{"id":8506,"date":"2013-01-26T05:50:46","date_gmt":"2013-01-26T10:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=8506"},"modified":"2021-03-05T09:13:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T14:13:02","slug":"how-does-a-mother-cat-understand-time-zoey-shares-her-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/how-does-a-mother-cat-understand-time-zoey-shares-her-story\/","title":{"rendered":"How Does a Mother Cat Understand Time? Zoey Shares Her Story…"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This was the happy couple, Zee and Zoey, in the early stages of their relationship when life was carefree and they did not have the responsibility of a family to take care of…<\/p><\/div>\n

Last week I shared a very intriguing topic about cats and the concept of past, present, and future. As in, do cats have the capacity to think and remember in those terms, and the overwhelming response was, yes, they do. You all shared some great comments and stories about cats in your life which got me to thinking about the subject in greater depth, in particular with the behavior of my beloved, Zoey.<\/p>\n

Zoey had a litter of kittens at a young age and when they were born she rejected them for a brief amount of time, not quite comprehending or caring that they were her responsibility. It was like in her mind she was still\u00a0 a teenager \u2013 after she gave birth, she literally instantly remembered being young, carefree, and unencumbered by the weight of four babies growing in her belly.<\/p>\n

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Once the notion of parenting sunk in, Zoey was a warm, caring, loving, devoted, and fiercely protective Mama. Her happy, healthy, and content kittens were 6 weeks old in this picture.<\/p><\/div>\n

She wanted to recapture that point in her life and it was that simple. I had to stay by her side to make certain she took care of her kittens and thankfully once the light bulb went off in her head and she connected the dots that these babies were not only hers, but it was her job to take care of them, she was a fiercely devoted, loyal, loving, and protective Mama.<\/p>\n

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Our normally calm, cool, collected, elegant, and beautiful Zoey looks completely frazzled and worn out due to the non-stop shenanigans of her high-energy kittens. The kittens were about 7 weeks here and it wears me out just looking at this picture, remembering just how much time and effort goes into raising kittens!<\/p><\/div>\n

That is until week 10 when she had a parental meltdown. Somehow her internal clock told her that it was time for the kittens to pack their furry little bags and leave. As with animals in the wild who raise their offspring with the intention that they will be leaving the nest to survive on their own, that was what happened to her. In her mind, she had taught them how to groom themselves, play, eat solid foods, and use the litter box, so she had done her motherly duties. Not to mention, she had already weaned them and was none to\u00a0pleased to have them latch on to her nipples for an occasional warm and comforting snack.<\/p>\n

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This sour puss was how Zee looked during the first 3 months after Zoey gave birth to the kittens. He now loves his babies unconditionally, but back then he resented their presence and the time Zoey spent with them instead of him.<\/p><\/div>\n

Let’s face it, they were nonstop bundles of 24\/7 exhausting responsibility and she had enough. Time for kitty college and to find a job is what she was thinking. Zee was virtually nonexistent as a parent and it was her who took care of these high-energy kittens while he stayed in the background sulking because he missed his svelte and high-spirited partner.<\/p>\n

Prior to the point of her having her meltdown, we had given one of the four kittens away to a dear friend (the infamous Zeuss Catt) and I was truly worried how she would react when she found out one of them was missing. Zoey could absolutely count to four, she knew where her kittens were at ALL times, and I felt she would react in a very traumatic way searching for her \u201clost kitten.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This is literally Zoey saying, “Seriously, you’re still here? I’ve done my part to raise you, now it’s time to pack your bags and go!” On a side note, don’t these precious kittens just melt your heart!?<\/p><\/div>\n

Well, the surprise was on me. Not only did she not miss Zeuss or look for him, but she began to resent the other three kittens that we had decided to keep and growled at them any time they were within her eyesight to leave her alone. Being typical children, they of course ignored her growls and continued to love her and follow her all about the house. Zoey was their Mama and they remained blissfully ignorant of her resentment. (To follow is\u00a0our classic video of Zoey growling at her babies which inspired\u00a0Chapter 18 of\u00a0 the book, The Chronicles of Zee & Zoey, aptly titled “The Queen has Spoken – Off With Their Heads!”\u00a0)<\/p>\n