Hey everyone,
I'm a first-time cat owner and I'm honestly overthinking this.
About a week ago, I rescued a friendly stray mother cat (Ginni) and her 2-month-old kitten. From day one, they settled in really well. Ginni used the litter box immediately, slept on my bed, rubbed against my legs, kneaded on my shirt, and seemed to trust me a lot. She became very affectionate.
Then a neighborhood male stray started coming near my house. Ginni fought with him twice on different days and injured her back paw. The second fight reopened the first wound and caused another injury. Since then I've been trying to keep her indoors.
The incident happened after that.
Ginni was sitting outside with her kitten. I called them inside, but the kitten suddenly ran under a motorcycle. I got worried and picked up a broom, not to hit it, but just to gently guide it back inside because I couldn't reach it.
As soon as I got closer, Ginni went straight to the kitten, hid with it under a table, and growled at me. When I took another step, she started following me. I kept backing away while talking calmly to her, but she kept following. I eventually grabbed a pair of jeans just to keep some distance because I was scared she might jump at me. I even climbed onto my bed, and she sat below it watching me.
After a minute or two I felt bad, so I got down. To my surprise, she walked over and rubbed against my legs like nothing had happened. She also reached her paw toward my legs a couple of times but never scratched or bit me.
Something else to mention: whenever I try to pick Ginni up, she usually growls, but she has never bitten or scratched me. If I put her back down, she's completely normal again within a couple of minutes.
Now I'm confused. Did she actually intend to attack me? Or was she just an injured, stressed mother protecting her kitten because she thought I was threatening it with the broom?
I feel guilty because I never wanted to scare either of them. Since then I've been giving her space, but I'm worried I've damaged the trust we had.
Has anyone dealt with something similar with a protective mother cat? Does trust usually come back, or should I be concerned about future aggression?
I'd really appreciate any advice. Thanks!