How to introduce momma and 3 kittens back into the rest of the home

[raygie63]

So we rescued an 18 month old female Fuzz whom we were told was spayed but after living with us for approx 6-7 weeks, she gave birth to 3 kittens. We already have an 8 year old female cat named Belle in the house and before the births the two hadn't really gotten along all that well, mostly hissing and meowing and chasing but nothing more. So after the births we moved them to a spare room to separate them so mom and babies could be in a safe place. We're just over 3 weeks in and the kittens are growing so much (this is all new to us) and it's a thrill to see, all while our older cat seems to be getting lonely again, which is one of the reasons we rescued momma. In any case we (my wife, son and I) are all new to this and while we are learning as we go with the help from our vet, we were wondering how to take the next step once momma and kittens are ready to leave the nest and integrate back into the home. How and when should we do this? I realize it'll probably be after the kittens are weaned, and any advice would be greatly appreciated. I probably should mention that Fuzz was initially skittish when coming into our home, hiding from us and only a week or so before giving birth (we had no idea she was pregnant btw, thought she was eating good and never got really big) was getting more friendly and allowing us to pet her and play with her. She's a mush now with her babies but we are afraid how it'll go when we reintroduce them to Belle. Also good to know that Belle is a lap cat who loves to lick you and is normally pretty chill but when Fuzz came in she was the one that instigates the chases. Sorry for the long-winded post and thanks for any responses.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome!!

I realize it'll probably be after the kittens are weaned, and any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You are correct, it's safer for the kittens then, and even then you'll want to keep an eye on them as well as Belle
Try cat music when that's going on, it may help both adult cats - there's spotify, youtube, RelaxMyCat and MusicForCats that are good sources you can look at.

These articles aren't lengthy but have good information and tips that you may find useful.

How Old Is My Kitten? [An Illustrated Guide] ...kitten development stages

How Old Do Kittens Have To Be To Leave Their Mother?

How To Train Kittens To Use The Litter Box

Weaning: How To Get Your Kittens To Eat On Their Own

Kitten Proofing Your Home: 13 Practical Tips

“kittens To Good Homes” – How To Find A Good Forever Home For Your Kittens

How To Introduce A Kitten To An Older Cat

Why You Should Spay And Neuter Your Cats

 

[raygie63]

Thank you so much! This is very helpful and much appreciated.

 

[susanm9006]

If the kittens are only three or so weeks old I would definitely wait at least another month before considering reintroducing mom to the other cats. When the babies are so young you don’t want to do anything that could potentially disturb mom or affect nursing in any way. I would wait until they are starting to eat some solids before starting to reintroduce mom.

 

[raygie63]

If the kittens are only three or so weeks old I would definitely wait at least another month before considering reintroducing mom to the other cats. When the babies are so young you don’t want to do anything that could potentially disturb mom or affect nursing in any way. I would wait until they are starting to eat some solids before starting to reintroduce mom.

Thanks for the advice. We were definitely planning on waiting until they were about 8 weeks or so before considering this.

 

[vyger]

Every situation is different it seams and I have learned to watch and see what happens. One of the big factors is the personalities of the cats involved.
So here is my experience from this year. A feral mom had kittens under my house and moved them into my air lock entry way when she had trouble feeding them. There were six of them. So she brought them to me for help and put them in a basket close to the door. Keep in mind, everything is frozen outside, I live in Montana which in some ways is an extension of Canada. She had never allowed me to touch her prior to this. The kittens were afraid at first until I opened a can of food and they got their first meal. Within a week they were swarming me and the whole being afraid thing was in the past. I noticed that these kittens almost never did the fighting and hissing over food that I have seen so many others do. They just all piled in and peacefully ate including the mom. In fact it was more than a month before one little despot decided to put his paw down and stake a claim. I noticed because there was one in the middle of the plate and the other 5 around him in a circle watching. I picked him up and the others all moved in. But anyway, very mellow cats. After several weeks of all the petting and attention the mom finally, after 2 years, decided it might be alright and started rubbing against my hand. OK, fast forward a few months and several of the kittens decided to come in and explore the house. I have 5 other cats inside. At first it was just a little inside the door and then longer forays and then the entire day. They took over the cat tree next to the door, took over the litterbox and moved on to the food dishes. But what about my other cats? Well the kittens mostly just ignored them. When confronted they just backed away. A few hissing contests with the kittens retreating to the tree and it was all over. The kittens in general have respect for the bigger older cats and the older cats have given up trying to fight their persistence with things like food. So everybody gets along and all I did was monitor for problems. Now the mom cat has been coming inside the house and her kittens, after learning the ropes, have taken her around and showed her things like where the water and food are. So I have lost my house to the cats and now play a secondary role of something warm to sit on.