rejection

Question
We have our cat for seven years already, when she was around 1yr old she started trying for a litter - unsuccessfuly. She has never been able to get pregnant(not for the lack of trying) so we never neutered her - we assumed (happily) she's unfertile. however this winter on her regular vet check-up we were told shes having kittens. We were shocked and afraid for her since she's not young anymore. And when she gave birth to healthy female kitten (just 1)we thought everything is going to be fine. But within a week time Dumpling became different. She didn't want to be close to her kitten and kept on sneaking upstairs(its supposed to be cat-free and she well knows it). We were forced to hold her so the kitten could feed but we stopped after two weeks - Dumpling started hissing and became aggressive. We had to keep the kitten away from her so she wouldn't hurt it. Right now, Tina (kitten) is 2months old and she seeking Dumplings attention but its for nothing. It merely annoys Dumpling. Tina is no longer healthy, we see that shes lonely (Dumpling wont allow any cats near the backgarden and Tinas too shy to go around) and she started to eat too much. Shes eating and then shes sick and eats again. We are unsure what to do since Dumpling is very possessive and she wont let us even touch her if she sees us touching Tina. We are tired of it.   Why Dumpling rejected Tina? Dumpling is still affectionate and warm hearted, she likes playing with the children and its only when close to Tina she's different. What should we do?

Answer
Hi
Unfortunately some cats are not natural mothers and see other cats regardless if they are there own kitten a a threat to their territory.

your females behaviour is typical of a cat trying to ignore another cat or even trying to chase it off so that she can have her own territory again. This is normal behaviour by the way for a cat.

Sadly there is not much we as humans can do. cats decide for themselves who they like and who they don't and usually when two cats don't get on they tend to spend their time just ignoring each other. Unfortunately this does not stop the odd aggressive behaviours etc.
 
You have two choices really, firstly keep both cats and hope that as your kitten gets older she will find her own place in the group and that the two cats will live together but not as be friends. or you could consider giving the kitten to another family. A difficult decision i know but it is all down to how you can cope with the situation.

If it were me I would wait a little longer, let the two gets do there own thing don't try to force the issue and don't get stressed out by your females reactions, just let her be and she will hopefully settle down over time.

Make sure that both cats have their own separate sleeping areas and litter trays etc.

As for the kitten over eating, it is important that you do not allow this. Put down your cats food at regular times (see my cat food pages here /cat-food.html) and then remove any left over food so that the cat cannot keep eating throughout the day. It may also be a good idea to feed your kitten smaller amounts but four or five times a day this will stop her eating too much in one go and making herself sick. She may cry for food at the beginning but you must be strong and she will soon learn. Then as she gets bigger increase the meal size but feed less often during the day.

I know this situation can be difficult but if you can remain calm and treat both the cats separately but both with lots of love and attention, plenty of games etc, they should both settle down over time.

best wishes Kate