Mother attacking her kittens

[saraht]

Hi, 

So I have a less than a year old cat who had a litter of 4 kittens about a month ago. She has been the ideal mother, nursing when they need, it, cleaning them, playing with them, all that jazz. However, yesterday she started behaving oddly. The kittens would venture outside of their  "nest" room and play around. The mother would sit and watch them, and occasionally mew at them. They have just gotten the hang of running and every now and then they do a little burst of speed around the room. When they get too close to the mother she would kind of put them in a head lock with her paws, clamp her jaws around their necks and rake them with her back claws. I pull her away from them when this happens. Sometimes she would go out of her way to attack them across the room.

I don't understand. The kittens always have this look of terror on their face afterwards. Is this normal behavior? She doesn't do it when they are in the "nest", or when they are next to me. I love my mommy cat and I don't think she's trying to hurt them but sometimes they cry out and one time she grabbed a kitten by the foot with her mouth and dragged it towards her and inch, while the kitten cried. I seperated the mother from then kittens for a time, but she would cry and try to dig her way under the door. I don't know what to do! I get all motherly and try to keep them near me when they go exploring. 

What should I do? Is this normal??

Please help,

Sarah 

 

[mogfoster]

I recall this same behaviour when I first did this last year.  The cat wasn't a first time mother, but was probably only about 18months old at most when they were born.  Considering that cats fit into what amounts to a matter of a few weeks what we humans fit into around 20 years, the adjustment from totally dependant baby to exploring 'child' is a pretty sharp one, and I think for a moment her head just grabs the wrong instinct - small mobile creature, attack!  But it didn't last long, and none suffered any damage from her.

 

[Willowy]

She's teaching them how to be cats. It's part of hunting training, and how not to be a pain :lol3:. This teaches them important stuff like bite inhibition. Unless they start getting injured, it is normal.

Make sure to keep them with their mother and littermates for 10-12 weeks, or they'll miss out on many vital cat lessons!

 

[saraht]

MogFoster: 

I'm glad to hear that this has happened with other cats. I hope mommy realizes its her child soon, but I understand that it is not dangerous. 

Thanks for everything!

Sarah 

Willowy:

This thought came to mind when I first saw it happening, but I got worried as it kept happening, so I just wanted to make sure there was not serious danger involved. 10-12 weeks, will do!

Thank you for replying to so many of my posts,

Sarah  

 

[StefanZ]

I myself dont think this here is hunt training as yet, but a overdone teaching of being careful.  Mom is stressed by them leaving the nest and now being movable, out of her close control.  In the wild they would be very vulnerable now, as they dont have any defence as yet...  the mom feels they are safe only when in nest.

So she does her outmost to have them as near as possible, and under her control as far as possible.

She overdoes it somewhat, but the behaviour is not unusual, and part of cats ways.

Its like human moms whom subdues her children, not because she is cruel or bad mom, but to be sure the children will obey her instantly if a real dangerous situation happens.

So I dont think you shall isolate them from mom, or similiar, but try an overall strategy of keeping mom not stresed and happy, so she feels contend, secure and safe.

Good luck!

 

[mogfoster]

I see what you mean, Stefan.  Last year's kittens did not leave the room they were in until their mother allowed it, when they were over 6 weeks.  Yet the door was always open to allow mother access to the room with her food and litter tray (she made it clear she didn't want them in the same room as her babies once they were a few days old!).  They were a very obedient little bunch, I only saw one explore, and she instantly brought him back.

 

[saraht]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your replies. I have a bit more info if it helps.

I have never seen the mother pick the kittens up by their scruff to bring them back to the room. Either she is too small, or they are too old. Whenever they move she kind of desperately meow at them trying to get them back to the nest.

However, she has been trying to get them to go outside  (not just outside the nest, but outside the house. We have a brick area just outside the house gated off where mom and my other cat hang). Is this a problem? I'm thinking that she's trying to get them exposed to the open air and dirt and things for their immune system.

