Kitten and mother cat

I adopted a 6 month old cat from my next door neighbor just over 2 weeks ago. He has adjusted very well and is an extremely sweet kitten. He was an inside/outside cat all of his life, but I am a believer in keeping cats indoors. I do allow him supervised visits outdoors for about 15-20 minutes (I watch him like a hawk). Last time out, it turns out his mother was in my backyard (my neighbor lets the cats come and go) and he went to smell her, cautiously. She backed away and hissed at him and I snatched him up and took him inside. I scooted mom away and let my guy have his outside time and he seemed happy. So the question is, why did mom hiss at him and is it safe to let her or his sibling kitten around him in the future?


Thanks,

Don

Answe by Kate
Hi Don,
it is difficult for me to answer this question as i am a firm believer that cats domesticated or not always reamin wild at heart and should be allowed thier cat instincts and freedom and be allowed to come and go as they please. However i will try to answer this question withouit any bias.
Once a kitten becomes independant from it's mother it is in the interests of the mother cat to shoo them away so that territory does not become over populated with cats and reduce the amount of food available (in the wild, but thier instincts even when domesticated remain the same). So the mother cat was hissing because to her he is a threat to her territory. This is natural and not dangerous because it is in the interests for your kitten. cat to be able to stand his ground and become used to fighting his corner. they may spat but this is good for him so that he can learn to defend himself. It is not in the intersts for cats to become seriously injured, so they will always retreat before things get serious. If i were you i wouldn't worry to much and allow your cat to find his feet, the mother cat will stop her behavour once your cat has made it clear to her that he isn't going anywhere, it is in his interest to do this.
Thank you for submitting your question and i hope all works out well.

Comments for Kitten and mother cat

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In door or outdoor?
by: Anonymous

I see that you agree that cats should be allowed to come and go as they please, but what if you live close to a busy street? Should I let em out so they can be free and dead? Sorry if it sounds rude. Now, if I lived in the country, sure, I would have him neutered and let him roam all he wants, but not in my house. Once hes outside, hes staying there.
indoor/outdoor?
by: Anonymous

Kitties have been domesticated for a long time. They used to roam freely cause times were differant. We now have lots of ways for kitties to get hurt,vehicles,other animals(all kinds.even other kitties)With the disease out there just another ptoblem it has been proven indoor kitties live longer lives. I think it is great you want to have your kitty indoor only. Granted nothing could happen letting it out....but someday your kitty might never come back and you will never know what happened. 100% of my rescued outdoor kitties never try to escape outdoors.....even the feral, they know when it is good inside.(50)
Momma kitty does push her kittens away when it is time to be on thier own. My sister took a momma and kitten and she went thru that for awhile then got better. good luck!

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