My friend's cat has four kittens that are 8 weeks old. We live in Florida and with Hurricane Irma coming, she had the option to get a flight to New York and asked if I would take care of the cats while she's gone, especially since I am planning on keeping one of them. Since we have two cats already, my roommate and I were a little worried about the mom cat and our female cat getting along. What we weren't expecting was the mom cat rejecting the kittens too. After only a few minutes she was hissing at them too. I figured it was because they had the scent of the other cats on them so I've been rubbing her with towels and rubbing those onto the cats to get her scent on them and she still will hiss and even try to attack them if they get too close. I've also been switching their locations so she gets used to their scent in her little area, but she only seems to be calm if she's completely isolated from other cats. We've even had to block the door of the bathroom wit blankets or pillows because the kittens try to go under the door and she hisses and screams at them. I've read that some cats will do this to wean off kittens when they get too old, but these kittens are only 2 months old. What do I do to fix this? And after the hurricane passes and they go back to their home, will her relationship with her kittens get better? Please help.
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Help! Mother Cat Is Attacking 2 Month Old Kittens
- Thread starter angiether
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Are they eating solid food yet, like pate and kitten chow?
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I'm sorry for the situation you're in. From what I've seen on the news you're in a pretty rough position. The mother cat normally drives the kittens off soon anyway. It's possible she can sense something is coming too. If you're worried about the kittens not getting the sustinance they need then Kitten Milk Replacement (KMR) is the way to go but feed them as much of the other foods they will eat. DO NOT worry about overfeeding them. You will not make them overwieght at this stage, given their age. With mom, she's probably stressed enough.
I can really appreciate why you'd want kittens to go back to her. If she's showing no interest whatsoever then just put her in a seperate area, feed her give her attention and leave her be. She is very very fearful at the moment she can't comprehend what's happening why she's suddenly without her owner, the stress level is high, other cats to consider. You're in a really stressful situation and animals in your home will be feeling it too.
I can really appreciate why you'd want kittens to go back to her. If she's showing no interest whatsoever then just put her in a seperate area, feed her give her attention and leave her be. She is very very fearful at the moment she can't comprehend what's happening why she's suddenly without her owner, the stress level is high, other cats to consider. You're in a really stressful situation and animals in your home will be feeling it too.
When cats get stressed they often get hissy toward cats, people and even their own kittens. Imagine a stressed out mom saying "get away from me and leave me alone". It happens. Her babies should be old enough to eat cat food so they should be okay, and mom will likely calm down and feel friendlier to her kids in a couple of days. Just give her some time.
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They should be old enough to be on their own and eating hard food by this age. I agree with the other posts here, I don't think it's much to worry about since they are already 2 months. The hurricane could be stressing her out easily as well. Give her some time, and keep them separated for now.
A
angiether
The mom and her kittens need to be in a room separate from the other cat while they stay with you.
Put their food, water, and litter in the room with them. They need no interaction with the other cat right now.
The mom knows her kittens. She is hissing because she is upset in the new environment. She is nervous and unsure of the changes.
Keep them in one room - preferably your bedroom - and keep things calm and quiet. Spend time reassuring mom.
Kittens should stay with their mom for 10-12 weeks.
The mom and her kittens need to be in a room separate from the other cat while they stay with you.
Put their food, water, and litter in the room with them. They need no interaction with the other cat right now.
The mom knows her kittens. She is hissing because she is upset in the new environment. She is nervous and unsure of the changes.
Keep them in one room - preferably your bedroom - and keep things calm and quiet. Spend time reassuring mom.
Kittens should stay with their mom for 10-12 weeks.