I'm telling you this because I'm confused. She gets stressed when they go 5 feet or more outside the nest, and yet she tries to call them outside!! 

The kittens have been outside 3 times now. They have to get past some stairs which they have conquered, and then they get to the sunny bricks, but if its in the morning they hurt their paws and kinda freak out so I bring them back in. They came out when it was cooler later in the day again and they had a good time except that there was a little bit of hissing from my other older cat, but she left them alone and watched from a far. 

When they're outside mommy is totally chill. ...? I bring them in after like 40 mins or less (I'm bad with time, so I'm just approximating here.), and she tries to bring them out again. She calls them down the hallway but I do not open the door because I am either too busy to supervise them, or it's too hot out. I usually just end up locking them back up in their nest. 

What is she doing? Am I doing the right thing? 

Please let me know,

Sarah 

 

[roxymomma]

Is it possible that she's trying to move dens and you're interfering with the process? I know that when Roxy gets fed up with me messing with the kittens (which there are eight of - it takes me a long time to get everyone marked, measured, and back in the box) she starts grabbing them by the scruff and bringing them back to her box. Lately she has been scouting other areas, jumping into new boxes and scratching around in them. I caught her trying to move a kitten while I was in the middle of measuring another one. It's why Roxy has been confined to a kennel the whole time after we bust her and put her back in the kennel with her kids and leave her alone for a while after each measurement session... she freaks out when the kittens are out of her box, then she calms down when they're in her box, and when she's pushing them toward her newly scouted areas.

If that's the case maybe confining her to the room that you guys are continually putting the kittens back in would be best, or keeping the doors/windows closed at all times?

I have no other ideas though.. just offering a little insight to what I've seen. Since they both seem a tad similar.

 

[StefanZ]

I agree, part of the behavior here is she wants to move her nest outside, but by some reason, dont manage to carry them in her mouths.

May it be she feels unsafe in your house by any reason?  Perhaps the bedding not changes often enough and she consider it is too smelly now?

I agree, dont take risks they would come outside your nearest property and become wild. Keep them inside, unless your patio is quaranteened inclosed.

Good luck!

 

[saraht]

RoxyMomma,

Interesting. Thank you for your insight! 

Sarah 

 

[saraht]

StefanZ,

Hmm, maybe. I will change out the bedding and see if that makes a difference. No, the area is not completely secure and is open to predators and other cats.

Thanks!

Sarah 

 

[saraht]

Just thought I'd let you guys know how it has been going -

So its been about a week and every time I saw mommy cat harassing a kitten I would hiss right in her face it took a while but eventually mommy got the message -- the amount of attacks has been reduced by a lot. I've taken on a new perspective of what mommy was actually doing. I think that she wasn't trying to hurt her kittens at all, but she was just looking for a play mate -- I mean, she watches them play with each other all day, so she wanted to play too! I have another cat but she isn't really the play around type, so I can understand mommy cat being bored. I don't think the kittens were old enough to handle her rough play yet, which resulted in their screaming. Now she has calmed down a bit and plays with them a bit more delicately and now they can take it! 

I came to this conclusion because I would watch the kittens play the classic "stick hand under door" game, you know, they would stick their paw under the door and another kitten would paw at it -- they get great amusement from this -- anyway, mommy cat would join in on the fun (it was hilarious, it looked like a human mom trying to be cool), and all was going well until she would go around the door and try to keep playing in her rough way. Of course this is where the hissing by me would come in. 

Thanks for all the help everyone!

Sarah 

 

[sallyann]

Hello. My Mommy Calico is doing the same. My husband says she borders on child abuse. I trust mommy knows best, or at least I'm hoping. She is very sweet other wise. Question my Calico was a rescued kitten. What breed was her Mommy?

