Kitten Keeps Leaving Mother

[moshimight]

Hi, I am looking for advice about a kitten that keeps leaving its mother. I had 4 stray female cats in my backyard. At the end of May I brought them all into my house so that I could get them spayed one by one as I saved up the money. As of now two have been spayed and are back outside. The two that are inside were already pregnant and have since had their kittens in my house, 3 kittens each. The first cats kittens are eating on their own and using the litter box, but the mother still feeds them and cares for them. The other cats kittens are just now opening their eyes and starting to move around. My problem is, there is a kitten from the second litter that is constantly leaving its mother to sleep just outside of the bed or under a chair that is beside its bed. This kitten is also sometimes going to the other mother or laying with the other kittens while they are sleeping. When I put the kitten back where it belongs, sometimes it will stay there for awhile and nurse from its mom and sometimes it will escape again right away. I don't know if this behavior is okay or if the kitten could be in danger in some way from going to another mother cat. The first mother cat does not seek out this kitten but does not seem bothered by it either. The kittens actual mother tries to drag the kitten back when she notices it is gone but most times she doesn't seem to notice. Sorry this is so long, I'm just not sure the best way to handle this situation and while I can find lots of info on cats leaving kittens, I can't seem to find anything about the kittens leaving their mothers. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[Sarthur2]

How old is this kitten? If it's just opening its eyes it's only about 2 weeks old. Ideally, it needs to be in a nest with its mom and litter mates right now.

It's okay if the kitten nurses the other mom, but her kittens are 6 weeks old and may bully the younger kitten.

How far away from each other are the two nests? Is the current younger litter in a box?

 

[moshimight]

How old is this kitten? If it's just opening its eyes it's only about 2 weeks old. Ideally, it needs to be in a nest with its mom and litter mates right now.

It's okay if the kitten nurses the other mom, but her kittens are 6 weeks old and may bully the younger kitten.

How far away from each other are the two nests? Is the current younger litter in a box?

Thank you for your reply. The kitten is almost 3 weeks old and the others are 6 weeks. The 6 week old litter are no longer in a bed, they mainly roam free from the living room to the bathroom and then the kitchen at feeding time. The smaller ones are in the living room in a dog bed (I got that one bc it was more room than the cat beds) I can move the smaller kittens and mom into my room if they need to be kept seperate.

 

[catsknowme]

I have seen this happen before, when I was young. If you monitor his weight, it will help guide you. Also, monitor the kitten's mother for possible infection in her udders.

 

[ashade1]

If you can get a large box or storage container with high sides so that he cant climb out to use as a nesting box that might work better!

 

[catsknowme]

If you can get a large box or storage container with high sides so that he cant climb out to use as a nesting box that might work better!

Excellent idea! If baby still avoids nursing from mom, you can supplement feed (either thru a wet-nurse or bottle) and also have mom checked out for mastitis or other medical problem (kittens can smell infection before there are obvious symptoms). On the other hand, you might just have a real adventurer on your hands - the kitten version of the climber who free-climbed El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Our kitten Joe is such a kitten - he has kept his poor mother and the household on high alert since he could crawl! On the other hand, he has so much charming personality that he is impossible to be truly annoying, despite his independent, daredevil behavior.