Kidnapping and a case of bad maths
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Two new feline mothers face difficulties in deciding which little belongs to which cat
A BREEDER-FRIEND of mine in the States once told me what has become one of my favourite stories about cats.
The breeder had bred Cappy, one of her females, to a very sexy boy, but just as the girl and boy were finishing up, the girl’s best friend, Kittaya (“the Kid”), a young girl who had just come into heat for the first time in her life, burst into the mating room.
The boy, who never turned down an opportunity, enjoyed yet another hot date.
Thus both girls became pregnant at the same time. Normally, the breeder would have separated them three months later when it was time for them to give birth, but since they were good friends already, she let them give birth in the same room, but in two separate boxes.
The two girls knew exactly what to do during and after the birth of their kittens, not only Cappy, who had all the experience, but also first-time mama, the Kid. Cappy had (I think) two babies, and the Kid had four.
The next morning, though, when the breeder checked the feline maternity ward, she witnessed a very strange sight.
Cappy was diligently taking the Kid’s kittens out of that box and carrying them, one by one, over to her box. Meanwhile, the Kid was taking Cappy’s kittens over to her box.
The breeder knew exactly which kittens belonged to which mama because she had already marked the kittens in one litter with a little dot of blue vegetable dye and the kittens in the other litter with red.
Apparently not noticing the dots of colour, the mamas were very diligent about moving the kittens around.
Why would the two mothers start stealing each other’s babies?
I don’t know. I’d guess that because the two mothers were so close together when they gave birth, perhaps the similar scent confused them, and each mother thought all the babies belonged to her.
Perhaps it was a matter of territory. Each mother thought she owned all the kittens.
At least all the babies were safe. At times, adult cats will kill whatever kittens are close by, while protecting their own.
These kitten-killings may not be as heartless as you might think. Researchers assure us that it’s just the way a parent ensures that her genes will continue while the genetic composition in other kittens will not.
I’ve heard this explanation many times, whether the researcher is explaining why adult lions will kill cubs not related to them or an adult tiger or an adult whatever.
It’s been very difficult for me to accept this explanation, though. For one thing, male cats might kill their own offspring too, not only unrelated babies. Male housecats might kill kittens too, their own or someone else’s.
Besides, how would a cat of any kind know what kitten or what cub is his?
It may be true that a cat is instinctively driven to kill babies because they’re not related to him, but there must be other factors involved. Perhaps he is driven to force females to pay less attention to their babies and to accept him. Perhaps a female who kills someone else’s babies wishes to protect her own babies.
At any rate, Cappy and the Kid faced no such problems. Although they were prevented from stealing each other’s babies, when the two litters were finally re-introduced a few weeks later, everyone became good friends.
No one was killed. No one died.
Perhaps, in the end, the kitten-thefts have a much simpler explanation. Both mothers were extremely fun-loving problem-solvers, good mothers who also loved to be around humans – but I wonder if either one could count.
Perhaps each mother couldn’t remember just how many babies she had given birth to.
