Moving her kittens, help..

eboneysmomma

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Ebony's kittens are almost 2 weeks old now all their eyes have opened.

My question is she is moving them out of the box.. I put them back she moves them again, why? Does she not like the box anymore, or did something scare her out of the box, she doesn't feel safe there?, maybe the box is to small now, or is this just a normal behavior?

My concern with her moving them is that she is in our extra bathroom and she is insisting that they all be behind the toilet... The toilet sweats out cold water, I just don't know if this is safe for the kittens, I don't want them to be cold or wet or possibly get sick, help please..

TY.
 

gayef

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If you haven't already, try removing the bedding from the box and replacing it with clean, fresh bedding. It could be that the odor from the box is what is upsetting to Ebony. In the wild, queens move their kittens frequently to avoid predators. Smell is a strong motivator. Additionally, if the box is located too close to the food dish or litter box, that could also be the problem.

It is interesting to me that she prefers the back of the toilet. I would guess that she likes that spot due to the difficulty it would present for someone to go back there and fish the kittens out. Maybe try covering the box with a blanket or towel ... as it seems she wants the privacy.
 

cc12

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Originally Posted by gayef

If you haven't already, try removing the bedding from the box and replacing it with clean, fresh bedding. It could be that the odor from the box is what is upsetting to Ebony. In the wild, queens move their kittens frequently to avoid predators. Smell is a strong motivator. Additionally, if the box is located too close to the food dish or litter box, that could also be the problem.

It is interesting to me that she prefers the back of the toilet. I would guess that she likes that spot due to the difficulty it would present for someone to go back there and fish the kittens out. Maybe try covering the box with a blanket or towel ... as it seems she wants the privacy.
I would think the toilet area is too cold for the kittens. From what I have seen with my stray Mom she is very protective of them and likes them to stay hidden.
 

gayef

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Originally Posted by CC12

I would think the toilet area is too cold for the kittens. From what I have seen with my stray Mom she is very protective of them and likes them to stay hidden.
Oh yes, I agree totally, the toilet area would be an awful place for the kittens ... but the fact that this queen meeps moving them there sort of tells me she wants a bit more privacy and maybe not so much attention given to the babies.
 
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eboneysmomma

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TY, I have changed bedding, and moved cat food, litter, and water bowl in a further area. I also made a tent over the top of the box with a towel. She seems to be okay for the moment, she is sniffing and seems to be more comfortable with the new bedding, maybe it was the smell. Or to much attention I have a 14 year old daughter and a 7 year old daughter that give them a little to much attention, they have been told now to leave her be, they are now limited to 1/2 hour per day to see the kittens, just until they are a little older..

I will be watching her closely through-out the day to see if she moves them again.

One other thing, just a another little interesting thing. Eboney has always been domestic, very loving and very domestic, however her mother was found in a field with only three legs, eboneys Mother was rescued pregnant with eboney and 4 other kittens by one of our neighbors. So we are assuming that the mother was either domestic and left to fend for herself, which in the process eboneys mother lost one leg, poor thing, or possibly a calm feral cat?.
Anyways to make a long story short eboney has been leaving her kittens for maybe 3-5 minutes at a time, not long and she is finding all of these different objects that resemble mice, and is bring them back to her litter. Nature instinct kicking in, I assume?

I just found this to be very interesting... Fun to explore the natural instinct of a mother cat and her babies. She is such a good mommy Nursing all five very well, barley leaves them and is very protective.
 

goldenkitty45

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The box may not be big enough anymore - she needs to stretch out for nursing.

If possible, I'd move her into a bedroom where its safer - maybe even the floor of the closet.
 
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eboneysmomma

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I don't have an available spare bedroom, I thought about moving her to my basement, but then I am afraid that there she would again get to cold at night. Maybe a closet would be the next best solution. I have enough space to fit her and the babies into there. I Will continue to watch and see if she is uncomfortable and moving them again, so far so good, no moving them yet, but if she continues to be uncomfortable or moving them I will find extra space for else where.. I can also stick something behind the toilet for the time being. Will this be sufficient for the time being? Or should I just move them into my closet asap?
TY again
 

h~chan

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Callie tried moving her kittens out of the big kennel that they were in when they were about two weeks old, too. She kept dragging them under my bed and when we put them back, she'd do it all over again. Finally we just let her do it, and once they started coming out and running around my room, we put them back and she left them there. Now they're out in our hall with a baby gate up and she only tried to move them once, right after we put them there.
 

cc12

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I would try the closet. It is so much warmer and cozier and she could stretch out. This way she won't have a chance to put the kittes behind the toilet. She sounds like a very good Mama though.
 

mountaindew

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Angel started moving her baby when he was around a week old. she brings him up on my bed when we are sleeping though!!!!!!!!!!! I figured maybe the box was too small since Thurs she didn't move him at all during the day but Friday she was putting him on our bed during the day and then just on a sweatshirt that was on my floor another time.... So I got a bigger box and set that up and put the kitten in that one. they were happy there but then we went camping and came home today and her and the kitten were back in the other box........ guess I will see how tonight goes. sure hope she keeps him out of my bed!!!!!!
 
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