Cat question

[Renew Deal]

DU is the best cat forum on the net. I have a question for you. First, the little cat that my girlfriend was taking care of is now about a month old and is healthy. His eyes took about 3 weeks to come in.

Here is the question. The older cat is a female about 10 months old. We can't tell what the younger one is. My girlfriend has let them play together the last few days. The older one is OBSESSED. She chases around the little one. She licks her butt. She jumps on it and licks it. She meows more than she ever did. My girlfriend let the little one run around in the bathroom with the door closed. The big one sat outside meowing. But the meow is kind of like a cry. Anyone have a clue what's going on?

[Maddy McCall]

1. Awwww....that is soooo sweet!

My brother's cat is about to have kittens. (Then he will have her fixed--she's a stray, was pregnant when she found him.)

I will get a kitten. The mom is gorgeous...long-haired calico. Can't wait until they are born. My son is looking forward to seeing the kittens enter the world.

Your story is so sweet. Sounds like she is wanting to mother the little kitten.

[Roon]

5. My step-brother had two sister cats...

One of them had a litter and the sister would lay in the box with mama and the babies. It was soooo cute!!

[Renew Deal]

11. Thanks a lot.

That's what I think is going on.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

2. Could be anything

If the older cat is female though there's no danger in letting them be together a bit...she may think the other cat is in distress...if the older cat were male it would be an issue since it is sometimes instinctive for a male cat to kill a kitten thinking a female is nearby and it will force her back into heat.

The 10 month old cat (if not yet fixed) COULD be in heat and could be meowing and decking ANYTHING in her sight when she is in heat...hell she'll do the erasers on your pencil if she can get her butt onto it.

[Renew Deal]

6. I don't think she's in heat.

I have seen her in heat and she gets crazy.

[jukes]

3. Bleachers7

need a little more information to be accurate. is the older female spayed?

this sounds like mothering behavior. the licking is mom's way of stimulating a kitten to void itself. when i raised my abandoned kitten i had to teach him to suckle, "burp" him like a child, and gently wipe the anus & genitalia w/ a soft, warm, moist cloth to stimulate the void response.

the romping, chasing & holding to lick are all mother/kitten or kitten/kitten play/learning tactics. these activities teach them to fight, hunt & groom themselves.

sounds to me like your 10 mo old was taken from her mother too soon. A good sign of this wd be her attention to "kneading" (coll: making biscuits/bread, etc). kneading is a kitten's way of stimulating the mammary gland for nursing. most cats will need to a degree if they're happy or want attention. if your older cat does/did this *very* often before the kitten came, or even now you can bet she was taken early.

give her lots of grooming attention & nuzzling to help fill the need.


if she plays too often or too rough w/the little one, it will become irritated & perhaps a bit cowed. @ any time the little one seems to be reacting unpleasantly, seperate them.

in time i think they'll be good friends & keep each other from getting bored.

you can PM me if you have more questions. lay knowledge only, but very experienced!

[Renew Deal]

4. OK

She is not spayed. Thanks for all of the info. :yourock:

[jukes]

8. cat PMS

for several days prior to estrus, cats can become very affectionate. there's a trick you can try: scratch her lightly an inch or so above her tail on the lower back. if the tail goes sideways, she's close. proxim to a kitten can trigger estrus in a female cat. another indicator is frequent back-rolling.

if you don't have an over-riding reason not, you shd get her to the vet immediately. the only valid reason (& 1 i personally object to) is for breeding purp's. (except if a female is sick, & yours does not sound like an operation is a problem.)

[dmr]

7. What jukes said

We have an eight week old we found outside about a month ago. We have three other cats, one of which we found outside last October in the same place. It's like a big fertile rose bush. We have trapped many stray cats and having them fixed. I thought we had the problem around here corrected until the last batch of kittens! It's so cruel the way people 'dump' their cats.

Anyway, I agree with what jukes wrote. I'd let the two play together while you are home to watch them, then separate them when you are not. That is what we are doing right now with tiny Axel Foley, who is already chasing the big ones around the house - which is way too cute and funny to watch.

Good luck and get lotsa snuggles from that baby! :)

[Cybergata]

9. The older cat's mommy instincts are setting in!

When my big gay was a 5 week abandoned kitten, my eldest cat, who was 2 years old at the time, treated him like he was her baby. She has always kept his ears clean. She taught him how to use the liter box. :hippie:

[Renew Deal]

10. Thanks

That's what I think is going on.