Does my cat's behavior mean kitten love or trouble?

by Lucinda
(Cincinnati)

I have a female cat, Enyo, who is almost two years old now and spayed. Since she was a stray who found my home, I know nothing of her life until she came to us about 8 months old. My boyfriend and I are thinking of getting a male kitten to add to our household. My concern is this:

I was watching a show on animal planet that had filmed a batch of kittens. When Enyo heard the kittens mewing she began sniffing and frantically searching around the t.v. for the noise. She continued to search for the kittens for several minutes after the mewing stopped. I have tried playing videos of kittens on other occasions and it has the same effect.

Is this behavior a sign of a future positive or negative relationship with a kitten? I thought it would be a good sign, because it seems Enyo is searching frantically with a motherly instinct and a kitten would be a great companion for her. My boyfriend thinks it might not be a good sign, and that she might be overly dominant towards a kitten.

Have you ever had experience with this type of behavior in a spayed female cat? Thank you for reading and for your help :)


Hi, Lucinda,

It would appear that your cat is really looking for the kittens she hears. Perhaps before you found her, she had a litter of her own.

It certainly doesn't worry me that her behavior would indicate that she would be aggressive with a kitten. If anything, it sounds very motherly.

Thanks for writing,
Dr Neely