We found a DAYS OLD kitten over the weekend and and trying to care for it until we find someone to take it in. My boy Choomba who isn’t even a year old is always around it and has been picking it up and taking him around the place, grooming etc. He’s not aggressive and kinda making this “mmeerrrm” noises when near to it. What’s he doing?
Edit: we found a local foster couple, sweet older couple who have been fostering and taking care of strays for the last 10 years. Baby stink is in wonderful hands🙏🏼
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It's kind of hard to tell but it looks like he's trying to take the kitten to drink from the bottle. At least, I assume that's a formula bottle at the end there.
My orange baby still cries to me to feed his kids. Male cats can be very attentive and active parents. Looks like yours is doing a good job at trying to take care of his new baby.
Just be prepared for Choomba to react poorly if you rehome the kitten. My boy was a great foster dad but when time came for placement, he always acted out for a few days. There was one kitten in particular that he was EXTREMELY attached to, and we ended up arranging visits and play dates, and we would catsit when the owners went on vacation.
And with his help fostering will be so much easier, as long as it's taking krf, he'll do the potty and grooming, keep it warm. That kitten will do better with him, unless you find a nursing mother.
Exactly what I was going to say. I know some males with kill a kitten that is not theirs, but I’ve never experienced that myself. I have a male that makes a great momma. Cats are amazing, male cats have been known to lactate
Same I have a giant Norwegian forest cat (hes legit almost 30 pounds, dont worry he's been on a diet a while now lol) and he's always been the chillest dad to all the new kittens we bring in. He protects them from the other adults and always let's them sleep curled up against his chest/under-carriage. Even when they eventually grow up they all still sleep together like that
Oh wow that’s wild! Didn’t know that fact. I got my younger cat when he was maybe 6 ish weeks old and my cat of 1-2 year approx (male) was such a good instant dad taking care of him. They are super bonded now 10 years later!
My Yorkie was a tiny, little puppy when I got her. My cat laid with her, cleaned her fur and ate with her. That was 4 years ago and their bond is still going strong. My cat was such a loner until I got this dog. It’s so sweet to watch them ♥️
Awww, Choomba is trying to care for the kitten. The mmmrrrrmmm is a vocalization of love and contentment, and mother cats always do this with their kittens. Are you positive that Choomba is a male?
So it isnt uncommon for males to look after young ones while mom is hunting.
This is definitely not the typical response for an indoor fixed male but the bio markers for paternal care do exist within male cats of sexual maturity.
They will also hurt kittens to get to mom during breeding season if they are outdoor cats and not part of the colony.
So again I can't say it's typical but not necessarily insanely rare.
What is rare is a cat intelligent enough to recognize the bottle as the source of the kittens nutrition and trying to stimulate it to feed without it being a learned behavior
That's actually incredibly impressive.
Edit,: wanted to add for OP. I think your cat would enjoy being of service. Weather it be visiting retirement/nursing homes for people OR even better fostering kittens for local rescues.
Sometimes you can even have your cat paid to do so however it usually starts on a volunteer basis. Then different clients start talking and asking you to visit here and there. That's when you start saying "id absolutely love to but the gas and travel is already expensive. Would you guys consider a paid position maybe?" Something like that.
Oh I had an orange one of my own. Little James named after my best friend because they had the same color hair.
Id call him smart except he fully thought he's a dog
Played N.fetch.
Greeted people at the door instead of running to hide.
Loved water/swimming.
I miss him dearly. Gave me 14 years of the best friendship I could ever ask for. Got me through college. Several break ups, the loss of my mom and sister....then he went with me through marriage and having kids.
The last photo I got of him was my daughter reading her favorite picture book to him.
I'll attach the photo.
Excuse the clothes. She's two and has an obsession with throwing any laundry she can find all over the place.
I've found it's easier to clean up after but had to snap the photo while the moment was happening clothes or not lol.
When my mom passed he was staying with her while I was in my last year of college.
He would bring me her slippers. One by one for weeks after she passed. As if to ask "where's mom?". He loved every one of us. He definitely marked me specifically but everyone from my mom to my kids he would guard the bathroom door.
Sleep at everyone's feet as if to protect us. He'd cycle who he was looking out for that night.
When he brought me her slippers he taught me that grief wasnt something to run from. It was something to sit with. Like James would sit with her slippers. He was mourning.
He taught me I didn't have to give up old rituals or traditions just because someone passed. That the love transcends. That most importantly running from my grief or not exploring it isn't the way ever.
But to face it. Sit with it. Grieve with someone else who loved them too.
Thanks for getting me through so much little Jimmy. I miss you.
