New mother cat is holding me hostage!

captainblasters

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
7
Purraise
3
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Can't find anything online for a problem quite like mine. Just a week ago I took in a very pregnant cat from a family that could not care for her anymore. They told me that she was around 2 years old and that this was her first pregnancy. We named her Olive. I took her home and she and I clicked right away. She hops up on her hind legs to rub her face on me. Just last night she gave birth to 3 kittens. I set up a nest in my room and she chose to give birth there. She really wanted me around during the birth. When big contractions came she would call me over and left the nest to find me if I was too far away. I gave her belly rubs in between kittens which she seemed to enjoy very much. She is a first-time mother, so I could understand that she would be insecure and would welcome some support.

This morning, she is taking great care of the kittens, leaving to eat only for less than a minute before going back to the nest. She likes me being by the nest and rolls over for belly massages. She lets me handle the kittens without a bit of aggression. The problem is whenever I try to leave. Once I start to walk away from the nest towards the door, she darts out and bites my leg. She usually only bites it once, hard, and then purrs loudly looking for attention. I had another foster cat who would do a similar thing to her kittens if they wandered too far. What she is doing to me seems much like that. She doesn't seem aggressive, really, just like she is disciplining me. I can tell that she is probably feeling very nervous as a first-time mom. But whenever I take a step away, she lashes out. I put a shirt I was wearing in the nest and that seemed to have calmed her a bit, but she still rushes me as I head towards the door. As much as I would like to sit and watch newborn kittens all day long, it's not exactly practical.

Are there some things I can do to make her feel more secure? Are there any therapies that are safe to use on a nursing cat to help her chill out?
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
She is obviously trying to get you to stay and getting bitten is unpleasant.  You might purchase some Feliway spray and see if that helps.  The diffusers are expensive but just a small spray dispenser is a good way to try it and see if it helps.  Read the web site about how it works to calm cats.

http://www.feliway.com/us/

Leaving your shirt with her was a good idea.  You should change out the bedding the kittens were born in after about 24 hours, and maybe you can replace it with your used bed sheets or something that smells of you.  You should not allow her to bite you.  There are various ways to avoid that.  Carry a broom and push her away from your legs gently, or since she gets up when you go to leave, pick her up and carry her to the door and then put her down inside the room as you close the door.  Another way to keep her from going after you would to be leaving a treat that she really likes so she will eat it as you leave.  She should get over the separation anxiety in a few days as she sees that you leave but you always come back.    The more often yoou can come and go, the sooner she will relax about your leaving.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

captainblasters

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
7
Purraise
3
Thanks for the reply. I was planning on looking for that spray today. Her behavior has been changing over the past couple of days though. She's made a turn for the worse.

Now she not only goes after me as I leave, but any move I make in the room sets her off. It is like she can't decide whether she wants me there or not. She comes at me quickly, and if I have something in my hand, I put it between her and my legs. If she can't get me she growls and makes huffing sounds with her nose and mouth. At first I was concerned that the huffing was a breathing issue, but she only does it when she is coming after me. I am planning on getting her to the vet tomorrow to get checked out regardless. If she does catch me off guard, she now bites as hard as she can, grabbing with her claws and she leaves very deep cuts that bleed. I think she has shifted into straight-up maternal aggression. She does let me handle the kittens though (I have been checking them once or twice a day to make sure they're all good). And she is very docile when I pet her in the nest, rolling on her back and purring. She is still very sweet about half the time. But now I can't tell if she wants to be pet or if she wants to attack me, and she turns quickly.

I've moved her into a guest room. I am hoping that she will feel better being left alone for a few days. (excluding her going to the vet, sorry Olive) Though I am concerned that when I do want to see the kittens as they get older she will continue to get more aggressive. I want to make sure that the kittens are socialized.

I had a foster before Olive that was very similar; took her in pregnant, she had the babies, and I kept them until I found homes for all of them. But for that cat, it was her second litter, and I never had any single moment of aggression. So I don't know how to deal with Olive, who has actually managed to make me afraid of her, despite never being concerned about cat scratches or bites in the past.
 

susan73

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Dec 17, 2014
Messages
2
Purraise
1
 
Long-time lurker, first-time poster. Can't find anything online for a problem quite like mine. Just a week ago I took in a very pregnant cat from a family that could not care for her anymore. They told me that she was around 2 years old and that this was her first pregnancy. We named her Olive. I took her home and she and I clicked right away. She hops up on her hind legs to rub her face on me. Just last night she gave birth to 3 kittens. I set up a nest in my room and she chose to give birth there. She really wanted me around during the birth. When big contractions came she would call me over and left the nest to find me if I was too far away. I gave her belly rubs in between kittens which she seemed to enjoy very much. She is a first-time mother, so I could understand that she would be insecure and would welcome some support.

This morning, she is taking great care of the kittens, leaving to eat only for less than a minute before going back to the nest. She likes me being by the nest and rolls over for belly massages. She lets me handle the kittens without a bit of aggression. The problem is whenever I try to leave. Once I start to walk away from the nest towards the door, she darts out and bites my leg. She usually only bites it once, hard, and then purrs loudly looking for attention. I had another foster cat who would do a similar thing to her kittens if they wandered too far. What she is doing to me seems much like that. She doesn't seem aggressive, really, just like she is disciplining me. I can tell that she is probably feeling very nervous as a first-time mom. But whenever I take a step away, she lashes out. I put a shirt I was wearing in the nest and that seemed to have calmed her a bit, but she still rushes me as I head towards the door. As much as I would like to sit and watch newborn kittens all day long, it's not exactly practical.

