Urgent advice please

jemma121

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Right the problem is iv got 6 Seven week old kittens they are all eating drinking and using the litter they have all been vet checked and are very healthy , my problem is my cat jess the mother of the kittens have gone very weird with the kittens Her milk is now dried up but she is very aggressive towards her kittens to the point now where she is making them bleed I have got to drag her of the kittens sometimes because they are howling,please could someone tell me please if I should let them go to their new homes I know they shouldn't before the age of 8 weeks but I'm scared she will seriously harm them some advice would be great please
 

StefanZ

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It seems to be one of the cases where it is OK to let them to their forever homes a little earlier.  IF it is OK for the adoption homes, of course.

But you do have another possibility still.  As she is aggressive on them, have her in her own room. Isolated.  Possibly letting them kittens visit her two and two so she isnt not stressed by them, and the visits go well.

And keep them kittens together at least one week more, as you were planning with 8 weeks rigth?

It is still very useful for them to have each other to play with, to teach bitings do hurts, etc...

So this would be my advice.

My next remark, is it may be some medical fault on her. Cats in pain dont have the usual patience, and tend to teach other cats lessons for free, even if not asked for nor necessary.

So my next advice is you visit a vet with her, to rule out medical problems.

Good luck!
 

ondine

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If she hasn't been spayed, get that done ASAP.  She may already be pregnant, which is why she's acting that way to them.  She's literally pushing them out of the nest so she can get ready for the new litter.

Stephan is right, too.  Separate them for now and get mom to the vet.  If the new adoptive homes are ready, let them go now.  It will calm things down for everyone...
 
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jemma121

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i have asked the new owners if they can go to new homes and they have said yes i feel very sad to c them go now mind but the good thing is they are going in pairs so they will have each other,im keeping 2 so il seperate them from mom cat for a while. i will get a appointment at vets today for  mummy cat and book her in for her spay for asap,there is no chance she can be pregnant iv not let her out so the sooner i get her done the better do u know how old the 2 female kittens got to be till i can spay them ...
 

eb24

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It sounds like you have a good plan in place. All I would reiterate is that you really should keep the whole litter together for at least another week.  There is still so much they can learn from each other. That, and I don't know about the laws where you live but where I am it is actually illegal to re-home animals younger than 8 weeks. 

You are smart to get Mom in and go ahead and get her spayed. She may have just gone back into heat and that is making her aggressive towards her kittens. If nothing else I would keep the kittens together until after she is spayed. Once her hormones have calmed she may be more willing to be around them, even if it's in pairs. Any extra time that they can get with her is that much better for them in terms of their learning and development. 

To answer your final question, the accepted standard in the US is that kittens must be at least 8 weeks of age and weigh a minimum of 2 pounds to be altered. From what I have seen on TCS it seems that many places in Europe actually prefer to wait a little longer. So, you just need to consult with your vet on when they would do it. Since you likely won't have the kittens at that point make sure that each of the adoptive families agrees to have the kittens fixed when they are of age, and be sure you keep track and follow up to make sure it has been done (it is just as important to alter the males as it is the females). I would go so far as to put in writing and have everyone sign and agree that if they don't have the kittens altered by a certain age then they must be returned to you. Kittens can reach sexual maturity as young as 4 months so it's best to try and do it before then, though the latest you should wait is 6 months. In the case that they take an opposite sex pair it is absolutely critical that the surgery be done sooner rather than later. Otherwise you risk them mating with each other (they will not recognize the sibling bond and will reproduce if given the chance). 

 Vibes that Mom's surgery goes well and that the kittens settle in their new homes safely! 
 
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