Are queens supposed to be with there kittens all the time?

My cat just had kittens. I was just wondering how she should be acting. She was with them constantly within 24 hours of their birth. She seems to have lost interest though. She and her kittens stay in my room but I often notice that she gets up and wanders and leaves her babies for long periods of time. even when they whine, she doesn't seem to pay much attention to them. She doesn't feed them frequently, I often find that I have to force her to lay down and feed her babies. Sit near them when they start squealing, that is the only time she takes interest in them. I also can't tell if she is pooping them. Is it harmful to the kittens if they don't get this attention?

Is there a room that you can confine her in?  You would want the room to have her nest, litter box, and constant access to food and water.  It is not necessary that she stay in there all the time, but it sounds like this might be excessive.  How long does she leave them for?  

It can take a day or two for her mothering instincts to properly kick in.  Until then, you should weigh the kittens every day.  This is the best way to tell if they are gaining enough weight or if they need to be supplemented.  Do you see mom cleaning them?  If so, she is probably helping them to potty.

Please note that it is essential that your cat stay inside and away from intact males until she can be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old.  She can get pregnant again at any time.

zarahzombie said:

My cat just had kittens. I was just wondering how she should be acting. She was with them constantly within 24 hours of their birth. She seems to have lost interest though. She and her kittens stay in my room but I often notice that she gets up and wanders and leaves her babies for long periods of time. even when they whine, she doesn't seem to pay much attention to them. She doesn't feed them frequently, I often find that I have to force her to lay down and feed her babies. Sit near them when they start squealing, that is the only time she takes interest in them. I also can't tell if she is pooping them. Is it harmful to the kittens if they don't get this attention?

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You got a good answer from Talking Peanut.  To your question.  The mommas behavior may vary.   All arent as good moms as others.   So there is some leeway.

Also, in the nature where mom must find food, she often leaves her babies even hours at a time.

But of  course, the good moms tend to get more surviving kittens then these so so moms...    And in the nature?   Quite a few of them dies, even without predator attacks or other outer causes.

talkingpeanut said:

 
Is there a room that you can confine her in?  You would want the room to have her nest, litter box, and constant access to food and water.  It is not necessary that she stay in there all the time, but it sounds like this might be excessive.  How long does she leave them for?  

It can take a day or two for her mothering instincts to properly kick in.  Until then, you should weigh the kittens every day.  This is the best way to tell if they are gaining enough weight or if they need to be supplemented.  Do you see mom cleaning them?  If so, she is probably helping them to potty.

Please note that it is essential that your cat stay inside and away from intact males until she can be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old.  She can get pregnant again at any time.

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I only room I can keep her in is my room. I have been trying to spend as little time in there as possible, just going in to check and make sure they're all ok. If I am present in the room for more than 10 minutes (like when I slept in there the first night) She leaves them for a few hours as far as I could tell because she seems more interested in trying to cuddle with me at night like she always has, but because it makes me nervous, I have been encouraging her to lay down and feed them even though she doesn't have that interest. I have started to notice it is only when I am constantly with her that she does this though. If i leave her in there alone for a long while, except to check a couple times, I always find her curled up with her kittens. Is it possible that my presence is distracting her? I wasn't sure, so I slept on the couch last night (she and her kittens have their nest made on my bed).

How do I weigh the kittens? And she only cleans them if again, I am not in the room. 

Freyja is a indoor cat, for the most part, she doesn't even leave my room, nor does she want to. She's definitely safe from that

StefanZ said:

 
You got a good answer from Talking Peanut.  To your question.  The mommas behavior may vary.   All arent as good moms as others.   So there is some leeway.

Also, in the nature where mom must find food, she often leaves her babies even hours at a time.

But of  course, the good moms tend to get more surviving kittens then these so so moms...    And in the nature?   Quite a few of them dies, even without predator attacks or other outer causes.Y

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Yes, I have also read that is how they are in nature, and my parents keep reminding me of that. I just don't want to lose one of her kittens because of that. 

I think leaving her alone except to check on them occasionally, and sleeping on the couch for awhile is a good idea. She needs to be with her kittens as much as possible. [emoji]128522[/emoji]