My cat's 2-week-old kitten is missing. Is the mother hiding it?

A natural instinct of mother cats is to hide their kittens to protect them. They will keep their kittens in the safest spot they can find. If she was afraid they might be in any danger, that is likely why she moved them. She will know where that 3rd kitten is hiding. The kittens are 4 weeks old, and will start moving around more and more. Hopefully, the 3rd one should start showing up soon. Try not to disturb her too much in your search, she might become upset if her area becomes "too busy" and may move them again.

Unfortunately, this is possible. She also may have placed them somewhere outside where the kittens were susceptible to predators. Kittens will not survive long on their own, so depending on how long they may have been without their mother, this situation could be dire. I would spend some time searching the property and the surrounding neighborhood to see if you can find anything that looks like a nesting area. If you can, try and move the kittens back to somewhere that is safe for both them and the mom. Hope this helps.

This is a very concerning finding, if the mother is actively taking the kitten away from the others she may feel this kitten is unwell and may be putting the other kittens at risk. I wold recommend a vet check for the kitten and mother to rule out any signs of infection and it may be worthwhile trying to bottle feed the kitten if rejected by the mother but success rate is quite poor if the kitten is unwell

From what you are describing it sounds more likely that Seagulls became frightened after Miley came under the bed. She has most likely taken the kittens and hidden them somewhere else. I would keep Miley away from Seagulls if possible for a few days. Try to search the house and the yard for where she could have hidden the kittens. They need their mother's milk for 100% of their nutrition. Cats can hide their kittens in very small and surprising places. Once you have located the kittens create a safe haven for them and for Seagulls. A room or space that no one else goes into ideally, and especially not Miley.

It is possible that she is just taking care of her young for now. There are possible complication after birth like imbalance hormones, a kitten not born causing infection, or even eclampsia (low calcium). If you know where she could be hiding, I would try to find her and take food to her. If not, all you can do is wait. She will likely come out when she is ready. I am sorry that she is worrying you and I wish there was more we could do. I hope this helps and you find her soon!

It is concerning that Belle has moved only one kitten into a different location, and I would recommend trying to keep her and all of the kittens together in an area where they can be more easily supervised. If the kitten in the closet seems sick (if it is crying frequently, less active than it's littermates, having difficulty breathing, or if it seems cold) I would recommend seeing a veterinarian right away. While it can be difficult to determine what is wrong with very young kittens, sometimes aggressive supportive care can be successful so I wouldn't necessarily say that the kitten won't survive simply because Belle seems to be paying less attention to it.

I would worry that this cat might not truly be the mother, and if they have been separated for two weeks and this was her only kitten she may not have sufficient milk left to feed it. If your kitten is eating solid food it may no longer require nutrition from its mother. If the kitten is not eating solids you could try leaving it outdoors next to a little food and watch closely to see if the mother comes and cares for it, but be prepared to bring the kitten back inside if the mother ignores the kitten.