Sibling cat taking mother role

Question
QUESTION: I have two female sibling cats that are both born house cats. One of them just recently got pregnant and had two kittens. It was a male and female and the second kitten sadly past away during the night. It looked like she was born sick because she was very sluggish and did not feed very much the night before.  Well the kitten is now 3 weeks old and hes quite healthy ;). The mother has two female siblings. One is nudered and one is not. Both have never had any kittens of their own. The cat that is not nudered just yesterday started to get very close to the cat, such as sleeping with it and playing with it. Today she took the cat  with her to another part of the house and slept with it as if she was the mother. Though i found it weird that the actual mother cat was not alarmed at all, and she was perfectly alright with it because the baby is not crying. Is there anything i could do to stop this, or at least know why this is happening?

ANSWER: Andre,

The behavior that you are seeing is completely normal within a family unit of cats that includes more than one female cat whether the cats are neutered or not. As long as the mother doesn't mind the other cats babysitting occasionally for her then there really isn't an issue that needs to be corrected. For instance in the case of barn cats several female cats will take turns not only babysitting the kittens, but they have also been known to lactate in order to be able to feed the kittens, even if they are not pregnant and have never had kittens of their own. This is nothing to worry about even if you discover that the female cats who aren't this kitten's mom are feeding him. I am not sure if you are planning on keeping this surviving kitten, but it seems as though all of the cats in the household are somewhat attached to the new addition. I would like to recommend very strongly that you consider spaying and neutering any feline household members who are not altered. There are several reasons why spaying and neutering is a good practice. Most people are fairly aware that spaying or neutering prevents unwanted pregnancies. I would certainly suggest that spaying and neutering is a good idea simply because cats and kittens have extremely high euthanasia rates in shelters. Cats and kittens are put to death every single day simply because there is no home available for them at the time and space constraints force animal loving staff to make tough choices with regards to who the shelter has space for. Spaying and neutering will save lives as there are simply not enough good homes for all of the litters of unwanted kittens who are born and older cats who are surrendered to shelter systems. There are also several health and behavioral reasons to spay and neuter. Cats who are desexed are at significantly less risk of developing reproductive tumors or contracting uterine or mammary infections that can be fatal. Altering cats also prevents some undesirable behaviors such as aggression, urine marking, caterwauling, fighting and wandering. In general cats who are altered tend to live longer and healthier lives without contributing to pet overpopulation which is a serious issue. You can also be part of the solution to pet overpopulation and high euthanasia rates by considering adoption from your local shelter as your first option when looking for a new four legged family member. I do hope that you find this information helpful. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.

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QUESTION: Oh ok thanks alot for the quick reply! The only thing i was worried about is the mother losing the ability to feed the baby because she would give it over to her sister. I am definitely keeping this kitten. We actually have about 8 cats now with the baby, and their related so theirs no worry about giving any of them away. I also have another question about one of my other cats, its a behavorial issue where she sometimes feels the need to urinate on the floor rather than a perfectly clean litterbox. Its always a certain spot as well. Shes a very happy, loving cat. She is the other sibling of the mother cat, and is always helping clean the baby and the mother. She is spayed as well, and is about 1 year old. I'm not sure why she urinates on the floor, we give her alot of attention because shes always asking for it, and if she could she would try to be with us every single second of the day. She has been doing this urination problem for about 4 months now. I only got her spayed 2 months ago as well.

Answer
Andre,

My first recommendation with any cat who is eliminating outside of the litter box is to have the vet check for infections, crystals and other issues with the bowels and bladder as well as other illnesses which could cause issues with using the toilet. I recommend that you take the kitty who is urinating outside of the litter box to the vet as soon as possible as inappropriate urination can be symptomatic of bladder infections, thyroid issues, diabetes....The sooner that medical causes are ruled out the better for the cat. I would also suggest that you clean the area where your kitty is peeing outside of the box with an enzymatic cleaner which uses beneficial bacteria to eliminate the bacteria that cause organic waste to smell. You should be aware that cats (like people) prefer to use the toilet in peace and quiet. I also generally suggest to people who have cats with inappropriate elimination issues that they make sure to get rid of any scented litter, litter additives and air fresheners and clean the litter boxes daily. Another common recommendation with regards to a cat who is using places other than the litter box to go to the toilet is that in a multiple cat household you really do need one litter box per cat plus one per level of your home. This eliminates issues of poor bladder or bowel control as well as intimidation by the other cats. Making sure that there are no scents near or in the litter boxes and that they are cleaned regularly as well as ensuring that there are enough litter boxes to go around for the number of cats that you have are the biggest and best ways to cope with behavioral issues surrounding litter box use. Hopefully this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.