Mama cat lost her baby

Question
Stray outside cat has lived with us for about a year. she would not let us pet her at all until she became pregnant. after baby was born, she loved attention.  we gave baby attention too so she would get used to human contact.  Mama hid baby one day while we had baby and her outside walking around the driveway, we took baby back and put her on the blanket where the two had been sleeping and laying on.  We went inside, and came out an hour later, both were gone. Baby was 12 days old, and now has been "hidden" for 3 days.  Mama cat still comes around all day for our attention, and seems to have forgotten that she had a baby. Is it possible that she really forgot where she put it???

Answer
Hi Andrea, It would be very unusual for a mom cat to forget where she put her baby. I imagine that she is feeding it and caring for it but really enjoying the attention she gets with you. Mother nature takes care of these kinds of things. The baby gets hungry right about the same time that the mom cat fills up with milk and starts to feel uncomfortable. So, mom cat returns to kitten and feeds it! A baby that is 2 weeks old does not need constant attention from mom but she would need to feed every 4 hours. If you see that mom really is with you for 7-8 hours then it is possible something has happened to the baby.... But let's hope not !! It is most likely that she is right under your nose somewhere and that is why mom cat can stay close to you!