- Joined
- Feb 23, 2015
- Messages
- 7
- Purraise
- 3
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Can't find anything online for a problem quite like mine. Just a week ago I took in a very pregnant cat from a family that could not care for her anymore. They told me that she was around 2 years old and that this was her first pregnancy. We named her Olive. I took her home and she and I clicked right away. She hops up on her hind legs to rub her face on me. Just last night she gave birth to 3 kittens. I set up a nest in my room and she chose to give birth there. She really wanted me around during the birth. When big contractions came she would call me over and left the nest to find me if I was too far away. I gave her belly rubs in between kittens which she seemed to enjoy very much. She is a first-time mother, so I could understand that she would be insecure and would welcome some support.
This morning, she is taking great care of the kittens, leaving to eat only for less than a minute before going back to the nest. She likes me being by the nest and rolls over for belly massages. She lets me handle the kittens without a bit of aggression. The problem is whenever I try to leave. Once I start to walk away from the nest towards the door, she darts out and bites my leg. She usually only bites it once, hard, and then purrs loudly looking for attention. I had another foster cat who would do a similar thing to her kittens if they wandered too far. What she is doing to me seems much like that. She doesn't seem aggressive, really, just like she is disciplining me. I can tell that she is probably feeling very nervous as a first-time mom. But whenever I take a step away, she lashes out. I put a shirt I was wearing in the nest and that seemed to have calmed her a bit, but she still rushes me as I head towards the door. As much as I would like to sit and watch newborn kittens all day long, it's not exactly practical.
Are there some things I can do to make her feel more secure? Are there any therapies that are safe to use on a nursing cat to help her chill out?
This morning, she is taking great care of the kittens, leaving to eat only for less than a minute before going back to the nest. She likes me being by the nest and rolls over for belly massages. She lets me handle the kittens without a bit of aggression. The problem is whenever I try to leave. Once I start to walk away from the nest towards the door, she darts out and bites my leg. She usually only bites it once, hard, and then purrs loudly looking for attention. I had another foster cat who would do a similar thing to her kittens if they wandered too far. What she is doing to me seems much like that. She doesn't seem aggressive, really, just like she is disciplining me. I can tell that she is probably feeling very nervous as a first-time mom. But whenever I take a step away, she lashes out. I put a shirt I was wearing in the nest and that seemed to have calmed her a bit, but she still rushes me as I head towards the door. As much as I would like to sit and watch newborn kittens all day long, it's not exactly practical.
Are there some things I can do to make her feel more secure? Are there any therapies that are safe to use on a nursing cat to help her chill out?