Do Mother Cats Miss Their Kittens?

The cardboard box in the “delivery room” is gradually emptying. When the last kitten is taken away by its new owner, the mother cat leans over to sniff the remaining scent, gently licks the edge of the empty box, then quietly lies down in the corner, her eyes lacking the usual vigilance. Many cat owners wonder at this moment: Will this mother cat, who has just finished nurturing, miss the children who were taken away, just like a human mother? The mother cat’s “longing” is hidden behind her seemingly indifferent behavior, a complex expression intertwined with evolutionary instincts and emotions.

From a biological perspective, a mother cat’s “attention period” to her kittens has a clear timeline. In the first 3 weeks after birth, the mother cat rarely leaves her kittens’ side. She keeps them warm with her body temperature, licks their bodies to promote excretion, and is alert to any approaching threats. During this time, the kittens are completely dependent on the mother for survival. Her brain secretes prolactin, a hormone that not only stimulates milk production but also strengthens the instinct to “protect the kittens.” When the kittens reach 4-6 weeks old, starting to walk and try solid food, the mother’s attitude gradually changes: she deliberately avoids the kittens’ attempts to nurse, guides them to eat cat food, and gently pushes away overly clingy kittens with her paws—this is teaching them independence, preparing for “separation.”

By 8-10 weeks, the stage when kittens are suitable for adoption, the mother cat’s “nurturing instinct” naturally weakens. In the wild, mother cats drive their kittens out of the territory at this time, forcing them to survive independently to avoid excessive resource competition within the family. This gene-encoded “letting go” leads many to mistakenly think mother cats “have no feelings” for their kittens. However, the uniqueness of the domestic environment allows mother cats to express more delicate emotions. Breeders have observed that after kittens are taken away, mother cats will frequently check the former delivery room for several days and emit soft purrs towards the empty box—a sound usually used to comfort kittens, now more like a silent call.

A mother cat’s “longing” is often reflected in her “obsession with scents.” In the feline world, smell is the most profound carrier of memory. After each kitten is born, the mother cat marks them with her saliva. This unique scent allows her to accurately identify her own children among multiple kittens. When the kittens leave, the mother cat repeatedly sniffs the bedding, toys they left behind, and even the scent of the kittens on their owner. Some mother cats will drag the blankets used by the kittens into their own nests and curl up on them to sleep, as if preserving the scent to continue the “sense of companionship.” This behavior is rare in the wild and is more like a way for mother cats in domestic environments to release their “reluctance.”

Subtle changes in behavior hide more complex emotions. One cat owner shared: On the third day after the kittens were taken away, the mother cat, who usually had a large appetite, suddenly ate very little. She lay by the window in a daze all day and would immediately prick up her ears when she heard movement in the corridor—these reactions are surprisingly similar to the “restlessness of human longing.” Other mother cats become particularly clingy, frequently rubbing against their owner’s palms and making coquettish sounds while nuzzling their arms. Animal behaviorists believe this may be the mother cat “transferring emotional needs”: when the kittens’ dependence disappears, she seeks attention from trusted humans to fill the emotional void.

However, a mother cat’s “longing” usually does not last too long. Most mother cats return to normal within 1-2 weeks, refocusing on their own lives: sunbathing, grooming, and interacting with their owners. This “quick adjustment” is not heartlessness but survival wisdom endowed by evolution—in the wild, lingering over concern for kittens would make the mother cat relax her vigilance about her own safety and food sources. But this does not mean the memory completely disappears. There are cases where when a grown kitten accidentally returns to its birthplace, the mother cat immediately recognizes it by scent. Although she no longer cares for it as she did during nurturing, she allows it to approach for food and even gently touches its forehead with her nose—a restrained interaction, as if saying “I remember you.”

It is worth noting that early separation can make a mother cat’s “longing” more intense. If kittens are taken away before 4 weeks old, the mother cat’s prolactin levels have not yet dropped. Her body will experience pain from “milk stasis,” and psychologically, she will be confused by the “interruption of the nurturing process.” They may excessively lick their nipples, anxiously search for the kittens, or even treat stuffed toys as “substitutes” and try to nurse them. In such cases, “longing” is more a combination of physical and psychological discomfort.

In fact, mother cats’ emotional expressions are more restrained than we imagine. They do not shed tears like humans, but they quietly record their connection with their kittens through scents, sounds, and subtle movements. When a mother cat lingers in the empty delivery room, or makes soft calls to her kittens’ toys, that short but sincere concern is perhaps what “longing” looks like in the feline world.

The preciousness of this emotion lies in that it carries both instinctive protection and natural acceptance of “growth and separation.” Mother cats tell us in their own way: love is not eternal bondage, but remembering the warmth of those who once nestled in your arms after teaching them to be independent.

Speaking of which, every cat owner who has raised a mother cat has observed such moments. Some mother cats hide their kittens’ leftover food; some suddenly become more affectionate after the kittens leave; others prick up their ears when hearing recordings of their kittens’ cries… What behaviors has your mother cat shown that made you think “she is missing her children” after the kittens were taken away? Share these gentle details in the comment section!