A pet owner has shared the heartbreaking moment that her cat rejected her own kittens.
In a video with over 400,000 views on TikTok, user mymewos shared what she called "the moment that I wished would never come."
In the video, the gray female cat refuses to sit with her kittens while the text overlay reads: "This is heartbreaking." But there is a good reason for this seemingly upsetting behavior.
Celia Haddon, cat expert and author of Being Your Cat, told Newsweek: "It's normal for a mother cat to reject her kittens. Indeed, she should be doing this—at the right time. It is part of teaching her kittens how to cope with their future life."
A kitten's teeth start breaking through at around 3-4 weeks old. At this time, the mother begins to find feeding her kittens uncomfortable, and in the wild, a mother cat would start bringing prey for the kittens from around 4-5 weeks.
"First she would bring dead mice, then living ones. It's a crucial period for the kittens. They must learn to eat the food they will need in adulthood. Otherwise, they will not survive," explained Haddon.
It isn't just wild cats that this step is important for either, as for kittens that are going to be pets, it is emotionally important for them to be weaned.
"They learn to tolerate frustration, to learn that they cannot have what they want when they want it," explained Haddon.
Of course, sometimes a mother cat will reject her kittens too early—before they are old enough to eat solid food—and in these cases, this can impact their survival.
Despite mother cats rejecting kittens being a relatively normal behavior, we do see the opposite too. Last month, a rescue cat melted hearts when she adopted two feral kittens as her own.
In the comments on the viral TikTok, people seemed to understand why the mother cat was rejecting her offspring.
"Those kittens are old enough to not need their moms any more... momma knows she has done her job," wrote TikToker bbryant573.
Meanwhile, user Hayley Tucker said: "Mama is acting normal, she is telling them they are too old and need to wean."
While some cats may do well having their offspring living with them, others are keen for their kittens to move on.
"Sometimes mother cat and adult kittens get on famously: sometimes they don't. Just like humans," said Haddon. "Some people live happily with their parents, some people would hate this. Some parents want their children to live at home: some push them out. It all depends on individuality—and cats are very individual."
In the wild, male cats kittens would leave the group when they grow up, while females would stay with their parents.
"It's probably best to rehome kittens or even not have them in the first place," said Haddon. "Cats do not like being overcrowded in a home and as a rough rule only one cat per bedroom gives enough space. Besides we are in a terrible situation of cat overpopulation with homeless cats needing help urgently. So please get any mother cats spayed as soon as possible before they have another set of kittens."
For this mother, rejecting her cats is a sign that she isn't keen to keep her kittens with her.
"She is a mother who does not wish to keep her adult offspring close. Respect her decision," said Haddon. "Cats should not have to live with cats they dislike, even if it is one of their offspring, any more than we should be made to live with a relative we don't get on with."
One viewer of the TikTok video even shared a similar experience. "Usually around three months is when they say F 'dem kids," wrote Victoria. "Our cat was so much happier after we got rid of babies."
Newsweek reached out to mymewos for comment via TikTok.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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