Experiences With Keeping Back A Kitten

Quailord

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Hello, I'm Quail- first post here.

I will provide unnecessary, lengthy background first.

I have a momma cat named Ghost. We found her and her sibling, Ghoul, in a "free kitten" box on the side of the road late fall 2021. They were about 5 weeks old, we brought them to my brother's work to be shop cats once they were grown. They grew up in the break room and eventually moved to boarding once they were a few months old.

Ghost and Ghoul stopped getting along about the time they hit maturity. Ghost is very social and gets along with other cats with ease, Ghoul decided it was in her best interest to start harassing Ghost. Boss kept forgetting to get the cats fixed, Ghost wanted to get away from her angsty sister, so she began escaping to behind the business when the door was open, where a few feral toms were more than happy to keep her company.

On her last night out I decided to just keep her when we got her back inside so she didn't have to deal with her sister anymore. She rapidly settled into the house cat life, putting her former career as a mouser behind her. About a week in it became apparent she did more than keep warm with the gentlemen behind the shop the last evening she was out. When she was the size of a melon we brought her to the vet to get a headcount on the little Ghosts possessing her. Vet counted 4 little spines. Our mom declared that she wanted a kitten for her apartment, brother's co-workers want one, as well as a friend of one of the co-workers. So all but one future kitten has a home lined up.


Last Tuesday the day came. We set up a nice cozy nest with plenty of new throws. Momma had been on Royal Canin Mother & baby cat food since we first noticed she was pregnant, we got a space heater to keep it nice and cozy, had kitten replacer on hand if necessary- we were pretty well prepared! This paid off as the process went smoothly, minus the fact that Ghost yowled if we weren't in her line of sight and later crawled out of the nest while actively giving birth to the first born so she could lay against my brother and I. She continued to give birth to all 4 kittens on the bathroom floor with us comforting her the whole time. It was really a special ordeal that she demanded we partake in.

Ghost ended up having four lovely little kittens as expected, each a different color. The first, a scrawny black lad; the second, a black and white little lady; the third, a loudmouth blue and white boy; and the fourth, a very strong orange lad.

Momma Ghost just loves her kittens, she's always purring when she's with them and is so attentive. Initially we were worried with her being a first time mom and all, but she really is proving to be a phenomenal caretaker. As soon as one mews she is rushes to their aid, she keeps them fed and clean. She seems very proud. To my surprise she is acting herself despite her new role, she still wants cuddles and to play just as usual. She likes to carry her toys back to the kittens, and would prefer cuddle time includes the kittens as well as she'll move off my lap and return to her kitten pile, looking over her shoulder and purring loudly as if to say, "come pet the kittens too!" I don't think she realizes the kittens aren't as interested in pets as they are nursing right now.

So finally here is my question: what are your experiences with keeping a kitten? We are getting Ghost spayed once the kittens are weaned so we don't have to worry about her going into heat or whatnot. Ghost is our only cat, she's obviously very social and loves people, cats, and dogs alike. She adores her kittens, so I think I would like to keep one once they're weaned. Do you think this is a good idea? I'm leaning towards the baby girl, who I've named Orcus since my brother noted she looks like an orca. Even at less than a week old, the little ones seem to have varying personalities- which I'm sure will change tremendously with time!

If you've had a litter and kept a cat back, do the mom and child typically remain friends? Do they seem close? Or would it ultimately be better to not?

Thanks!
 

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Furballsmom

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fionasmom

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When I had to rehome a feral colony years ago, I took a mother and two kittens. (Others took other cats, so there was a happy ending.) There were no problems at all, but yes, everyone has to be spayed or neutered for starters.
 

susanm9006

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Momma would love to have one of her babies stay with her. There can be friction if the kitten continues to want to nurse but this passes and as other have said getting both spayed also helps the relationship. And they will both love having another cat to cuddle, groom and play with.
 

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Hello, I'm Quail- first post here.

I will provide unnecessary, lengthy background first.

