Mother cat attacking kitten after being spayed?!

SadieThompson

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My 1 year old cat had 3 kittens in may, we have given 2 to other homes and kept 1. The kitten is 19 weeks. The mother got spayed about 3 weeks ago and has been aggressive ever since. It began with growling and hissing when the kitten walked past or went upto her, however has now progressed onto her attacking her. The kitten is becoming scared and withdrawn. We do not want to have to give the kitten away however we don’t know what to do. We initially thought it was because the mother was vulnerable but she has healed now and is getting increasingly more aggressive! Help!
 

rubysmama

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Hello and welcome to TCS. When I saw your thread title, I first thought you meant the kitten got spayed, which would have made some sense, as when it came back from the vet, it would have had a different smell, and the mom cat might not have recognized it. When that happens, it's non-recognition aggression. How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats | TheCatSite

However, since it was the mom cat who got spayed, it's a bit different. However, as would be the suggestion for non-recognition aggression, or any time 2 cats suddenly become aggressive towards each other, separating the 2 cats, and doing a slow re-introduction probably necessary.

There's more info in the TCS article: How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide | TheCatSite

You could also try dabbing a bit of vanilla extract on each cat so that they smell the same. More info at this link: Ode to vanilla extract | TheCatSite

Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
 

Mamanyt1953

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And bear in mind that Mama no longer sees the kitten as "her baby." I think that a part of what you are seeing may be the normal process of forcing the kitten to become independent. The kitten is about that age. It can be tough to watch. Animal mamas are pragmatic about such things. They don't hold on to that mother/child relationship once the baby is old enough to survive on its own. I do think that a reintroduction might help. It certainly won't hurt a thing!
 
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SadieThompson

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And bear in mind that Mama no longer sees the kitten as "her baby." I think that a part of what you are seeing may be the normal process of forcing the kitten to become independent. The kitten is about that age. It can be tough to watch. Animal mamas are pragmatic about such things. They don't hold on to that mother/child relationship once the baby is old enough to survive on its own. I do think that a reintroduction might help. It certainly won't hurt a thing!
yes I will try that, I am just worried because I don’t want her to cause the kitten to leave or anything. How long roughly does this last for do you know?
 

rubysmama

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I can't tell respond to your query about how long the mom cat will be cutting the mother/child relationship ties, however, if you separate them, and do a slow re-introduction, as if they were meeting for the first time, expect that it will likely take longer than a day or so.

Here's another TCS article that might have slightly different info than the first article I mentioned: How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction – TheCatSite Articles
 
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