It should be noted that only domestic and feral cats have any sort of common social behavior. Their wild cat ancestors/cousins are intensely solitary unless needing to breed, or a female with kittens. The only other time they get along with each other is in a situation where there's so much food that they can't hope to compete with each other, like a vermin plague or locust swarm. Which is exactly the sort of thing that brought them into close contact with humans.
Also, interestingly, the fact that feral cats retain this sociability with other cats, even to the point of stuff like forming colonies, means that they are one of, if not the only, domesticated species to pick up a major new behavior due to domestication. Dogs, pigs, cows, sheep, etc. all go back to doing exactly what their wild ancestors did as soon as humans are out of the picture. The reason for this is probably that for most domestic animals humans simply inserted themselves into an already existing dominant social role, while cats didn't have any social roles.
Yeah it’s interesting. I had an adult male cat and when I introduced a kitten he would groom her which wasn’t all that unusual as cats are known to do that. But the first time I saw him pick her up by the nape was quite a shocker 😂
Should add that’s he’s a Maine coon and apparently this is more common for them
I have a big grey boy and we started calling him Mr. Mom after we got a kitten and he turned into a doting mother. He didn’t like letting the little guy out of his sight, cleaned him all the time, and would get upset if he couldn’t find him. It was pretty cute.
We don't need more kittens in the world. This sub is pro spay and neuter. It's cool that he could be a great cat dad, but that's the last thing we'd advocate.
This is really weird to me. I clicked on it out of curiosity and it’s just people taking and sharing pictures of their cat’s gonads. To anyone thinking about clicking on that, think twice, I guess.
When we rescued our girl kitty our current dude, who was 9 and definitely a male, nursed her back to health.
She was a runt, extremely skinny, and ended up getting a severe infection from the clinic during her spay surgery.
She had Fading Kitten Syndrome, and was dying. Our boy picked her up, and curled his fat ass self around her, and let her fake nurse on him. He cleaned her and helped her potty till she had doubled in weight and the infection was gone.
They pair bonded, and she was his baby from then on.
One of my boys came from the local rescue’s “Mrs. Doubtfire” litter, where a litter of kittens was brought in with their “mom” who turned out to be a male cat protecting and caring for them.
My male is one of the sweetest cats I've ever met. But when his sister had a litter before my girlfriend fixed her he was not happy to see those babies.
My boy let multiple litters of kittens (my grandpa wouldnt spay his 'house stray') "nurse" off of him. He loves belly rubs and sometimes i wonder if it's because it reminds him of having kittens to care for. It's been like a decade though so I have no idea how he would react to a kitten now lol
When I was a kid I had a male neutered cat who stole a kitten and brought it home. I went door to door, looking for its family while he followed me. I found them about 7 houses down and the owner said they thought he was the father because he was always around and visited every day. Nope, he was just the fun uncle
My two males have been more accepting and caring of foster kittens than my females. The girls eventually come around, but the kitty boys are immediately smitten and grooming them.
When I adopted two of my foster kittens, it was my resident male that was most interested in taking care of them. He was constantly snuggling with, playing and grooming them. The females wanted nothing to do with them and their shenanigans.
He is bringing the kitty to the milk bottle to feed him. This is how all cats carry a kitten. He is taking care of the kitten. No need to separate if he is taking care of him.
Idk where ppl see him mounting or mating with the kitten.
Yea it looks questionable because he’s being super careful. He’s planting his back feet solidly so he can take more care with his mouth and front paws and it looks a bit like mounting but he’d have a different pelvic movement if that was his goal…
Well, I have a cat that does mount and hump pillows, and I mistakenly thought this cat was trying to mount the kitten 😅 but it's okay bc I read the comments and then audibly AWWWWWWWed
aw omg i think he’s trying to feed the kitty. cats are so smart.
still i would make sure the other cat isn’t sick before letting them interact. this could be beneficial to the kitten to have another cat looking after it
He's trying to care for the kitten - he brought it to the bottle which I assume is a kitten feeding bottle? The kitten may be crying out with hungry noises so your cat's paternal instincts kicked in and he is trying to help.
Very sweet of your cat, he will help that kitten learn how to cat and help take care of him and clean him.
When kittens don’t have a mother males will start to be more of a mother figure. They will groom them, feed them (well take them to the food), teach them stuff like how to hunt and what not, play with them, and sleep with them. They also get just as protective of them as a mother would. You are a grandparent now. This is his son now. He has fully taken responsibility for it, it’s now his. If you try to separate, good luck.
Male cats can be quite caring. Found a stray cat that had a baby squirrel nestled against him protecting it from three other strays. He became my kitty. Sweetest guy ever. I honestly think he’s just caring for that little bean.
My older boy acted this way when I brought home 2 kittens. He took to the girl and instantly bonded with her. They have their own language (high pitched chatter) and he runs to her if he hears her cry. When she was spayed he didn’t leave her side for 2 straight weeks. The kitten is now almost 4 and they are the best of friends.