I have a momma cat named Ghost. We found her and her sibling, Ghoul, in a "free kitten" box on the side of the road late fall 2021. They were about 5 weeks old, we brought them to my brother's work to be shop cats once they were grown. They grew up in the break room and eventually moved to boarding once they were a few months old.

Ghost and Ghoul stopped getting along about the time they hit maturity. Ghost is very social and gets along with other cats with ease, Ghoul decided it was in her best interest to start harassing Ghost. Boss kept forgetting to get the cats fixed, Ghost wanted to get away from her angsty sister, so she began escaping to behind the business when the door was open, where a few feral toms were more than happy to keep her company.

On her last night out I decided to just keep her when we got her back inside so she didn't have to deal with her sister anymore. She rapidly settled into the house cat life, putting her former career as a mouser behind her. About a week in it became apparent she did more than keep warm with the gentlemen behind the shop the last evening she was out. When she was the size of a melon we brought her to the vet to get a headcount on the little Ghosts possessing her. Vet counted 4 little spines. Our mom declared that she wanted a kitten for her apartment, brother's co-workers want one, as well as a friend of one of the co-workers. So all but one future kitten has a home lined up.


Last Tuesday the day came. We set up a nice cozy nest with plenty of new throws. Momma had been on Royal Canin Mother & baby cat food since we first noticed she was pregnant, we got a space heater to keep it nice and cozy, had kitten replacer on hand if necessary- we were pretty well prepared! This paid off as the process went smoothly, minus the fact that Ghost yowled if we weren't in her line of sight and later crawled out of the nest while actively giving birth to the first born so she could lay against my brother and I. She continued to give birth to all 4 kittens on the bathroom floor with us comforting her the whole time. It was really a special ordeal that she demanded we partake in.

Ghost ended up having four lovely little kittens as expected, each a different color. The first, a scrawny black lad; the second, a black and white little lady; the third, a loudmouth blue and white boy; and the fourth, a very strong orange lad.

Momma Ghost just loves her kittens, she's always purring when she's with them and is so attentive. Initially we were worried with her being a first time mom and all, but she really is proving to be a phenomenal caretaker. As soon as one mews she is rushes to their aid, she keeps them fed and clean. She seems very proud. To my surprise she is acting herself despite her new role, she still wants cuddles and to play just as usual. She likes to carry her toys back to the kittens, and would prefer cuddle time includes the kittens as well as she'll move off my lap and return to her kitten pile, looking over her shoulder and purring loudly as if to say, "come pet the kittens too!" I don't think she realizes the kittens aren't as interested in pets as they are nursing right now.

So finally here is my question: what are your experiences with keeping a kitten? We are getting Ghost spayed once the kittens are weaned so we don't have to worry about her going into heat or whatnot. Ghost is our only cat, she's obviously very social and loves people, cats, and dogs alike. She adores her kittens, so I think I would like to keep one once they're weaned. Do you think this is a good idea? I'm leaning towards the baby girl, who I've named Orcus since my brother noted she looks like an orca. Even at less than a week old, the little ones seem to have varying personalities- which I'm sure will change tremendously with time!

If you've had a litter and kept a cat back, do the mom and child typically remain friends? Do they seem close? Or would it ultimately be better to not?

Thanks!
Ghost is a beautiful tortie point 😻 such cute kittens….that little orange face is precious 😻 we know dad was not a cp and did not carry the gene I think because no cp kittens.

I think it should work if everyone is spayed as noted by others. What has happened to Ghoul? I hope she has been spayed. The reason they started fighting is probably because neither one of them was spayed when they should have been, and that causes territorial issues.

Also I would make sure to keep the kittens until they are 16 weeks old, and spay, and neuter everybody- get them vaccinated too, that way you don’t have to worry about more kittens being born etc. if people do not spay neuter.
 

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We have a mama cat, Penny, and her two kittens, Fizzbin and Chloe, who are now almost 3 years old. The three of them get along beautifully. Chloe especially loves her mama and sleeps with her constantly, day and night. Fizzbin and Penny like to groom each other and wrestle occasionally. There were no problems at all. In fact, I love having a little cat family that are all related to each other.

