I love Celia Hammonds policy on rehoming mum and kittens

[Zenith (Liz)]

I saw my kittens quite alot as they were growing up and their mum was the most loving attentive being to them until they turned about 8 weeks old.  Then if they went near her or tried to feed she'd turn and bop them on the nose!

Also my mums cat Blue has behavioural problems and pees around the house, mostly we think because we kept her to keep her mum company (Truda was a stray who gave birth at our house).  Again initially for the first 4 ish months Truda loved her daughter then the hissing and beating up started if Blue stayed too close to her mum etc.  So now Blue's a nervous cat scared of her own shadow sometimes though she wasn't befoe her mum turned on her.

I do know some mum and kitten pairs settle really well with each other but even with the help of Feliway and advice from the vet it didnt work for Blue

[JackSpratt]

These two would definitely have been unhappy separated:

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,19426.0.html 

[dabs]

I take each case on its merits. In 2007 I rehomed mum with her 12 week old daughter because they were bonded and the little one was very shy and still depended on her mum socially, the other two babies went off together to another home.

This year a litter of four born in care, went off to two new homes in two's, mum went by herself as she hated other cats and was turning on the kittens on a regular basis. I will not rehome kittens singly, unless there is another young playful cat in the home that will tolerate being pounced on and mums are rehomed with little ones, only if I know that they would be happy.

Cats are like humans. totally different. Yes, I ahve had mums call for thier kittens for a couple of days after being rehomed, which is why I like to rehome the babies in stages, but then again I have had mums breathe a sigh of relief literally as the babies have gone out the door!

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

Generally we would look to rehome the remaining kitten with mum and though it can often be successful it doesn't always work out.  Sometimes they have just plain had enough of being mithered and sometimes this behavour doesn't show for months later when it can actually get quite serious. 

Sadly, we rehomed a mum and kitten and several months later the family were claiming mum had turned 'feral' and was attacking the now adult kitten, and was even showing signs of being aggressive to the children. Unfortunately by the time we had space to take mum back, the family failed to return repeated calls and we fear the worst happened to mum. 

[Millys Mum]

I cant say any mum iv had would be happy living with offspring and none have gone into any kind of mourning post separation, infact they were positively happier 
I often see on rehoming pages mums seeking single cat homes after being returned from a homing with kittens so i think a very careful assessment is needed to see if its actually going to be of longterm benefit to the mum.

[JackSpratt]

I think thats a bit of a blanket statement by that rescue Michelle, and you have to look at each mum and what she wants / needs.

Some mums do get pee'd off with the kittens and turn nasty and others are fine and quite happy to stay with the babies.   

personally, each is assessed in its own merits here as to what is best for mum and babies and what they need.

I agree with that too. Some cats are born mothers, others aren't. (A little like people!) I don't think if a mother cat seemed unhappy in the company of one of her kittens Nicky would still feel that was the best option.

[sheryl]

The breeder where my Bengals come from always tries to rehome Mum with one of her last/final litter once she has been spayed which I think is lovely

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

I think thats a bit of a blanket statement by that rescue Michelle, and you have to look at each mum and what she wants / needs.

Some mums do get pee'd off with the kittens and turn nasty and others are fine and quite happy to stay with the babies.   

personally, each is assessed in its own merits here as to what is best for mum and babies and what they need.

Yes i do agree MKR but likewise some rescue dont even consider rehoming mum with a kitten.
I agree that every mum and kittens should be assessed or what is best xx

[madkittyrescue]

I think thats a bit of a blanket statement by that rescue Michelle, and you have to look at each mum and what she wants / needs.

Some mums do get pee'd off with the kittens and turn nasty and others are fine and quite happy to stay with the babies.   

personally, each is assessed in its own merits here as to what is best for mum and babies and what they need.

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

That's the same as Nickys policy where it's possible. She rehomes kittens in pairs, and mums with a kitten. If people want a single kitten she always asks if they have another cat to keep it company and ensures their hours won't mean it's left on it's own too long.

Thats nice 

One rescue i deal with dont agree with rehoming Mum with a kitten, they say that Mums are feed up with the kittens by 8wks and dont have maturnal feeling like we do !!!

[JackSpratt]

That's the same as Nickys policy where it's possible. She rehomes kittens in pairs, and mums with a kitten. If people want a single kitten she always asks if they have another cat to keep it company and ensures their hours won't mean it's left on it's own too long.

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

C.H.A.T.'s POLICY on REHOMING MUMS & KITTENS

Mother cats have very strong maternal bonds with their kittens. If their kittens are taken from them they will cry and search for days. Mother cats have been known to go into burning buildings to rescue their young. Some people falsely believe they should let a cat have a litter before being neutered/spayed, then they give away the kittens leaving a distressed mother cat who has gained absolutely nothing positive from the experience - better to have her neutered in the first place.

Kittens are great fun to watch, they love chasing and playing with each other and then collapsing in a heap together to sleep and recharge for more fun and games. Growing up, they are company for each other - essential if everyone is out of the house for any length of time during the day. Rehoming kittens in pairs reduces stress for them when arriving in a new home since they comfort each other. This is also important if you already have a cat, or cats, in your home since they will be initially hostile to a new arrival whether kitten or adult. This would be very frightening for a single kitten who would be missing his or her mum and siblings. A pair of kittens will stick together, and existing cats can either play with them or leave them as they wish. Elderly cats can be put off by having lively kittens chewing their ears, chasing their tails and generally harassing them.

SO, we home a mum with one or two of her kittens, and rehome kittens in pairs. We do this in the best interests of the cats but this is also in the owners best interests because happy cats make happy cat owners!