Bottle Raised Kittens

We have a cat named Babycat. We are not into the whole goo-goo name thing, not by any means. Her name is what we called her as a kitten because we WERE NOT going to keep her. She was just...the baby cat. Babycat will be 13 years old in a couple months, and has lived with us her whole life!

Someone dropped Babycat and her brother Tubby off for me to care for as bottle babies. So, I took care of them. I bottle fed them. I rubbed their little bums to get them to pee and poop. I helped them as they learned to eat solid foods. I adopted Tubby out. I kept Babycat. And as the years went on, I learned something about bottle raised cats.

They are mean, cantankerous, and unpredictable. I'm talking about with the family, and ten times worse with strangers! When I would go on vacation, Babycat had my housesitters on edge. Just plain old mean to them. She was mostly ok with us, though she still would scratch us when we would do something that offended her. Don't ask me what we did to set her off...she never said!

I learned that this was typical behavior for a bottle-raised cat. And...now I know what the problem is! I know a lady who works at a vet office and raises orphaned kittens on a regular basis. However...her kittens always turn out well-behaved. The difference? She is their momma, and treats them accordingly. This means lots of love, AND...a decent amount of hissing and popping them on the head the way their mother would have done. It makes all the difference!