We made sure Penny was spayed as soon as the kittens were weaned, and the kittens were fixed at 4 months. With a boy and girl, we didn’t want to take any chances.
 

maggie101

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At 5 weeks kittens most kittens are weened and. Can have canned food. Usually yesterday's news litter is suggested for kittens that young. My cat Coco was take away 5 weeks old,born on my porch. The mama cat was very excited to show me her babies then very upset whe Coco disappeared. I did get her brother adopted 5 weeks old. The mama cat had no problem when I picked him up. I guess because she knew me
 
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Quailord

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Ghost is a beautiful tortie point 😻 such cute kittens….that little orange face is precious 😻 we know dad was not a cp and did not carry the gene I think because no cp kittens.

I think it should work if everyone is spayed as noted by others. What has happened to Ghoul? I hope she has been spayed. The reason they started fighting is probably because neither one of them was spayed when they should have been, and that causes territorial issues.

Also I would make sure to keep the kittens until they are 16 weeks old, and spay, and neuter everybody- get them vaccinated too, that way you don’t have to worry about more kittens being born etc. if people do not spay neuter.
Thanks so much! Ghoul is still a mouser at the shop. She's very good at her job, all the employees love her. Unfortunately boss hasn't spayed her yet but I'll remind her (she mostly just keeps forgetting). One of the potential dads is a fluffy tom who got stuck in a tree, we were buds and close to me catching him before this happened! Unfortunately it was frigid that night so when I climbed up to help him down I couldn't get a good hold and he managed to wriggle free, I've seen him since but he doesn't approach anymore. There's another tom who is much more shy, also grey tabby and white but with shorthair. The property manager on site feeds the ferals and even has a heated shelter lined with straw set up for them, I think I'm gonna ask him if he would be okay with me setting up a live trap to TNR the lads.

We definitely planned on keeping them 12 weeks at least but we'll adjust that to 16 :) thanks for the advice! We have an appointment set for their first vaccines.
 

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Quailord

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We have a mama cat, Penny, and her two kittens, Fizzbin and Chloe, who are now almost 3 years old. The three of them get along beautifully. Chloe especially loves her mama and sleeps with her constantly, day and night. Fizzbin and Penny like to groom each other and wrestle occasionally. There were no problems at all. In fact, I love having a little cat family that are all related to each other.

We made sure Penny was spayed as soon as the kittens were weaned, and the kittens were fixed at 4 months. With a boy and girl, we didn’t want to take any chances.
That's what I'd love too- a little cat fam! Thank you for your reply, I'm happy that it can work well, my hope is for Ghost and Orcus to be besties and cuddle like Penny and Chloe!
 
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Quailord

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Momma would love to have one of her babies stay with her. There can be friction if the kitten continues to want to nurse but this passes and as other have said getting both spayed also helps the relationship. And they will both love having another cat to cuddle, groom and play with.
Good to hear! Thanks for the reply. Do you have any advise if they try to keep nursing or will Ghost tell them off herself?
 
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Quailord

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When I had to rehome a feral colony years ago, I took a mother and two kittens. (Others took other cats, so there was a happy ending.) There were no problems at all, but yes, everyone has to be spayed or neutered for starters.
We will definitely get everyone neutered! Thanks!
 

susanm9006

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Mom will chase them off if she doesn’t want it. Some will allow it into adulthood, even if they have no milk.
 

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We kept two of my girls kittens, one boy and one girl, she adores them both so either gender I think could work. Her daughter is not yet spayed but mum has no issue with this, though I guess I’m just lucky my lot aren’t too territorial. She plays with them, cuddles them and grooms them often. She’s a lot more playful since the babies, it’s adorable to see. In my experience (and it seems many others) it’s a great idea to keep one ❤
 

maggie101

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Around 6 months they are teens. Then their true nature will start to show. Maybe earlier. In the future the kittens may become territorial. Maggie wasn't as a kitten but is now. My other 2 are not
 
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