Mama has moved her kittens

cslenker

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Baby Girl had her kittens May 3, 2010. She has been perfectly happy with the nest we made her until this past Sunday. My 11 year old son went in her room and picked up one of the kittens and she got very upset. (Just so you know my son is ADHD with severe hyperactivity, he is also being tested for Autism (Asperger Syndrome). He should have been tested years ago but with all the different doctors he sees not one mentioned it and I didn't know until recently that he has all the signs.) Anyway, Baby Girl snatched her kitten away from him and moved them to a corner in the front room. I'm worried that the kittens may not be staying warm enough and that they are not in a safer area.

This is where she has them now:




Anyone have any suggestions?
 

mbjerkness

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Is there any place you can confine Momma with her Babies? My oldest daughter (now 19) sounds like your son. I know it is not as simple as saying don't touch the kittens.
 
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cslenker

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I had them in a large dog crate (with the door off) in my 17 year old daughters room. The top is not screwed on so that I can remove it to clean and check on the kittens. Sunday I left the top off for a little while and that's how my son got to them (big mistake on my part). But up until then everything was fine and there was no problem with my son trying to get to them. I had been messing with them and he asked to hold one, if I would have let him he probably wouldn't have snuck in there to hold one, but I didn't let him. I have tried to move them back and of course she just brings them back out here.
 

kluchetta

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How old are they? They actually look big enough (to me, not a total expert though) to retain their own body heat at this point...
 
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cslenker

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They are 3 weeks as of Monday. Where they are now there is an air vent almost right above them. I'm trying to figure out how I can move around a couple things in my living room to bring the crate in here. I don't know if she'll be ok with the move but I can try. Lol. She's a very good mommy and very protective. My daughter and I are able to touch them and pick them up and Baby Girl is fine with it. Even other people are ok to touch them, just not my son apparently.
 

carlysmom

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I would think at that age, the more people touching them the better. It's good for them to be handled and learn different people's touches and scents so that they can get used to human handling. Put the crate in an area that you can close off if you want to confine them some where. Personally, I realize that the mother cat has the instinct to protect the kittens but we have to remember that they are going to be pets for someone else at some point and the are better pets if they aren't isolated and protected all of the time by mom.
 
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cslenker

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Maybe you missed the point of my son being "special". This is why she doesn't want him being able to just come in and get them. She is fine with anyone else touching the kittens and I have even had them out running around in the house (with very close supervision to make sure they don't get trampled). My son is not mean to any of the animals but he has 2 favorite cats (Littlefoot and Baby Girl). He picks them up, carries them around, and in all just won't let them go. We have been working on this and when Baby Girl was pregnant we told him he could not pick her up or he would make her loose the kittens (this worked very well, he did not pick her up at all). My son also has a habit of picking things up and then he sits them down and can't remember where they are. This would also apply to the kittens. The kittens come right up to us, they love to be petted and loved on. They are even great with the dogs and are working up to the other cats.
 

carlysmom

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Well if you moved them back would she leave them there or move them around again? I didn't miss him being special, I'm sorry to hear that. I know talking to him and telling him that they can't be bothered right now won't work. I guess I'd just put her crate with all of the supplies she needs in one room that he cannot get into and keep her there until you feel safe that they can be out with him.
 
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cslenker

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No, I tried moving them back but she just takes them back to the corner. My son doesn't mess with them much, actually he has came in when I was handling the kittens and I have let him hold them without any problems. This particular day I told him no so he snuck back in there to hold one. Lol. I don't think she minds him handling the kittens as long as I'm there. She just doesn't want him having free access. It's kind of funny because she brought them out here where it's easier for us to make sure he's not getting to them. That might be why she moved them. I'm going to try moving her crate in here to see if she will be ok with that.
 

carlysmom

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They look big enough to me to not need to be super warm all the time. I think they'd be okay there if you can keep a good eye on them.
 
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cslenker

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I moved the crate into the front room and covered it with the blanket to keep the cold air from going in the holes. She was fine with me putting them back in there now. The kittens can come out if they want to. I did notice that they started shaking while they were out today. I don't know if it was from the air conditioner or not.
 
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cslenker

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Here's some updated pictures:
 
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cslenker

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Thank you. They love that dog and he just adores them. Lol.
 
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