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision,
raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and
material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his
way."

- W.H. Murray

dumped this in news:5441-4068610B-71@storefull-
3194.bay.webtv.net on 29 Mar 2004:

In multiple cat settings where one or more females have a litter, it is
a common behavior for the females, whether they are the mother or just a
member of the colony, to share the duties of caring for the kittens

This brings up something new I have been wondering about, too. I was
looking at a web page that had a .wav file of a kitten mewing. The
reactions of my three were varied: Shadow had no interest at all. Shamrock
looked around, came over to sniff the computer to see if there was a kitty
there. But Bonnie was frantic! She came bolting from wherever in the house
she was when I first played the wav file, then I played it a few more times
to see if her reaction was consistent. It was. She was crying, and running
around looking for kittens. It makes me wonder if she was older than I
thought she was when I got her last year, and had possibly already had a
litter. Or is this a typical reaction of a female? I've only had male cats
until now.

--
Cheryl

dumped this in news:5441-4068610B-71@storefull-
3194.bay.webtv.net on 29 Mar 2004:

In multiple cat settings where one or more females have a litter, it is
a common behavior for the females, whether they are the mother or just a
member of the colony, to share the duties of caring for the kittens

This brings up something new I have been wondering about, too. I was
looking at a web page that had a .wav file of a kitten mewing. The
reactions of my three were varied: Shadow had no interest at all. Shamrock
looked around, came over to sniff the computer to see if there was a kitty
there. But Bonnie was frantic! She came bolting from wherever in the house
she was when I first played the wav file, then I played it a few more times
to see if her reaction was consistent. It was. She was crying, and running
around looking for kittens. It makes me wonder if she was older than I
thought she was when I got her last year, and had possibly already had a
litter. Or is this a typical reaction of a female? I've only had male cats
until now.

--
Cheryl

In , Cheryl
wrote:

| But Bonnie was frantic! [...] is this a typical reaction of a female?

Don't know, but I'm willing to try this wav file on Marie. Where can I
get it?

In , Cheryl
wrote:

| But Bonnie was frantic! [...] is this a typical reaction of a female?

Don't know, but I'm willing to try this wav file on Marie. Where can I
get it?

Arjun Ray dumped this in
on 29 Mar 2004:

In , Cheryl
wrote:

| But Bonnie was frantic! [...] is this a typical reaction of a female?

Don't know, but I'm willing to try this wav file on Marie. Where can I
get it?



I was mistaken, it wasn't a wav file it was a movie file.
http://www.geocities.com/turbo502002/films.html
#4 did it for Bonnie.

--
Cheryl