Expert: Ali - 3/29/2009

Question
my cat gave birth to 3 kittens on 3/18/09 and at first she was ok now i can't even get to close i have a hard time giving her food she scrathes me and growls and hesses.i am only tring to take care of her she's always been a little odd anyways i have had her for about 8 years.what can i do to get her to trust me i did't do any thing to her but take care of her and the babies

Answer
Linda,

I can't tell you for sure what's going on with this cat. It's probably a good idea to have her and the kittens assessed by a vet to confirm that there aren't any health issues which could be causing the aggression. I would recommend that you choose the services of a holistic veterinarian if at all possible, holistic vets are trained in conventional medicine as well as one or more alternative therapies which may include homeopathy, acupuncture or massage to name a few. In my experience cats respond quite well to homeopathic remedies and they have the advantage of being completely safe for mom and the kittens while they are nursing. It's very important that you handle the kittens for their social development, unsocialized kittens are far less likely to be placed in permanent adoptive homes with the majority of people. Your vet may have to refer you to a behaviorist specializing in cat behavior since this is quite a severe case of aggression. Since you've provided minimal information about your cat's health history and general temperament I'm afraid that I can't make any further recommendations. I would certainly be willing to try and help you if you are able to pass on information about your cat's general medical and behavioral history. There is the possibility that mom believes she's protecting her kittens although having the cat show aggression to someone who has provided her necessities and taken care of her for 8 years would be odd to say the least.

In view of the extremely serious pet overpopulation problem worldwide spaying and neutering pets is a responsible and ethical choice. Unfortunately many healthy, adoptable cats and kittens are euthanized in shelters worldwide simply because there aren't enough resources, money or space to keep these cats until their permanent adoptive home can be found. Spaying and neutering saves lives and has behavioral and medical benefits. It's quite possible that mom's aggression will end when you have her spayed. Unfortunately cats that haven't been sterilized will tend to become more aggressive, territorial and have more behavioral issues. You can spay mom once she's no longer nursing her kittens and in this situation it may be in the kittens' best interests to separate them from their mom a bit earlier than I normally recommend - around 8 weeks of age would be okay. If hormones are the issue it should take a few weeks for the hormone levels to drop after surgery and you should see a marked improvement in your cat's behavior. There are good medical reasons to spay a cat as well. Spaying the cat helps to reduce the risk of breast cancer although the earlier that you have the surgery done in the cat's life the more effective it is in helping to prevent serious health complications. Spaying a female cat also prevents uterine, ovarian cancers and a potentially fatal womb infection called pyometra, this infection causes the womb to fill with pus, if it bursts and spreads infection throughout the abdomen the cat's chances of survival are minimal at best. Pyometra is more common in older cats so I wouldn't suggest waiting for too long before you have mom spayed. If finances are an issue when it comes to having your cat spayed I might be able to provide you with some information about organizations in your area that will help with or completely cover the cost of surgery. I keep an entire binder devoted to resources for pet parents who need a bit of financial help with vet care now and then so it's not practical for me to list the entire contents of the binder each time someone might need help. If you would like to pass along the state that you are writing from I can provide you with a list of resources in your state.