Do mother cats not like their kittens when they get older?

Question

I have a cat, Chloe, that had her first litter of kittens at the end of June last year. So they're almost a year old now, but I only kept one of the kittens. Chloe's an outdoor cat because she got to where she wanted to run outside all the time. The kitten I kept, Peter Panda (female), was indoors until she suddenly started peeing everywhere, she didn't have an illness or anything, though. She's been outside for about 2 months, and Chloe's been hissing at her and making a growling sound and attacking her. Is it normal for mother cats to do this to their kittens when they're older? I'm worried she'll chase Peter Panda away and that she won't come back, is that what she's trying to do?

Answer 1

no lol they just kinda ignore them

Answer 2

Chloe is telling her daughter that this is her territory, not Peter Panda's. Peter Panda was marking your home to tell any tom cats she's grown up and can begin to mate very soon. See about getting her fixed. This should stop the 'marking'. I live with 5 cats right now (4 females, 1 male) ; two are 6 months, the others are adults. They get along well, for the most part.

Answer 3

Yes, that is what she's trying to do. It has nothing to do with not liking her own kitten anymore; it's because they are two unspayed females (you don't mention that they have been spayed, so I'm assuming they are intact).

This is likely also why Peter Panda started peeing out of the litter box. Did you have her tested for a urinary tract infection or other problem? If not, that should be done as soon as possible.

Get them both fixed, bring them back inside, and put a bit of effort into this and they will probably at least tolerate each other eventually. It is not safe for them to live outdoors. If they can't learn to get along with each other, it is better to find a new home for one of them than to kick them out of the house.

Answer 4

Yes, that is exactly what she is trying to do. Momma went outside and thought she was liberated and free. Now she has company. Some mothers are born mothers. I had one feral cat who had a litter and THE DAY those kittens ate hard food she was gone. One of her kittens had a litter, and I still have her and one of her daughters. The daughter has every recessive gene that can be, and is so cross-eyed she can't see two feet in front of her face. She is very protective of her. So, it all depends on the individual cat, but it sounds to me that momma doesn't want anything to do w/ PP. Try to set-up a different area for PP. Separate feeding areas. I've had to feed some feral cats in the front, and some in the back, because they won't get along.

Answer 5

I'm not so sure cats realize when they are kin to each other. So, it may not be a thing of this being the mother and baby. It probably has something to do with territory. Are your cats fixed? If not they should be! That will probably ease the tension. When you get them fixed at first they will probably hiss do to the "vet smell" that cats dislike. It takes some work.

My mother has a cat that pees on stuff. She hasn't figured out why. He has no illnesses but we're thinking it has something to do with odd smells. Maybe there are other cats around outside making the cat spray?

Answer 6

It's not weird for mother cats to lose interest, or even turn on their young when they have grown up.

The reason for this is that in the wild, the kittens would leave the mother when grown up, move to their own territory and never see her again. This is still the natural instinct of domestic cats. I know a couple of people who have two cats that are mother and daugher/son - neither get on with each other! It's the mother cat's way of saying 'why are you still here, you're supposed to have left!'

It's the same for humans, we have a natural instinct to 'fly the nest' too, usually by the time we get to about 18!

Chalice