Are there some things I can do to make her feel more secure? Are there any therapies that are safe to use on a nursing cat to help her chill out?
Awww![emoji]9829[/emoji] I think you have found a little lady that loves you with all her might.She could be worried that you will leave and not come back for her,she was "abandoned" in her little eyes already and it was a very short time ago to,and with the new babies she's overwhelmed. She wouldn't want you around at all if she didn't trust you. She's a young cat still and a first time mommy. She probably being more aggressive/biting harder than she means to. She is in a new home,a new human mama for her own self plus she's a new mom. I don't know for sure but thet may have as many hormones running rampant as a human mom does. I think she doesn't want to be alone. Unless i misunderstood what you were meaning. One of my little fur babies died about two months ago and we had a very strong bond,he would cry and try to claw his way through a door when i had to leave,my roomie couldn't help him at first but they gradually got a good bond established.
 

bikerblossom

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
42
Purraise
2
My girl isis goses nuts if i leave her after she had kittens. She will follow me then run bak to her kits then bak to me till i sit in my chair.
Sbe is quite elusive normaly . It takes bout a week for her to carlm down enough for me to leave her. I was kinda hopeing she would calm down more sooner this time round but no.
Hopefully ur girl will settle soon. Good luck. Ur not alone .lol
 

kntrygrl256

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
1,948
Purraise
871
Location
Alabama, USA
I had a young momma that wanted me with her from the time she went into labor until after her babies were born. She was never aggressive afterwards. I'm sure she's just stressed.

Putting your shirt in with her and giving her some time alone should be good. Once she gets use to being a mom and sharing you and her babies she should settle down.

Good luck with everything.
 

bikerblossom

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 24, 2015
Messages
42
Purraise
2
The shirt thing sounds like a great idea.
Isis push her kittens towards me after she gave birth as if lookin for aprovel "did i do a good job mum?" the answer is alway yes.
If i looked at her when she was with them she mews to me . If i ask her if she is allright a get two mews that sound alot like yeah yeah.

I would take it as a huge colplment that she wants u around but minus the biteing.
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
It does sound like it's gone to instinctive aggression now.  Close to the nest, you are you and a friend.  Up and moving, you are an invader and dangerous.  My worst cat bite ever came from a mama and it was "displaced aggression" because one of my other cats came in the door, which I had obviously not closed tightly enough, and she was going for him but I grabbed him up and turned to take him out of the room and she sank her teeth deep into my calf.  It was the weekend of course, and my own doctor was not available so I had to go to a Doc-In-A-Box but that was fine, he gave me a shot of antibiotics and a prescription for same and it cleared up with no further complications.  I did carry a broom when I went in there for a few days but she never went for me again.  Solution?  Maybe the Feliway will work, or maybe the vet will prescribe a tranquilizer.  I'm pretty sure it's hormones and instinctive reactions on her part, but you do need to protect yourself.  Do you have any tall riding boots?  Or can you borrow some?

I did have one cat I had raised from a kitten, and when she went into heat, she suddenly bit me, hard and deeply, for no obviious reason.  I had the mama cat (purebred Himalayan, years ago when I was breeding and showing on a small scale) and she was sweet as can be.  I had planned on keeping this female for breeding but after that behavior, I had her spayed (which made her sweet again) and adopted her out as a house pet.  Whatever it was that made her crazy when she was in heat is not something I wanted to pass on to future generations.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

captainblasters

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Feb 23, 2015
Messages
7
Purraise
3
Thank you to everyone that replied. I spent one night last week crying because I was so lost, so all of the advice was super helpful. I will update so if anyone finds this thread with a similar issue it may help them.

I did get her to the vet last week. (We needed three people and basically had to turn the whole room upside down. We gave up on putting her in a carrier after trying for an hour and put her in a plastic storage container that we drilled holes into. She actually managed to open it up once so we had to tape it down. Motherhood is crazy) She and the kittens are healthy. I was worried that her aggression could be because of a medical issue, but luckily that wasn't the case. I bought her the feliway plug-in, and it's been around 5 days since I put it in. I am honestly not super sure if it's helped her or if she is just getting more calm on her own, but at this point I do not want to risk taking it out. I had to give the kittens the dewormer at home, and I geared up with gardening gloves, snow pants, and a heavy coat so I could focus on administering the medicine and not whether Olive was gonna maul my legs or not.

Every single time I enter the room, no matter what it's for, I try to bring a treat. Usually it's ham. I also bring in a folded towel or a sheet so I can hold it between her and my legs. She occasionally still goes after me to land a bite in, which is why I make sure to always have that barrier, but it gets better every day. I have a motorized toy that moves under a sheet and it's great for distracting her while I change her litterbox or check the kittens. For a bit I thought I would never see that sweet kitty again, but now I see her slowly coming back to me. 
 Now I just need to find homes for all of them.
 
Top