Mother cat and kitten dont recognize eachother

Question
Only a couple of hours ago, i found a baby kitten alone in my front yard. I didn't know what to do with it as it was meowing loudly and it seemed to be looking for its mom. Suddenly, the mom appears and comes closer to smell its kitten, but then backs away as if alarmed. It stays around and close to the kitten, but when the kitten came close to her, the mom hissed at it and sort of attacked it with its paw. I'm sure the cat is the kitten's mom, but why isnt it recognizing it?

Answer
This is not so unusual as it seems. Sometimes the mom can sense something is wrong with the kitten and rejects them. Usually the mom will hiss a few times and then settle down with the kitten.
To make sure this is the kittens mom. You can tell if she is nursing by looking at her teats.
Just keep an eye out for the kitten being left out and abandoned by the Mom.