I have a queen who just gave birth to 5 kittens 3 days ago and since yesterday she has tried to move her nest. I believe its because my dog entered the room and went to lay on the bed only inches from where her kittens were. But the problem is she is trying to move the kittens to behind the couch which is not a safe place. The space is so tight that she would not be able to lay down and nurse as well as the fact that the lip of the couch is too low to the ground for her to go under but not too low for the kittens to go under so if one of them moved under there(which is highly likely especially when they start moving more) she would not be able to grab them to get them out from under there. She moved two of her kittens there while I was sleeping and had a third in her mouth when my husband caught her and woke me up. We closed the door before she could go out again and then went and retrieved the kittens. We brought both back up and put them back in nest and then allowed her to leave the room(with no kitten) so she could see that her babies werent still down there and that we had brought them up. Since then she has grabbed a baby and walked to the door and stood there making noises for a few mins before bringing baby back to nest. I want her to feel comfortable but I dont know what to do. She cant move her babies there and the room that she is in is the "safest" place for her and the kittens.
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Mama Moving Nest To Unsafe Location
- Thread starter Adill
- Start Date
Where in this safe room is mama with her babies? Is she under the bed?
She clearly does not “feel safe” even though she is.
Can you let her nest in the closet? Cats love dark closets with the door cracked.
If not, give her a big box with a hole cut for a door so that she feels like she and her babies are in a cave.
Her protective instincts are in high gear right now. It’s also not unusual for a new mama cat to want to move her babies after the first few days.
She clearly does not “feel safe” even though she is.
Can you let her nest in the closet? Cats love dark closets with the door cracked.
If not, give her a big box with a hole cut for a door so that she feels like she and her babies are in a cave.
Her protective instincts are in high gear right now. It’s also not unusual for a new mama cat to want to move her babies after the first few days.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
She gave birth right next to the bed and thats where she stayed for the following days. I left the closet door ajar for her since its a large walk in closet thats where she had her previous litter last year and she never moved her nest once last time. Im going to try and make a cave like nest for her thats good advice. She got up on the bed with me and layed in between my legs under the covers like she always does and then her kittens started making noises so one by one she brought them up on the bed and put them in between my legs under the covers.... And theyve been here for around 20 mins now...
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It’s sweet that mom trusts you so much!
Are you able to keep her inside and away from intact males until this litter has weaned? She can get pregnant again at any time now.
Are you able to keep her inside and away from intact males until this litter has weaned? She can get pregnant again at any time now.
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- #5
Yes she is an indoor cat. She was pregnant when we got her a year ago which is why she had the first litter. And with this litter the father is another kitten we had adopted 8 months ago now. We unfortunately just got him neutered a little too late.
Do you plan to spay mom after this litter weans in a few weeks?
Also, let us know how the new nest works out.
Also, let us know how the new nest works out.
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How long ago was your male neutered?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Yes she will be spayed in a few months when the kittens are older. She actually had an appoitment to get spayed the same day the male was to be neutered but 2 weeks before the appoitment we heard a noise and saw the male on our female. We hadn't known she was even in heat. So we decided to not spay her just in case she was pregnant but the male was neutered on schedule.Do you plan to spay mom after this litter weans in a few weeks?
Also, let us know how the new nest works out.
I set up a small cave like fort structure in the same room that shes been in. I used the towels and blankets from her old nest to make it and its small but large enough for her to move around in and provides the overhead coverage that I think she was needing. She went in it but she hasnt moved kittens off bed yet...
I don't mind the kittens being on the bed even if it means the husband and I will be on the couch
... Im only concerned bc she has them directly under the blanket and she cant really move that well under it without me being there holding it up with my legs. And when ive tried to move the blanket she grabs the babies and pulls them back under the blanket. Also the fact that its a raised bed is concerning since one of the kittens can crawl right off the side and get hurt. I dont know how to make her move the babies to the fort though or if I even should.- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
He was neutered on February 7th.
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- #10
I removed the blanket from the bed to give her incentive to go to the kitty fort but she just grabbed a baby and tried to "burrow" under my knee and put the baby in between my legs on the bed again even without a blanket being there.
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- #11
Go ahead and move the kittens into the new nest you made. It’s not safe for the kittens on the bed, especially not under the covers. They can get twisted up in the sheets and suffocate. 
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
I didnt want to move the babies just in case she went and moved them back especially since she had to jump up and down from the bed with their necks in her mouth. But I removed the blanket from the bed so she couldnt keep burrowing the babies under there and then I put her in the kitty fort so she could check it out. And she finally moved her kittens in there!!! So thank you everyone for your help and thank you Sarthur2 for suggesting I make a little cave for her that was a really good idea!
Yay! I hope mama and kitties stay there now for awhile, and you can have your bed back.
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