Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hi! So I am fostering a momma who gave birth 6 days ago. Cuuuuuute! The momma's humans had to leave the country for 2 weeks and mom and her 4 babies are at my house. My original plan was to keep them in one room, but momma seemed unhappy with this arrangement and was determined to roam (the kittens can't move much so I figured I'd try it her way since I know they themselves can't leave the room). Momma scared the bejeezus out of me by moving a kitten onto the couch in the living room where my friend and I were. When my friend and I left the room, mom followed us, leaving the baby on the couch! We carried the baby back to the nest.

   All was ok until when mom was hanging out in my broken drawer (that does not close- thanks, IKEA) in my bedroom, like an idiot I picked up one of the kits (I know I should have waited until mom knew me better, but she had been ok with us petting them when she was supervising). When the kitten cried, mom came running, and she took the kitten to the drawer!

   Fast forward several hours and after me moving the kitten back and dealing with an unhappy mom cooped up in the original room, mom seems determined to make that broken drawer her new nest. She got back to it before I could block it up, and chose that even though I cleared out a closet for her with a nice blanket as another option. Stubborn thing!

   So now she seems to slowly be moving the kittens there, leaving some alone for periods of time. She even comes and hangs out with me, kittenless at some points. As I write this, mom is with me, some kittens are in the drawer, and some are in the original nest. Should I just chill and trust mom's instinct and that she will handle things well and keep the babies safe in the rather unsafe drawer? There is a space I am worried they may fall into, but I hope if that happens mom can get them out.

   Sorry for the long post! I promise if things turn out ok I will attempt to upload pics, but I'm scared to jinx things just yet!

   Posted 2 years ago by pucca #

2. 

   Lol, hmmm cats do have their own minds and ways of thinking about things. Just trust her instinct(s) and let her mother and you watch, don't interfere except to let the babies get used to your scent and touch. She will continue to move them if you try to move them elsewhere, or so I believe. Others should be on hopefully that have much more experience than I with moms and babies.

   Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #

3. 

   Hmmmm. Is there any way you can make the drawer safe by packing it with towels or something? Better safe than sorry where these babies are concerned. I would also move the rest of the kittens in there if you think that is the best place for them all to be. Kittens that young need to be all together and close to mum, or they may get cold/not get enough food.

   By the same token, I don't suppose you could get hold of a nice big cage to keep mum and kittens all together in for a while. Mums do like to have some attention for themselves and time to do a bit of roaming but if you had a cage, you could limit her 'me-time' periods. I'm just a bit worried if she's leaving the kittens alone for substantial periods -- at this stage, it's really best if she's with them most of the time. Also, I'm a bit worried from the safety angle, if she's going to be taking kittens and stashing them in various places around the house. At that age, the kittens can't move and can't see -- they're very vulnerable if she suddenly drops them in a place they shouldn't be (eg on the couch again, or in a laundry basket of washing or anywhere you're not expecting).

   I would definitely try to keep them all together in one room. Also, I think the problem is not improved by your handling them quite so much. Mum seems a bit agitated about it. When you (and she) have finally chosen the nest, I would suggest leaving them alone in there to mum's care at least until they can get around under their own steam. I agree with Deb, let her mother and you watch.

   Posted 2 years ago by jcat #

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