Queen attacking her kittens!

[caroline]

Hello, I'm looking for advice on how to solve this problem. The queen (her name is Baby), has 4 4-week old kittens. She has been beating them up for a couple of weeks now. (Holding them with her front paws while she bites their faces and necks and kicks with the back paws. Sometimes they just try to get away, other times they squeal, so I stop her from attacking them when I catch her.)

Sometimes she'll get ready to pounce on them, or walk by and just grab one, so it's not just a case of her trying to hold them still to clean them.

Anyway, I thought it might be because I was paying too much attention to them, given that she is the dominant cat. So for the past few days, I've been spoiling her and petting her more than the kittens, but it doesn't seem to stop the behaviour much.

For example, last night the kittens started to climb up my legs (aww!), and I decided to introduce them to toys to keep them from learning bad habits. So, I grabbed a feather and played with them for a minute or two. Immediately after, Baby grabbed one of them and starting attacking him very viciously. For the first time, he was able to swipe back at her. That pissed her off A LOT and she really started into him, so I snatched him away and hissed in her face. After that, she went over and started to play with the same toy, which has been in the house since she got here (5 weeks ago, I'm fostering her), and which she totally rejected on all other occasions! But, now that she's in her jelous rage, the toy is all of a sudden appealing!

So I don't know what to do! I want her to stop this behaviour because I worry about the kittens being injured, or growing up timid.

Please let me know if you've found any solutions!

 

[maverick_kitten]

Mav acted much the same way to Jupiter when he got to 4 weeks.

For one things, kittens can be annoying to mother cat at that age! they can walk around, get into mischeif etc. So she could just be disciplining them or reminding them that she is the top cat and they need to pay attention to her and mind their manners!

Another thing is she's training them about life. She's teaching them how to pounce, hunt, fight and attack. She is teaching them about cat body language and social graces.

Unless she is picking on one kitten in particular or drawing blood, I would leave her too it.

 

[familytimerags]

I also have seen this, and hopefully I am right in thinking also, that she is disiplining them.

 

[taterbug]

Originally Posted by maverick_kitten

Mav acted much the same way to Jupiter when he got to 4 weeks.

For one things, kittens can be annoying to mother cat at that age! they can walk around, get into mischeif etc. So she could just be disciplining them or reminding them that she is the top cat and they need to pay attention to her and mind their manners!

Another thing is she's training them about life. She's teaching them how to pounce, hunt, fight and attack. She is teaching them about cat body language and social graces.

Unless she is picking on one kitten in particular or drawing blood, I would leave her too it.

I agree. She is teaching them how to take care of themselves! The babies will make lots of noise and you'll think she's killing them...but you will never find a mark on them.

 

[gizzysgrandma]

It reminds me of that old saying.... "I brought you into this world and I can sure as hell take you out!!"

heheh

 

[silvermoonmyst]

that would freak me out too!!

 

[momof3rugratz]

it is scary to see but I think mom is just disciplining them I could be wrong.

 

[jen]

It also sounds like she is diciplining them. If she really wanted to hurt them they would be dead by now.

 

[momof3rugratz]

I take it so far she has not drawn blood.

 

[beckiboo]

I have never seen a queen biting tiny kittens or kicking them with her hind legs. If by biting you mean grooming, and nibbling into their fur for a real or imagined flea, that is normal behavior. Or even lashing out to discipline. But just attacking babies sounds like bad behavior to me.

I had one foster Mom who would "hunt" her babies as they got older. By about 5-6 weeks, she would hunker down, tail twitching, and then POUNCE on a kitten! But once she caught them, she would just give them a good bath. The babies knew she did it, too, and as they got older they tried to get away from her!

I would try observing more and interfering less...if she is just rough with them, it is probably ok. But if they are being hurt, I would take them from her at 4 weeks, and bottle feed them. Send her to get spayed, and she may come back very nice. (Some cats have ovarian cysts...causing them to be in continual heat, and continual nastiness...maybe she has that?!?)

 

[caroline]

She is being fairly rough with them. Sometimes she isn't so bad with them - her kicks are half-hearted and I don't think her claws are out. Those, I don't stop. But the bitting is hard. I put my hand between her and the kitten a few times, and when she gets my hand instead, it hurts me (although it doesn't break my skin either.)

I've tried leaving her be. The kittens are starting to be able to defend themselves now, and sometimes they go for her eyes when she starts into them, so maybe she'll calm down a bit if she realizes there are consequences!

Also, I don't understand how she is disciplining them. It's not like they're doing anything to her when she does this. They can be walking by her, or even minding their own business, and she'll dive in to attack them!

So far, no serious injury, so I don't think I'll spay her until she's done nursing.

 

[maverick_kitten]

She is teaching them to be aware and how to counter attack.

Maverick threw Jupiter down the stairs when he was 4 weeks old! I rang the emergency vet and he just told me what I said before and that if she really wanted to hurt him she would have done it within the first three days.

The vet told me that the rough play is just preparing them for life.

If I was you I'd ring my vet for a chat just to put your mind at rest. after all, these are just our opinions, your vet will have a clearer idea.

 

[solaritybengals]

I took care of a mom and 3 kittens last summer. I saw this behavior as well at around 4-5 weeks old and upward. I was really concerned at first because one of the babies (my Hope) was deformed and I thought she might be trying to end her life. But not the case. It was disciplining and can also be to encourage trying other food as they might start getting nippy with their milk!

But it was the same, bunny feet action, grabbing the head behavior.

 

[homewordbound12]

i have the same problem but my kittens are only three days old and on top of biting and kicking them she shakes them and throws them. i stop her when she gets most violent. she takes care of them aside from that. is it to young for her to be disciplining them. three days old very quiet little ones they usually sleep most of the day and when they are moving around they are with me while momma sun bathes.