Will my kitten recognize its mom or dad after a month away?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Teagra likely visually doesn't remember the kitten sadly. She goes by smell with recognition. The kitten, since it was in a different home, smells different to her. It just may take time for her to accept it as a new house mate. You can rub the kitten down in her bedding or the other remaining kittens bedding. Also using feliway diffusers or spray to help calm her may help. But I think what Teagra is doing is relatively normal for a cat. http://pet-supplies.drsfostersmith.com/search?af=type%3Aproduct&view=grid&w=feliway&visitorID=&cartcount=0&wishcount=0&division=cats

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.

Yes, that is normal. Some kittens are more independent than others and they are old enough to begin exploring the world on their terms. Generally the cats will work this out amongst themselves. I do recommend to have the mother spayed in six weeks. Spaying cats prevents many health and behavioral issues. It also helps to control the problem of pet overpopulation. One female cat can have almost 30 kittens in a year. That is a lot of cats! I hope this helps.

You can take an article of clothing or blanket that the kitten has been laying in and rub that scent on the side of mom's face. You should also rub the kittens scent in an area where mom spends a lot of her time. Then give it time. Eventually mom will come around. With cats you sometimes have to be a little more patient, because their adjustments are often slow and methodical.

Unfortunately, brothers and sisters will mate and the offspring may have health problems, so I would strongly recommend having them desexed as soon as possible. Female cats come into season based on the number of daylight hours, so your kitten may come into season shortly (often January to February). I have attached more information about female cats below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=3604 So, I would have surgery done as soon a possible just to avoid any problems. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hello. It is very difficult to say how well the momma cat will accept the kitten. It is not necessarily a time issue, more the presence of strange & unusual scents the kitten will return with. What I would do is introduce the kitten back to mom after it has had a few hours at home & with its siblings. Rub the new kitten & the siblings alternating between everyone & hopefully familiar odors will be imparted to the returning kitten while diluting anything strange brought home. I do not think I would bathe anyone since this is just stressful. Maternal behavior is very strong so hopefully the family will just settle in together. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It's very kind of you to want to take in your mom's cat! It's hard to say whether she and Tipsy would remember each other or not - cats can be very sensitive about this, and often have more trouble being reintroduced to a previous companion than dogs do. I would recommend making up a separate room for your mom's cat so that she will have her own separate area to stay in at first - make sure that she has her own food and water bowl, litter box, and cat tree or scratching post. Keep her in this room with the door closed for at least a week or two, so that Tipsy can get used to hearing her and smelling her again. At that point, you can try leaving the door open for short periods of time so that the new cat can venture out into the house. A gradual introduction like this offers the best chance for success, so don't rush things! A Feliway Multi-Cat pheromone diffuser may also be helpful for this situation.