An interesting video because it shows, in a way, a competition between a female Siamese cat who has given birth to a kitten in someone’s home and a toddler who wants to hold her kitten because she is fascinated with this cute creature. Cat and human are fighting over a kitten; not good.
Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.
The kitten’s mother approaches the toddler and tries to take her kitten in her jaws in the usual way that mothers do when transporting their kittens. But the toddler resists because she wants to hold onto the kitten which she loves. Eventually the mother grabs her kitten by the scruff and takes him from the toddler. The toddler cries and runs to her father for comfort. Meanwhile, the female Siamese cat carries her kitten to a den specially constructed for the purpose by the owner.
It’s a little vignette of life in a home which encourages me to comment. There is quite a lot to comment about. The first point, and I don’t want to be too critical, is that this cat owner has allowed their cat to breed. In a strictly moral sense, it is not a good idea to let cats breed in your home in an informal manner. Perhaps they want to sell the kitten to make a few dollars or whatever. Not a good idea if that is what is happening. This family do not look like professional cat breeders to me which is why I have described it as “informal cat breeding”
The next point is that kittens are incredibly vulnerable, which is obvious, and therefore when a parent allows their child to carry a kitten like this it has to be strictly supervised in the closest possible way because an accident which injures or kills the kitten can very easily take place.
And there’s the question as to whether it is wise to allow a toddler to take a kitten from their mother. Clearly, the mother is unhappy with the situation. She seems to think that the kitten has been taken from her. The mother might be distressed and the kitten too.
In a very strict sense, the toddler is being selfish because she is doing something which she wants to do without considering the emotional consequences for the cats. It is not the toddler’s fault because toddlers behave instinctively until ‘trained’ otherwise. So, this is about the parents. I would have preferred it if the parents had allowed the mother cat and a kitten to be alone in the safety of their den. Just leave them alone.
It’s a time to curb human instinct to touch and feel a cute creature and show some self-discipline. I’m probably being too old-fashioned and crusty but that is the way I see it. It’s all about cat welfare and maximising it. It’s about respecting the cat and their behaviour. And above all it is about respecting the relationship between mother cat and her offspring.
The parents made the video and sold it to an online platform Rumble. They think that what they did is okay. But I don’t.
SOME MORE ON KIDS AND CATS:
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5 tips on bringing a new cat into a child’s home (infographic)
New hazard to domestic cats: Nerf darts
Which gender of domestic cat is better with kids?
Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.