Our 1 year old male cat is acting very 'maternal' with our new 7 week old kitten. From all we have been told, this is not
normal feline behavior. Should we be worried? (Eric Clarkson, Chesaning, Michigan)
I am not sure who you have been talking to, but this does not seem entirely
unusual to us. Granted, it is more common with dogs, or at least female cats, but every animal has an instinct towards being protective of younger cats. The way I think you
should see the situation is to be grateful that your male cat has accepted the kitten so readily and is not acting aggressive
in any way. The only way I can envisage a problem is if he becomes over protective of her, or demonstrates obsessive
behavior. Make sure that he does not mind spending time away from the kitten and that he will be happy for you to play with
the kitten on front of him without any jealousy. Problems may only arise once the kitten is older and wants to be more
independent. Your male be less happy if the new kitten wants to be the dominant cat in the household!
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Our 1 year old male cat is acting very 'maternal' with our new 7 week old kitten. From all we have been told, this is not
normal feline behavior. Should we be worried? (Eric Clarkson, Chesaning, Michigan)
I am not sure who you have been talking to, but this does not seem entirely
unusual to us. Granted, it is more common with dogs, or at least female cats, but every animal has an instinct towards being protective of younger cats. The way I think you
should see the situation is to be grateful that your male cat has accepted the kitten so readily and is not acting aggressive
in any way. The only way I can envisage a problem is if he becomes over protective of her, or demonstrates obsessive
behavior. Make sure that he does not mind spending time away from the kitten and that he will be happy for you to play with
the kitten on front of him without any jealousy. Problems may only arise once the kitten is older and wants to be more
independent. Your male be less happy if the new kitten wants to be the dominant cat in the household! 
