Male Cat Adopted A Kitten.

[tejas]

Hi folks. Hope I'm posting in the correct section.

Our 3 year old male cat, brought home a kitten, and is acting like he is the kitten's mother.
I've never seen anything like this. This can't be "normal", even for a weird cat.

Anyone ever seen anything like this?

 

[ArtNJ]

You can find reports of it on the internet. The only disturbing thing is that he likely either stole it from the mother, or there could be other motherless kittens out there that need rescue. You might go for a walk around your home and ask neighbors, but in all likelihood you'll never know.

Do you know how to guesstimate a kitten's age? My main concern is whether the kitten is old enough to eat solid food?

If the kitten is old enough to eat solid food and you're willing to adopt it, then having your male cat feeling protective of it is only a good thing.

 

[Kieka]

My boy loves kittens. We had a feral colony nearby and I was always finding him there playing with the kittens. There is an old feral male that has a YouTube video where he was put on a foster home to live out the rest of his life and ended up coming alive with the kittens.

 

[tejas]

You can find reports of it on the internet. The only disturbing thing is that he likely either stole it from the mother, or there could be other motherless kittens out there that need rescue. You might go for a walk around your home and ask neighbors, but in all likelihood you'll never know.

Do you know how to guesstimate a kitten's age? My main concern is whether the kitten is old enough to eat solid food?

If the kitten is old enough to eat solid food and you're willing to adopt it, then having your male cat feeling protective of it is only a good thing.

I'd say the kitten is around 7-8 weeks old, and it's eating solid food with no problem.
Pretty sure we know where the kitten came from. There's a lady in the neighborhood that has several cats. We'll check with her, when she gets home.

Once our granddaughter (who lives with us) saw it, it became a new member of the family. But the way Melvin (the male cat) was acting, I'd already decided we had to adopt it.

My boy loves kittens. We had a feral colony nearby and I was always finding him there playing with the kittens. There is an old feral male that has a YouTube video where he was put on a foster home to live out the rest of his life and ended up coming alive with the kittens.

That's so cool! Never heard of a male acting like this... I get a kick out of watching him 'mother' the kitten.
Thanks for the video.

 

[maggiedemi]

That's so sweet. I hope Melvin gets to keep his kitten.

 

[susanm9006]

Just curious, did he carry the kitten home or did it follow him?

 

[tejas]

Just curious, did he carry the kitten home or did it follow him?

I don't know, but I think the kitten followed him. Until the wife allowed the kitten in the house, Melvin would call him if he got more than 5' away.
Now that kitty is in the house, Melvin isn't acting like a helicopter parent. It's as if this was the plan along... get the kitten in the house, so he would be cared for.

 

[susanm9006]

Then I would say he rescued the kitten by allowing it to follow him home, for which he should get some kind of special treat.

 

[maggiedemi]

for which he should get some kind of special treat.

I think the treat he wants is to get to keep his kitten.

 

[susanm9006]

I think the treat he wants is to get to keep his kitten.

Yeah, that too.