Expert: Norman Auspitz - 4/14/2010

Question
My mother cat just turned one today. She gave birth to three kittens on 04/10 and seemed very responsive and happy with them at first. She did not give birth in the box we provided but up inside a chaise lounge chair in our basement. Although the space was tight, I watched the whole thing and she felt safe and secure there for the first two days. I have three other cats. One spayed female, one neutered male and one unnuetered male that is her brother and the father of these kittens. All three of these cats surrounded her birthing spots daily even after many shooing attempts made by me and the entire family. With the mother watching, I moved her kittens from the chair into the birthing box I made for her and placed her inside with them. I brought the box upstairs to my bedroom and placed it on a dresser with blankets on top to make her feel safe. The box was up high from the kids and the other cats could barely get on the dresser because if my strategic placement of photo frames that kept them away from her box.

The mother seemed happy to be near me and liked her box for the first 36 hours and spent much time with the babies, at first. Yesterday morning (day 4 for kittens) she picked one up and moved it to the back of my closet under my hanging shirts. I caught her and scolded her and brought the baby back to the box. Within a half hour she had done it again and it seemed to be the same kitten although I can't be sure. I realized that she must WANT to move her babies because maybe she didn't feel safe on the dresser anymore ( the other cats knew she was up there with those strange things :))so I moved her entire box into the closet where she wanted and she once again seemed content with that. My question is this: she suddenly is spending less time with her babies and starting to lay around the house and hanging with us and her cat friends. Is this normal? Is she trying to throw off the other cats as to where her kittens are by not hanging out in the box often? I work full-time but I did notice she spends more time with us than in her box since yesterday and I have had to bring her to her box three times in the last 15 hours to be sure she is feeding her babies. She does go into the box and attend to them right away but I feel like she doesn't spend enough time with them like she did the first few days of life. What do you think this behavior is for? I have not paid much attention to her kittens because I don't want her to feel anxious. Should I inspect the babies today? What should I look for to be sure they are developing OK and she is getting them enough milk? Although I don't want her moving them again because I touch her babies and box too much I also don't want to see her ignoring her babies and those babies die because I didn't pay attention to the signs.

I believe i gave enough info to help you understand the household and her behavior but if not, please ask me questions. FYI, the other cats hiss at her when she comes around them and they never did that before. I feel they all are mad at her for bringing babies in the house and maybe she is trying to make amends by staying around the house and not in her box. Could this be? As of this typing, her brother did not hiss at her when she walked in the room but he actually walked up to her and sniffed her then licked her head which she seemed to enjoy the affection. I wonder if she is just trying to throw off the other cats and not let them know where or what she is doing. The other cats DO KNOW where the babies are but I have the closet blocked with a baby gate to try and deter them from going in there. One last thing. Although she isn't spending much time in her box with her babies, they also are NOT mewing for her or making much noise. Could they be dehydrated from not getting enough milk and that makes them lethargic?

I sure hope you can help. I feel like a new mother myself with all these concerns. I just don't know what is normal Momma cat behavior and have not been able to find that answers on the internet.

Thanks for your time and attention to my questions!
Heather

Answer
Heather,

It sounds as if mama is being a normal cat mother!  After the first few days, it is perfectly normal for the mama cats to spend a bit less time with the babies. It is also normal for her to move the babies if she feels they are not safe.  It is usually best that other pets and small children not have access to the babies.

If the babies are not squealing when mama is not there, they are usually pretty full and sleeping. Usually, if the kittens get hungry, they will squeal, and mama will come running.

I hope this answers your questions.

Bestregards... Norm.