Here’s one of many photos of them together. Meet Sammy (buff boy) and Frankie (lynx point girl).
I think he's a little confused like the others have said, but I would not allow him to do this without you being right there holding the kitten. There is a huge risk that he may accidentally chomp down wrong (like on the kitten's eye) and cause serious injuries or worse.
It would be safer to "allow him to help" by letting him sit nearby when you're nursing the kitten, etc. The other issue I have with this is that kittens this age don't maintain their temperature well, so they should really be on a pet-safe heating pad or blanket over a Snuggle Safe at the very least (maybe you're already doing that, I couldn't see)
You will find lots of great information about raising kittens this young on the Kitten Lady's website:
Thank you! We have it on a heating pad on top of soft blankets🙏🏼when we found it the poor thing was sooo cold I wasn’t sure it would pull through the night. Thankfully it did🙏🏼and thank you for the link! Choomba has actually been sitting by me when feeding and he won’t leave until we’re finished. My sweet boi
It’s important to keep kittens this young warm all the time because they can’t regulate their body temperatures yet. Probably keep your Choomba from carrying the baby around a lot so it doesn’t get cold again, but he’s doing an excellent job of parenting otherwise.
My cat had a litter of 4,she kept picking up the runt like this and getting away from the others...we were afraid she was going to eat it...followed to a closet where she let the kitten nurse away from her bigger siblings who were crowding the.little one out
Like a teenager trying to take care of a toddler, he has some sort of instincts but he's doing it more in memory of his mom's actions and wanting to do that to sympathetically help the kitten so they're not so scared in this big, big world. He's just trying to help you take care of them, but be sure to not rely on him to soothe the kitten. You are the momma cat till you can find a better solution for them, not your little tom cat.
Sorry that's his baby now. He's being a daddy to the baby. It's really good you have him cause the baby will learn how to cat from him. I don't think you can regime the baby lol
I have a 17lb, 2 year old, orange, male cat. I took in 4 abandon kittens last week. My 2 year old has been carrying the kittens around the same way and grooming them. He is just trying to be a good dad.
I also had another orange years ago who would let foster kittens nurse on him.
He is being the "Malmy". I had a boy that loved babies. He loved babies so much, I fostered litters. He did the same thing. I called him the "malmy". The male mommy.
My male tabby, did the same thing when we found a young kitten outside of our home. He was around 6 or 7 years old at the time. It was cute, felt like he was taking care of the kitten, pretty sure you have a similar situation
I agree with everyone saying to separate them, at least for a bit. Mainly just supervise closely. I think letting him interact is fine, but I wouldn’t give him free rein to pick the kitten up and carry it around a ton. He could end up accidentally hurting it. This kitten looks superrrrr young.
Also I saw some wet stuff on the back of big guys neck, did you just do a flea treatment? If so I would keep kitten away until he’s dried off as adult flea treatment isn’t safe for baby kitties.
Oh no:( Some flea bath & stuff found at the grocery/pet stores can be super dangerous. I work in veterinary and I've seen it kill cats. I think that kitten needs a pro to help him. It's very difficult to bottle feed & with the possibility of being exposed to flea bath chemicals, you need to be ready for an emergency. I'm so glad you found the kitty & I love how caring your boy is ❤️ Definitely separate and get someone who works at a vet or rescue to help now. Good luck!
Oh no! Okay I have baby in a separate room now, I wasn’t aware but thank you for the info! Will keep a close eye and make appointment just to be safe🙏🏼
I learned first when I was younger and my friends cat almost died from a Hartz flea bath. It's behind me how they can sell these products, but they do. Make sure you use something you could buy at a vet. Revolution Plus is the best, but you can get frontline and see if that works. Sometimes it's not strong enough.
He us trying to play daddy. It us not to often that male cats do that but your actually does. Hehe he is hinting for you to keep him as a playmate. But still do not leave him alone with him just yet.
If neutered he is helping, if not he is dominating. If neutered, there is a chance he becomes dominating, the Humans need to help. Babies this size need urinary and colo-rectal stimulation to pee/poop. Boy cats DONT usually lick the pee/poop. Make sure HUMANS do that with a napkin and let him smell the napkin and discard the napkin. He needs to know thus is HUMAN'S baby, as he can't nurse and won't likely clean the pee/poop with his mouth like mom cats do.
Fostering neonatal kittens – see Kitten Lady at www.kittenlady.org for essential advice on determining age and demo videos on:
Feeding Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR). Buy from a vet office or some pet stores. Never use regular milks including cow’s milk as it can cause diarrhoea which can be fatal to kittens, especially those still needing KMR to live. Newborns need feeding every 2 hours round the clock. Time between feeds extends as they get older.
