giving my kittens away.. mother cat misses them?

I have 5 kittens and the mother is a first time mother. I just gave away two of her kittens. A boy and a girl. They are twins. My cat had two sets of twins. They were born by emergency c section on april 25th 2013 and she has been the best loving mother. She has been meowing and calling for her missing kittens in a more distressed pitch. I want to know if she is missing her babies and depressed by their loss. They have been gone for about two hours now. How long will my cat miss them for if she even misses them at all?. I am also very upset and miss them terribly already does my cat sense this and does it add to her distress?. Please help me to understand. Thank you.

I'm not an expert but you say that the kittens were born on the 25th April, which will make them just over 5 weeks old. That seems to be a bit early to be letting kittens go from their Mommy. How long have you been weaning them? Mommy will still feed her babies upto 10/12 weeks (from what I've read on here) and Mommy still has things to teach them up to that age as well. Other members on here with more experience will probably advise you better.

Yes, they're far too young to go to new homes. She probably thinks something bad has happened to them . Kittens should stay with their mother and littermates for 10-12 weeks ideally, 8 weeks is the absolute youngest they should go. She will miss them a lot less if they're old enough to leave naturally.

I feel so bad now for giving them away. I thought it would be okay because they are using litter box and eating dry food. Well alternating between the mothers milk and hard food. The person I gave them to has everything needed to cars for them. Artificial cat milk toys everything. I only gave them to her because her cat of 14 years had just died and she was so depressed she felt she needed new kittens to help her get over her loss easier. They have taken to her very well though. I disnt want to give them up as it was but now I feel terrible. What could I do to help comfort mg cat?

tag along said:

I feel so bad now for giving them away. I thought it would be okay because they are using litter box and eating dry food. Well alternating between the mothers milk and hard food. The person I gave them to has everything needed to cars for them. Artificial cat milk toys everything. I only gave them to her because her cat of 14 years had just died and she was so depressed she felt she needed new kittens to help her get over her loss easier. They have taken to her very well though. I disnt want to give them up as it was but now I feel terrible. What could I do to help comfort mg cat?

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I mean I can only echo what others have said- this is far far too early to have let them go from mom.  I am glad at least you re-homed them in a pair (they would have been super stressed if not) but it's likely they aren't really doing so well either.   If possible, honestly, I'd call the person you gave them to, explain that you've been reading and it was too early for them to go, and ask if she'd be willing to take them in 4 weeks instead, telling her she can come visit whenever she wants (8 weeks is honestly still a bit too early IMHO but is worlds better than 4).  If that is impossible, I don't really know what to tell you.  I don't mean to make you feel worse, because you say you already feel bad, but this just was not the right way to do things. If they were a bit older mom probably wouldn't be acting like she is.

Since it's a friend I would get them back and tell her you made a mistake and they still need their mom for a few more weeks and will be better cats as a result. She can have them in a few weeks when they are ready. 

I just adopted out the first of our four kittens. They're 8 weeks today. Mama cat seems okay but I'm a mess

Hi i can really relate to your anxiety of giving up your kittens   i too have just let 2 of mine go and kept 1 for mommy however it doesn't make it any easier i am upset for me and for her it is her first litter and i was left with her as an abandoned cat so i gave her a home and helped her with babies i however have given mine away at 8weeks 4days old so not as bad but i still feel they and mom still needed each other i have too thought about asking to let them have a few more weeks but i realise this would be double distress for her when they go again i couldn't keep all but i kept 1 for her and if possible re-home both her and baby together as i have my own cat and a tom at that he has watched over the place though bless him i hope you come to peace and yes an ideal situation would be to get them back

Hey dear friend !!
firstly congrats u had little kittens...
You gave two kittens but it's too early.. minimum 8 weeks are needed to separate. becoz mumma cats wean groom her babies till 8 weeks.. she teaches how to hunt nd socializing... so bring back them becoz mumma cat wl be in depression...
I too have a mumma cat honey she gave birth to 3 kittens it's 8 th week now nd ystdy I sent 1 kitten to a new house... both honey nd 2 kittens were so dull searching nd waiting for her sis kitten but after one day all is well nd fine.. now they forgot her nd playing as usually but I really miss the small kitten.......

I’d just like to correct the other comments by saying They were not too young. As long as they were weaned off in which you said they were so and eating dry food plus had been using the litter box they are well and capable on living without their mother. First of there are young mother cats who cannot provide for their kittens due to not having all the calcium and nutrients to have the kittens feed until 6 weeks. You did nothing wrong. I was even told by multiple vets that 5-6 weeks minimum is normal to give them away at. They are perfectly fine, others overreacted

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I was even told by multiple vets that 5-6 weeks minimum is normal to give them away at. They are perfectly fine, others overreacted

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Those vets were wrong. Many vets have no or very little understanding of cat behavior. Those of us who have rescued many kittens know that those who stay with their mothers for a longer time are much better adjusted and will behave better in their new homes. Yes, kittens will probably survive if taken that young, that part is true. But behaviorally they'll be more of a challenge. Kittens taken too early are very likely to bite too hard and have litterbox issues because they didn't learn proper kitty manners from their mother and littermates.

If a mother cat has trouble feeding her babies, the owner can supplement, but they should still stay with her to learn their manners.

Eating on its own does not mean that the kitten is ready to be separated. As mentioned above, they have far more to learn from mom and littermates. It’s important for their emotional and mental development, too.