# Reintroducing mother and kitten problems



## Gambino (Aug 21, 2014)

We had to send our kitten (Gambino) away for a couple weeks while we waited for his mothers milk to dry up so we could get her spayed. We have just got him back tonight but now his mother is hissing and growling at him and he can't go anywhere near her.

If we leave the two of them together downstairs for a night will she realise that the kitten's her son or is it likely that she'll end up rejecting him altogether?


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## AdviceSeeker (Jul 12, 2014)

I don't have a great deal of experience with this and i'm sure someone else will be along soon to give a better reply than mine. 

But for now....

The kitten will now have a different smell if he has been staying somewhere else, so you will need to re-introduce them slowly. Please don't leave them alone together as the kitten may get hurt.


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## Gambino (Aug 21, 2014)

Thanks for your reply anyway.

I kept the kitten in my room for the night but in the morning, nothing has changed between him and his mother.

What should I do?


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

I agree with Adviceseeker, you would need to reintroduce them. You'd need to keep them separate and scent swap. You could rub a towel on one cat and then rub it on the other. Do that with each cat?

Some people do the quick introductions where they keep the kitten in the carrier and bring it in the living room and let the other cat smell it. There should be plenty of hissing but after the hissing stops, take the carrier back. Do that a few times and see if the cats are tolerating each other more and more.

In some cases a slower introduction is require. Chillminx had some good pointers in this thread: http://www.petforums.co.uk/cat-trai...kitten-new-cat.html?highlight=introducing+cat

BTW: How come we don't have a sticky about cat to cat or cat to kitten introductions? I don't know why I thought we did have one  May be someone more experienced can write one.


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## lorilu (Sep 6, 2009)

They don't recognize one another. This is a brand new cat to her.

Keep them separate, and do slow introductions between the door, and exchange scents by rubbing something you have slept in on her, then kitten, then her again.

This process can take a few weeks.



> Some people do the quick introductions where they keep the kitten in the carrier and bring it in the living room and let the other cat smell it. There should be plenty of hissing but after the hissing stops, take the carrier back. Do that a few times and see if the cats are tolerating each other more and more.


I don't agree with this. I think it's very stressful for a cat (or kitten) to be caged while another cat hisses at him. The caged cat is trapped, has no way to get away from it. This is very bad for any cat or kitten. Please don't do this.


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## ALR (Apr 16, 2014)

lorilu said:


> I don't agree with this. I think it's very stressful for a cat (or kitten) to be caged while another cat hisses at him. The caged cat is trapped, has no way to get away from it. This is very bad for any cat or kitten. Please don't do this.


You're right, Lorilu. I didn't think of the stress on the cat in the carrier. Slow introductions are more likely to be successful.


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## Kidlington (Aug 26, 2013)

I haven't heard of having to send a kitten away to help the milk dry up prior to spaying. I had my girl done when she was still feeding her kittens - they were about 9 weeks old and weaned - and she came back and fed them within hours and everything was fine. 

There was no talk by the vet or any vet I consulted about having to separate a kitten from its mother before spaying. 

K


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Kidlington said:


> I haven't heard of having to send a kitten away to help the milk dry up prior to spaying. I had my girl done when she was still feeding her kittens - they were about 9 weeks old and weaned - and she came back and fed them within hours and everything was fine.
> 
> There was no talk by the vet or any vet I consulted about having to separate a kitten from its mother before spaying.
> 
> K


My retiring queens have gone in for neutering at the same time as their kittens, and come home to nurse them. No separating before or after, but I have read online that some vets insist on mum being dried up.

I keep mum with the bubs for the whole 12 weeks, they still suckle at that age and would fret being parted.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

spotty cats said:


> <snip>
> I keep mum with the bubs for the whole 12 weeks, they still suckle at that age and would fret being parted.


Lola still lets her kittens suckle until they leave, though at 12 weeks she has no milk to speak of. Aoife is still allowed to suckle sometimes and she is 15 weeks on Thursday.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

OrientalSlave said:


> Lola still lets her kittens suckle until they leave, though at 12 weeks she has no milk to speak of. Aoife is still allowed to suckle sometimes and she is 15 weeks on Thursday.


Full of milk here, the girls are like jersey cows :laugh:


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

spotty cats said:


> Full of milk here, the girls are like jersey cows :laugh:


You going to start a milk round?


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