Leave her in the closet. You can put her food and water in there with her if you like, and put the litter box outside the closet. However, it's perfectly normal for her to "step out" to eat or relieve herself or say hello once in awhile, usually while the kittens are sleeping. Or she may prefer to come to the kitchen. My cat lived in the closet for 3 weeks with her kittens, one time not coming downstairs for a solid week, because I put everything she needed in the room. But she laid outside the nest sometimes when they were sleeping. After 3 weeks she moved them all to my bedroom down the hall (she had been in the guest room), and they stayed in my room for a few more weeks. [emoji]128522[/emoji]