After her cat had a single kitten litter, a woman from Texas decided to keep it and allow her to be a mom—the way the feline is raising her daughter has delighted viewers on social media.
In a viral video shared on TikTok in December by @gabrielle.nervesa, the tabby cat can be seen cuddling her baby girl and teaching her how to be cat, showing her gratitude for the opportunity to raise her one and only kitten.
“Keeping my cat’s kitten from her single litter so she can experience being a mom,” the caption says. “I think she’s loving the mom life.”
Cats typically have between four and 10 kittens per litter, so having only one can seem unusual. Catster explains that there are three main reasons this might happen.
One reason could be that some fertilized eggs may have failed to develop or implant properly, leaving only one kitten to be born.
Another reason could be dystocia—a difficult birth—which means other kittens may be stuck or labor is prolonged. Signs include unusually long labor or straining without delivery. If this is the case, a veterinarian should be called immediately.
The third reason could be that the cat is not finished giving birth yet. Cats can have up to 24 hours between kittens, so no more than one on the first day doesn’t always mean that the litter is complete.
Veterinarians on Just Answer say that having only one kitten does not usually indicate a medical issue in itself, although it can in some cases.
It is very important to have your cat evaluated in person by her veterinarian after a single kitten litter, to ensure both mom and kitten are healthy.
It’s possible for the cat to experience a similar situation in a next pregnancy, though a full litter is not off the table.
The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 6.1 million views and 1.1 million likes on the platform.
One user, Jenn, commented: “I kept all 3 of my cats kittens and all she does is yell at them and look at me like I ruined her life.”
AJ said: “I did the same and now my momma cat is no longer super affectionate with me because she’s content being a mom. I’m happy for her, but also jealous of a 6-month-old kitten.”
Kayla added: “My cat had two babies and I kept them and she loved them for the first couple months but now she absolutely HATES them.”
Newsweek reached out to @gabrielle.nervesa for comment via TikTok comments. We could not verify the details of the case.
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