 

[monamelissa]

This exact sinerio has just happened with my momma cat. She came to us as a stray very young, less than a year old. had 4 kittens, has been an ideal mom. She did attack a few other animals in the house which was very aggressive and difficult to break up because she was all puffed up and enraged. I have had her seperated from all other animals in the house ever scince. the kittens are now 10 weeks old and she has a very large area taking up three rooms which they have as there own and have had scince the kittens were born. I had her spayed a few weeks ago when the kittens were weened and put her back i with the kittens after a few days to let her heal. Everything for two weeks has been fine until a few days agao I too noticed that she was getting a bit agressive with the kittens and they have screamed out. Well today was a very agressive attack on one of the kittens. I heard her screams and came running to find the kitten pinned underneath Momma cat who was enraged and bitting her own kitten. The mom cat was again all puffed up and ready to attack anything that came near her. I now have her seperated from her babies and I am trying to figure out what to do with her. I cant have a cat in the house that attacks the other pets or her own babies. what can I do? is this normal? Is she dangerous with maybe a screw loose? What happened in your situation?

 

[StefanZ]

 
This exact sinerio has just happened with my momma cat. She came to us as a stray very young, less than a year old. had 4 kittens, has been an ideal mom. She did attack a few other animals in the house which was very aggressive and difficult to break up because she was all puffed up and enraged. I have had her seperated from all other animals in the house ever scince. the kittens are now 10 weeks old and she has a very large area taking up three rooms which they have as there own and have had scince the kittens were born. I had her spayed a few weeks ago when the kittens were weened and put her back i with the kittens after a few days to let her heal. Everything for two weeks has been fine until a few days agao I too noticed that she was getting a bit agressive with the kittens and they have screamed out. Well today was a very agressive attack on one of the kittens. I heard her screams and came running to find the kitten pinned underneath Momma cat who was enraged and bitting her own kitten. The mom cat was again all puffed up and ready to attack anything that came near her. I now have her seperated from her babies and I am trying to figure out what to do with her. I cant have a cat in the house that attacks the other pets or her own babies. what can I do? is this normal? Is she dangerous with maybe a screw loose? What happened in your situation?

Whatever it was, she surely didnt bitting it for real - the kitten would have deep wounds in that case.

So, it may have been rough play, it may have been some dominance demonstration, her deciding her kittens arent small children any longer, and they are beginning to stand up and make themselves big too much.

Or it may be the beginning of the ejection process, when she want them to leave.  Or you sell them to their forever homes.

If you are unsure what is happening, its prob wise to separate them in such situations - but it looked almost surely worse than it was.  Whatever it was.

Good luck!

 

[jen]

Hello. My Mommy Calico is doing the same. My husband says she borders on child abuse. I trust mommy knows best, or at least I'm hoping. She is very sweet other wise. Question my Calico was a rescued kitten. What breed was her Mommy?

Calico is just a color not a breed. There is no way to know what breed the Calico or her mommy were. They are just domestic short/medium/long hair.

 

[katelyn blais]

well all you do is put the kitten next to the mom and let her take the kitten cause if you don't the mom cat won't be protective towards them. It happened to me and they bonded again.

 

[kaylee04]

Well this started one month ago. Every time the kittens come to get food the momma attackes!I take the kittens up to my room so they will not be hurt again.

 

[briemodeee]

I myself just witnessed this tonight, my cat being new to the whole being a mother is different for her.

We had her kept in my room where she chose to give birth to them, probably most comfortable.

She just had 4 kitten, they're 3 days old but tonight at 2:00am she was acting weird, pacing around, meowing like crazy and grabbing her kittens by the head, back, tail and leg!

Me, my mum and brother tried stopping her going to the nest where her kittens tried to sleep but she kept grabbing them in the wrong spot in which the kittens cried.
She dragged one of them across the hall to my mums room and I then told my family maybe she wants to nest somewhere else?

So I put all the kittens back in their box and carried them in my mums room to where there is a desk which dimly lit and I followed the mummy cat to where she wanted to next them, she calmed down and settled in her box with her kittens.

All she wanted was to change spots ^^;

 

[handsome kitty]

She may not have figured out how to pick them up yet.  Smart of you to figure out she wanted to move them and help her.