My 6 month old (spayed) kitten carries my daughters Beanie Kid around like a little baby kitten. Why is this?

Question

My 6 month old (spayed) kitten has been carrying my daughters Beanie Kid around as if it is her baby.
I bought her (Sammi) from my local vet which runs an adoption agency for kittens.
She was spayed there when she came in at 12 weeks old, however, I think that they fixed her the cheap way...
Is this normal behavior for my, or any other fixed kitten?

Answer 1

I think it's normal, my 9 month old kitten carries socks and blankets just like she would carry a kitten!!

Answer 2

This could just be a passing phase and the way this kitty is dealing with her hormones.Those urges don't go away just because the have been fixed.
It's normal for some kittens to develop an attachment to a particular toy whether they have been fixed or not according to my vet.
My family had a 7month old male whom took a liking to one of my daughters beanie babies and for for months he carried the toy constantly,he even took it outside to play with and if the door was closed and that toy was left outside and he was inside he would go to the door an beg till he was allowed to go out and retrieve it .
Take the kittens behavior as a sign that the kitten is happy and contented with its new home and family.

Answer 3

I have a male cat who is now 10. When he was a kitten of about 6 or 7 mo. he adopted a sock monkey, carrying it around as if it were a kitten, at times even trying to mate with it. He was already fixed at the time. He played with it, cuddled it, used it as a pillow & chewed on it. We let him keep it untill finally, it was so worn out & leaking stuffing all over that we had to get rid of it. I made him another but he just never took to it & didn't seem to mourn any over the first one either. He had just outgrown that particular thing. He still likes to play & is a real love. When I had asked the vet about it, he said it was a companionship toy & eventually he'd outgrow it.

Answer 4

Maybe not the same thing but.. my (spayed) dog would suddenly latch onto a new toy which became her instant baby.. no one could go near it but me. It was a squeaky toy, and if anyone, including herself, would accidentally squeak, shed almost panic! Shed also nuzzle it until it was in the position to be fed.. so I checked to see what was going on, and sure enough, my dog was lactating! The vet gave her pills to help ease the milk production down to nothing. Pudge is older now, and less attached to her toys.
Have you considered getting another cat or kitten for the one you already have.. some maternal instincts are so strong, that this may be the other thing that helps.

Answer 5

How cute. I had a black cat once that stole a draw string purse from a country doll that my aunt made. Onyx would carry that bright red purse by the strings in her mouth. It was so funny, but she would never let us take a picture of her with that purse. She was about 5 years old at this point. My SIL suggested it was like her little kitten.

One of my children saw our Siamese find the purse and go tearing through the house with the thing. He threw it down and laid on top of the purse. Onyx meowed out like a cat in mourning until Pirate became bored and left. Finally one day the purse disappeared. We never knew what happened to her purse.

Answer 6

I think it is because one of my cats carries around scrunchy like they are kittens it is actually quite funny because he sticks them in the water bowl as if they are getting a drink and then takes them out and puts them in the food bowl. So don't worry your cat is not the only cat that thinks something is a kitten that really isn't.
Also the cat could think it is a play toy if your cat doesn't have play toy.

Answer 7

It's normal for a kitten, even a grown cat, to want a toy. My cat has an affinity for her tiny stuffed Chewbacca doll that I've had to sew up three times, she carries it everywhere she goes.

Answer 8

Many cats love to play with stuffed animals. So could be going through a phantom pregnancy and carring the toy around. But I have seen many cats do that. Pet stores use to even sell cat toys like that for cats to play with.

Answer 9

She is just trying to be a good little Mom. I think when they are spayed they still have the instinct as if they were not spayed and have the mother instinct still with them. Good Luck to you and your kitty

By the way - it is wonderful that you adopted your pet rather than buying him/her from a pet shop. There are so many critters out there that need good homes.

Answer 10

It's her new companion. Being in an adoption agency, she had pnety of play friends around and now that's gone. She's looking for something about her size to comfort her. It's perfectly normal!