My mother cat doesn't recognize her returned kitten. Is this normal?

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.

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.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Animals have short memories and will not recognize family or cats they previously knew if they are separated for a length of time. Cats go by smell and behavior. I would recommend confining Fuzza in a room by herself for 2 weeks to allow the cats to get used to her smell from under a door. Get a few Feliway diffusers (multicat) to put around the house, be sure one is in the room with Fuzza. After 2 weeks use a baby gate at the door or put Fuzza in a cat carrier a few times per day so all the cats can see each other and smell each other. Do that for a week. Then let Fuzza out in the house for short periods of time when you are home. If things are going well then they all can be out together permanently. If it doesn't work out you may have to find her a new home. I wish you the best!

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.

It is possible they will recognize each other but often they will not like each other after a month's lapse in time. You need to be careful as as soon as she comes into heat he will breed her and that is not recommended. So when she is 6 months old you need to either spay her or keep her away from him. Breeding family members to each other is not recommended.

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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This behavior is likely due to the new kitten. The good news is that Nolan is very likely to go back to his normal self fairly soon. This is not an uncommon reaction in cats when a new cat is introduced to the household. Good luck and have a good night!