Question
I have a basket of Victoria Secret mini dogs and they're two plush Victoria secret yorkies that are in there that she grooms all the time. She also sleeps next to the basket full of my plush mini dogs and seems like she guard them. She sleeps by the basket every night as well. I was wondering if she thinks these are her kittens. My cat is 3 years old.
Answer
I don't think that it is abnormal for a cat to think a toy is a kitten. My female cat use to do this with some of the stuffed animal toys we had (in my case, it was a dolphin). She would carry it around with here sometimes (usually late at night) and you would hear her meow with it. She would never really "guard" it though.
It's possible that it is maternal instincts kicking in, but it could also just be something she feels like doing. Searching on the internet returns a few results of people discussing this. Some of the reasons include:
- Maternal Instincts
- A false pregnancy (rare - and possible in both fixed and intact cats).
- Your cat may just find it amusing
Answered By - Timmy Jim