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Expert: Dear Tabbi - 2/28/2009


Question
My husband just came home from work and found that our mommy cat had had her babies. We are not sure where she gave birth but he had taken them to the litter box! My husband took them out and made a nice warm bed for her and her kittens but she keeps putting them back in the litter box when we leave the room. Any reason why she would be doing this to them?
We do have a male cat a month older but he doesn't show any interest in the kittens at all. We try to leave the door shut but the mommy cat howls at the door and wont stop scratching at the door.

Answer
Rochelle,

It is a first time mother? They do some bizarre things! But that is where she wants them and where she feels they are safest. To move them when she moves the back will only stress her out and may affect her milk production. She should move them soon on her own. If the kittens are being nursed and not crying, I would suggest taking the litter out of the litterbox and letting her stay there. Get a second litterbox to use and put it in a different area.

Note: a female can get go into heat and get pregnant 48 hours to two weeks after giving birth so be careful if your male cat is a tom!

Tabbi

Cat Training and Behavior (Domestic and Feral)

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Dear Tabbi

Expertise

My expertise is in helping people understand their cat (or cats) and their behavior. Questions are welcome even if you don't have a cat....just a question about them. Hopefully my experience, suggestions, and comments will be of help to you...and your cat (or cats). Looking through my past responses to questions will give you additional information and/or answers too. Domestic Cats = cats (no matter what breed) who are tame or not wild, or abandoned cats who were pets that became wild, but can be tamed again. Ferals = cats who are born with one or more parents who were wild stray cats. They usually have had no interactions with people. They have an inbred distrust of humans and are difficult to socialize. They are skittish, hide, and are afraid of people. They take a lot of time and patience to work with them. A lot of kittens from shelters had a feral parent.

Experience

Since I was a child, over 45 years, I have been owned by a LOT of cats and kittens of almost every temperament, behavior, and personality. I have had experience with neurotic, disabled (including blind), stray, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats and research has taught me. I also have experience in feral cat behavior (which is different from domestic cats), and some experience with feral colonies that includes colony feeding and feral cat TNR (trap/neuter/release).

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