Comments on: Science Takes on an Important Question: Is the Mommy Cat Really Hugging the Kitten?

By: Sheila W.

Sheila W. — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:41:06 +0000

It says quite a lot about the people that are quickly dismissing that cats (and animals in general) don’t feel emotionally or are incapable of it. I hope you don’t have pets, because you don’t deserve them. Couches and televisions don’t have emotions, but animals are living, breathing, feeling creatures, not inanimate objects.

By: Mary Ann

Mary Ann — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:18:26 +0000

We also have two cats who are about the same age (8 years) but not from the same litter, one male, the other female, both neutered/spayed. The male is always cuddling up to the female, often resting his head on her, wrapping his paws around her, licking her face. It’s particularly amusing to watch them licking each other’s faces at the same time. Like Kim, I have lots of photos of them in these positions. I’m sure it’s affection.

By: marcia

marcia — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 22:01:49 +0000

I have three cats and they are more like people than you would imagine. When a mother cat had a litter of kittens, Tote, my male cat was mesmerized with this litter of kittens and would spend an hour or so just watching them. He watched as the mother nursed her kittens. When the mother cat disappeared/died, Tote would lay down and stretch out next to the kittens and try to nurse them. As the kittens grew Tote would carry them outside and watch them run around for a while, then when he thought it time, he would bring them all back into the house. It was wonderful just watching these animals.

By: Kim

Kim — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 08:51:02 +0000

Our two cats cuddle each other while sleeping. I have lots of” awwww pictures where one or both have their arms around each other.

By: Mindi

Mindi — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:54:15 +0000

I’ve seen a lot of human like behaviors in the kittens I am raising. Perhaps we are not as different from the animal world as we think.

http://avalonslitter.blogspot.com/

This is the blog of the kittens Im raising. It includes a photo of a very sick and groggy mama cat hugging her kitten

By: jamie

jamie — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:32:50 +0000

Jayne: “…smooshing her face into the kitten”

But that face-mashing behavior is exactly what I and others are talking about. I’ve seen it many, many times. The kitten was simply ‘in the way’.

By: Mindi

Mindi — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 18:11:42 +0000

I am currently bottle feeding a litter of kittens because their mother passed away the day after they were born. I have a picture of my cat, the night her kittens were born, just hours before she passed away, hugging one of her kittens. She was still groggy from the anesthesia from a C-section, but still had affection for her kittens, even attempting to move them at one point.

By: Erik L.

Erik L. — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:10:49 +0000

Why “anthropomorfic”? Humans have the same basic instincts regarding our young ones as any other mammal. If we are mammals.

By: Jayne

Jayne — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 17:01:11 +0000

It isn’t just a stretch… the baby woke up the mother, who stretches a bit then gives the baby a hug by holding her close and smooshing her face into the kitten. Its the face smoosh that gives it away.

Stop the video at 0:33 to see the actual moment.

By: jamie

jamie — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 18:28:50 +0000

I too agree with cms. I have observed this behavior all the time. The kitten was simply ‘in the way’

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 11:07:39 +0000

I’ll go with cms and say mom is just stretching. My cat will do this exact movement but without the kitten.

By: Janet

Janet — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 03:55:30 +0000

Of course it’s a hug! How could anyone possible take the position that cats don’t do the things that we do! Give me a break! Cats have at LEAST all of the emotions that we have; sometimes we just don’t give animals enough credit for their abilities, thoughts and feelings.

By: cms

cms — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 01:10:25 +0000

My cats all make that exact same set of motions occasionally when they are sleeping–they stretch and then curl their paws in over their face. This cat just happened to have a kitten between it’s paws. Cute, but not a hug, in my opinion.

By: shadegem

shadegem — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 15:09:59 +0000

I assumed the kitten hit the mother’s face a little, or at least came close, when it was fidgeting, so the mother brought it closer to make it stop…

By: Steve Bennett

Steve Bennett — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 06:33:24 +0000

Funny, I assumed it wasn’t a hug but a protective gesture, defending the kitten against the marauding cameraman…

By: Crissa

Crissa — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:45:28 +0000

I do know that I bonded with my current cat – which of her liter, did not socialize properly – by petting her when she was in REM sleep, often disturbed. This eventually conditioned her to think of me as ‘safe’, much like a kitten would feel for their mother.

Now, is that really a hug? Who knows? But cats do show affection for each other in various ways, sometimes appearing very anthropomorphic, like this.

Comments on: Science Takes on an Important Question: Is the Mommy Cat *Really* Hugging the Kitten?

By: Sheila W.

By: Mary Ann

By: marcia

By: Kim

By: Mindi

By: jamie

By: Mindi

By: Erik L.

By: Jayne

By: jamie

By: Steve

By: Janet

By: cms

By: shadegem

By: Steve Bennett

By: Crissa

Comments on: Science Takes on an Important Question: Is the Mommy Cat Really Hugging the Kitten?