Mum and kittens not getting along after desexing

[Lisaannscully]

We took in a young mum and three kittens they were all ferral. We separated the 3 kittens to wean and desex the 8 mounth old mother. A month later we desexed the kittens five months old one female and two males. After 10 days for the female to heal we tried to put the kittens back with the mum and the female kitten and mother had a full on claw fight. Now the two male kittens are really anxious and mum is not accepting kittens into her room. We want them all to get along, kittens are upstairs and mum is downstairs. When I put kittens downstairs the boys are very nervous and cry to go upstairs. Any help appreciated.

 

[gilmargl]

Oh dear! How to put things right now. As I see it, the 10 days separation was far too long. She has no milk for the kittens so is no longer the mother they knew. When we neuter the mama she is put back in the same room with the kittens - first in her transport box - but as soon as she has fully recovered from sedation the door is open and she can either hide in the box or get out to face the kittens. They are usually scared of her at first and keep out of her way. There is some hissing - also between the kittens - but within a few days things are back to normal and, if everything goes well, she will eventually allow them to suckle again.

However, it's too late for that now. I hope the kittens are getting along well with one another. If so, the problem will be to reintroduce the mother to them. I would keep them separated for a while to let things settle down - mother downstairs and the kittens playing upstairs. When everyone is happy, you will have to slowly reintroduce the mother cat to her 3 kittens. Perhaps just by opening doors but allowing each to retreat back to their safe domain. There are plenty of tips on this site to help you.

You will have some time to read about other people's experiences while the cats settle down in their own area. Good luck - you are doing a good job!

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry though for the situation that brought you here. As gilmargl mentioned, keeping everyone separated and re-introducing them is probably the only solution to bringing peace back to your feline family.

Here are some TCS articles with more info. Good luck. Keep us posted.

How To Deal With Non-recognition Aggression In Cats

How To Successfully Introduce Cats: The Ultimate Guide
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction