Help! My cat is acting strange after having her kittens

Hi Im new to the cat site, I have been googling but can't seem to find an answer to my question. My cat had her first litter of six kittens yesterday morning - I had 2 nesting spots for her but she chose to have them I'm my suitcase, I moved her and the kittens into the nesting box as it was a lot safer , warmer and no traffic.

She is happy in her room in the nest I Made her and is a great mum but she keeps coming into my room and acting frightened of the suit case? She comes in JUST to sniff around and is Sooo skittish , I stood up and she jumped, she's leAves the kittens for 10mins and doesn't seem to have any intentions of going back to them until I pick her up and bring her back and then she's fine Again?

What could be the issue?

Thanks so much

It can sometimes take new moms a bit of time for their hormones to completely settle. I would close her in the room with her nest, food, water, and litter box for a while and leave her to take care of her babies.

Nursing moms should have unlimited access to dry kitten food and 4 or so meals of wet kitten food per day. Mom can also drink a dish of kmr or goat milk per day.

With six kittens you are likely to have a runt or two. It would be wise to weigh them daily and make sure they are gaining 6-10 grams each. If not, you may need to supplement.

Can you keep mom 100% and away from intact males until her litter has weaned? She can get pregnant again within a week of delivery and without going into heat.

Put the suitcase away where she cannot see it or smell it. Close her in her room, or your room, and visit often. She should settle down soon.

Thank-you , she is in her nest and settled down (I've closed up my wardrobe door so she can't get in and she seems fine)

I have weighed all the kittens
We have a light tabby weighing 134g
A white/cream at 133g
Brown at 122g
Dark brown at 118g
Black with grey patch 115
And dark tabby at 105


Is it ok to swap them over for feeds? I am always going in to cheack on her and the light tabby is constantly nursing and some of the others don't seem to get as much?

Yes I will most definitely be getting her desexes as soon as it is safe too.

Thank you for your replies!

Yes, rotating the kittens to make sure all get time on a nipple is a good idea.  Put the smaller kittens to mom for nursing when the bigger kittens are sleeping.

Yes, it's fine to switch the kittens over every hour or two.  You just want to make sure that the box the kittens that aren't nursing are in has a heat source.  Kittens can't regulate their own body temperatures until they are three weeks old.  You can do three largest and then three smallest nursing at a time.  You'll want to switch them through the night until they are a bit stronger as well.

Mom can be spayed when the kittens are 8 weeks old.  

Glad to hear everyone is calming down.

My cat is still acting strange!!

She likes to come out of the room during the day and explore so I let her but then I have to put her back and shut her in with her kitties so she stays with them but I came into feed her and she would come out of the cupboard in the room she's in.. I got her out and she's eating but she also had runny poo today aswel, and she's usually the most cuddly cat in the world but she's no even purring anymore. If the kittens meow she goes straight to them though. Do you think she's ok? Thanks again

One of the kittens has both eyes open? They aren't even 3 days old yet..
They are open but just slightly does this cause for any concern at all? The rest all have their eyes shut

Thanks again

court21 said:

My cat is still acting strange!!

She likes to come out of the room during the day and explore so I let her but then I have to put her back and shut her in with her kitties so she stays with them but I came into feed her and she would come out of the cupboard in the room she's in.. I got her out and she's eating but she also had runny poo today aswel, and she's usually the most cuddly cat in the world but she's no even purring anymore. If the kittens meow she goes straight to them though. Do you think she's ok? Thanks again

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you're concerned about here. Respondeding to her kittens is normal. Coming out to eat and visit for a bit is normal. I'm not sure what the balance in shutting her in is, as long as she's returning to them when they cry.

Diarrhea can be normal from eating after birth, and her body has been through a trauma. I would credit her not wanting to cuddle with having bigger things to take care of and being in some pain.

court21 said:

One of the kittens has both eyes open? They aren't even 3 days old yet..
They are open but just slightly does this cause for any concern at all? The rest all have their eyes shut

Thanks again

Click to expand...

Yup, that's normal.

Cats can have diarrhea from eating too many placentas. It will clear up.

It can take a couple of days for moms to settle in after giving birth.

How are the kittens doing? Have you weighed them? It's important to know if all are gaining each day. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I was only concerned because she goes missing for so long, But she eventually comes back as I'm learning just takes a while I think she just likes the chill out time haha.

They are all gaining yes but one only gained 5g yesterday so just keeping an eye on her, does anyone know at what point I would have to supplement? I have KMR if needed.

How long is she away from the babies?

C court21

I would say give the little one 1-2 mLs of KMR every 2 hours starting now, and any others who do not gain 6-10 grams per day. The downward slide can go quick with tiny kittens, so it's best to stay ahead.

If mom goes missing too much, you may need to close the door to the room she's in with her kittens. [emoji]128522[/emoji]