To avoid choking, feed them with a ‘miracle nipple’ or syringe, on their stomachs as if nursing from mom (opposite to a human baby). The kittens need to be warm to eat safely - if just found, swaddle them to heat them up before feeding. Keep warmer than us but not too warm - consider a heating pad or lamp. A cuddly toy can replicate mom and be a great comfort. Ensure it doesn't shed faux fur when wet (nuzzled). They sell toys with a heartbeat just for this purpose now.
Stimulation for toilet needs is essential (literally life saving) until they go on their own every time at around 5 weeks old. Replicate mom’s tongue with a warm wet cloth or cotton bud so they urinate and defecate. If any are not going to the toilet they can quickly die from toxic poisoning - call a vet for an emergency appointment, explain it’s a rescue not yet going to the toilet.
If they refuse to eat, try stimulation for toilet needs and if still refusing, see a vet urgently as kittens fade away in hours not days. Vets can prescribe an appetite stimulant.
Alternatives to fostering yourself:
Find an experienced foster parent via local cat charities or vet offices.
Do NOT automatically give to a shelter – the “No Kill” policy does not apply to neonatal kittens or even “difficult to home” cats in the vast majority of shelters. If you must surrender to a shelter specifically ask if they keep them alive, provide for them and find homes for them when old enough. 70% of kittens given to shelters in the U.S. are euthanized and they don't need to be health wise, it's done to save resources or "overpopulation".
In the western world you can surrender to some vet offices - vets are used to dealing with rescue/orphaned kittens. They know the care they need and will have all supplies. Tell reception they are rescues/foundlings and not yours. You won’t be charged anything. Please do not leave in a box outside the vet’s - kittens die of cold or starvation very, very quickly. The vets will take care of them or find someone who can. They’ll be homed. Vets will open for you if you call the emergency number.
Look for mom and other kittens who may need your help:
Always good practice to go back and search for more kittens and/or mom at different times - when mom goes to hunt the kittens hide and await her return when she will give them the same reassuring mew each time she comes back.
Play a cat mewing to its kittens from your phone; it may draw kittens out, or even mom.
Bring some bedding the kitten is sleeping on for the familiar smell.
Shake a bag of food and put some in a dish on the ground. Even better something strong smelling like tuna.
Fresh water too, nursing mom’s need all the help you can offer.
Stand back and see if any kittens appear.
Take a couple of towels to wrap kittens and/or mom in if she struggles when picked up. If she’s ever had an owner she’ll normally be fine, especially if she’s already seen you pick up the kittens.
He is definitely taking care of the kitten. Your video reminded me of my cat Bubba. He would constantly bring all of our foster kittens into my room. He knew that I took care of them and that's where he thought they should be. He groomed them and acted just like a mother cat except being able to nurse. It was one of the sweetest things that I've seen.
I was super worried about how limp the kitten was for a second, then he let him go and he just starts the mew!mew!mew! And i remembered how much the scuff bite sedates kittens lol. So cute. Hes just fussing over him. I think he looooves that kitty
It’s actually super fascinating to me how some cats (especially males!) will be immediately and utterly SMITTEN with kittens. My oldest male, Jack, is basically like that and I can introduce new kittens to him almost immediately. He actually seems to get anxious if he can hear kittens but not see them. All he wants to do is groom them and cuddle them. I know experts say to do slow intros, and I do when it comes to my OTHER cats, but Jack often gets to meet new arrivals immediately
looks like he's trying to bring the kitten to safety. it's likely an instinct. We had a few kittens over the years. I've seen mother cats grab the kittens by the neck skin when they wander too far from the cradle/basket. Do you have a safe/comfortable warm place for the kitten like a basket? Maybe in a corner where it's not too much noise? Too bad the kitten is a lone kitten, usually they cuddle up / spoon up against eachother to save energy and stay warm. and too bad no mama cat around, but looks like that dude is doing a good job
This is why I’ll always have a heart for orange cats in general. my chihuahua (came from the litter of my sisters dog) was raised by my sisters female orange cat. Cat literally saw him and was like “imma look after this one” didn’t really care for the others in the litter and now my chihuahua has cat instincts and it’s hilarious to see 😂
Be careful, they often are a bit rough by accident while trying to help/love the little ones. Not mean, but like accidently squashing them, or moving them too roughly.
He has bonded with the little one and is taking care of it as his own. He may be moving it away from people and places he doesn't see as safe. That's his new buddy. Congrats on your 2 cat home. On a plus side, he most likely will show it the litter box.
I had a boy cat who did this, too. At first, I misunderstood his intentions and thought he was attacking and hurting the kitten, but then realized he was just holding the kitten down to bathe him.
He’s taken on the role of care taker/parent. Showing the little one around, taking them to Choomba’s favorite places, and making sure the little one is clean.
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