Weaning 5 week old kittens and very aggressive mother cat

My sis-in-law's cat had kittens, 5 of them.  I am going to be taking 2 of them, so I have been around a lot and very involved.  In fact, one of the two that I am taking we are currently having to bottle feed because she just wasn't thriving.  After a visit to the vet, he recommended trying a bottle.  8 days in and she is doing so much better!

But here is my dilemma.  Jess (my sis-in-law) insists that we can't start feeding the other kittens yet.  She said that the mom isn't ready for them to be weaned and that she read that if you force the weaning it is harmful to them.  But they turn 5 weeks old in 2 days!  Other than the one that I am bottle feeding, none of these kittens have had anything other than mom's milk at this point.  I thought that you were supposed to start offering wet cat food mixed with KMR at 4 weeks old.  The mom is very protective of her kittens, but she also will leave them for a good amount of time.  She also lets us hold and play with the kittens as well as take them to other parts of the house.  Am I wrong in thinking that we need to start offering food?  Jess seems to think that as long as mom is feeding them that we would be harming her to start also feeding the kittens.  But I thought that even with eating cat food, they will still nurse as well for a few more weeks. Oh also, how can you tell if a cat IS trying to wean her kittens?

They are going out of town next week and I will be staying at their house and taking care of the kittens for 4 1/2 days.  So I could just start the weaning process while they are gone.  But at that point they will be 5 1/2 weeks old.  Should I push the point with my sis-in-law now or just bite my tongue and wait until I am taking care of them myself?  Or third option, do I just butt out since they aren't my cat's yet and let her do things on her own time table?

Also, any tips on actually doing the weaning and then training them for the litter box would be greatly appreciated!

I have to agree with your sister-in-law. Kittens will typically start weaning naturally at around 6-7 weeks of age, though they will still continue to nurse as well (some well past 12 weeks if the mom will allow it!)

It's also best for kittens to remain with mom and littermates until they are 10, preferably 12 weeks old. They learn so much from mom and sibling during this time in regards to proper kitten manners. I would encourage you to let the kitten you are bottle feeding have regular social/play dates with the other kittens if you are not already.

With that said, sometimes you DO have to take kittens early, such in the case of the kitten that wasn't thriving, or if mom is feral and you want to socialize the kitten.

It sounds as if your sister-in-law has some knowledge on raising kittens. Has she done this before?

In regards to litter box training, the key is to give the kittens EASY access to several small boxes as training kittens is a lot like training a toddler...when they have to go, they have to go.

Your sister-in-law will want to make sure to use non-clumping litterin the kitten boxes.

Are the kittens and mom currently confined to a room or do they have free access to the house?

She hasn't ever raised kittens before either, so for the most part we are just trying to learn as we go!!!

Also, my little bottle baby is still with the rest of the litter.  I just go over their several times a day to feed her and then my brother (who works nights) has been helping out when I am at work.  She does great with all of the rest of them, she just wasn't eating from mom for some reason. 

We just got the non clumping litter tonight.  Today was the first time that she really put them near the cat box and one of them went to eat a piece.  When I realized that she had clumping litter, I went and bought the other kind. 

So when do you know to start feeding them?  Do they start crying that they are hungry?  Like I know when my little one is hungry.  She knows that I or my brother will be taking care of feeding her and if she is hungry she makes it very obvious!!!  I'm just not sure how to tell that the other kittens are ready for us to start supplementing with wet cat food.

The kittens are confined to one room.  We have a baby gate up at the door so that mom can get in and out whenever she wants, but the kittens can't.  The mom does leave them quite often, especially if any of us are around.  She seems to be happy to let us hang out with and take care of her kittens.

They may be ready to be introduced to the food. Meaning you can put some wet food in there for them to sniff and get used to the smell but may not try for another week or two. As long as they are just taking moms milk she will continue to take care of things. The longer they stay with mom the better. My kittens nursed until they went to the adoption center at 16 weeks. They are amazing loving kittens because of the interaction with each other and mom. 

They will start to climb over the gate soon. So be ready. When they decide to get around the house you will be busy. So start baby proofing now. Plug up any places that you don't want them in. Hide cords and potentially toxic items, food included. Get several litter boxes for them to use because little kittens can't hold it long. You will be amazed how fast they take to a box with mom around. 

Are you feeding mom in front of the kittens? You may see that it's time to wean when they go for mom's food or when she shows them to the dish.

No, mom is fed a bit away from the kittens. Should we change that and watch to see how she is around the food?

Yes, that would be ideal. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Thanks so much everyone!!! I'll start feeding mommy with the kittens around so that hopefully we can judge when they are ready to start weaning. I really appreciate all the thoughtful advice!

I really need some advice. I'm also quite upset at the moment so if someone could tell me if this is at all normal I would really appreciate it!!!

We have a mom cat that is about 2 1/2 years old. She has never been the nicest cat. The person who had HER mom didn't want kittens at all and so gave them all away at 5 weeks old, the second they could eat food. She has never attacked anyone but she is a very aggressive cat. When you try to pet or play with her, she wants to bite or scratch. There is only one person in the family this cat likes and will let pet her.

Anyways, she got pregnant and had kittens. They turn 6 weeks old on Saturday. From the beginning, there have been a select few of us that she lets pet her and pet the kittens. I was actually thinking that this was great for her because she seemed to really mellow out with these kittens. I'm not someone that she's really let pet her in the past. But she's been loving me petting her and let's me hold and play with the kittens.

About two weeks ago, someone that she didn't like was near the kittens. But the one person she loves (Jess) was also there. The mom started hissing. Jess raced to get everyone else out of there and the cat attacked Jess. She had major scratches and gouges all over her legs. Since that incident, she had calmed back down. As I mentioned in another thread, one of the kittens has even turned into a bottle baby because she was having trouble drinking from mom. The mom has watched me handle and feed this baby multiple times now with no problems.

Then this morning she started hissing at Jess for no apparent reason. Jess talked to her, calmed her down and was able to pet her. Then this afternoon we were feeding mom some wet food and one of the kittens started eating out of the same bowl. Up to this point, they haven't been eating anything. So we ended up getting a small bowl for each kitten to see if they would eat. Mom seemed perfectly fine with it all. But then, less than 30 minutes later, she attacked Jess for no apparent reason.

Tonight, I was playing with the kittens, no issues from mom. She didn't seem to care. Then later, when I wasn't even within 10 feet of any of the kittens, she attacked me! I ended up slamming the bedroom door, locking all of them in and she was scratching and hissing at the door like she was trying to get at me.

I am really upset and scared and don't know what to do! Why would she get more protective of the kittens the older they get?!

We've also witnessed 2 different times where one of the kittens goes to the litter box to go potty and she is right there trying to lick them instead of letting them go to the bathroom.

Is this at all normal?! I am honestly wondering if we will have to put her to sleep. We have a 5 year old that lives here that LOVES to play with the kittens. I couldn't handle it if she hurt her! Plus I'm now worried that she might turn her aggression onto the kittens. She hasn't so far, but this is starting to get really crazy!

Am I just majorly overreacting?!

Yes, I think you are overreacting. It sounds to me like there is a possibility that your cat is in super-protective mode because she constantly feels threatened.

Perhaps there is too much stimulation around her and her kittens, and she needs more privacy and alone time with her kittens. I do not find it unusual that a cat with 5-week-old kittens feels territorial. She has a right to protect her kittens, and that is what her instincts tell her to do.

There are otherwise extremely friendly house cats who will lash out when they do not feel comfortable with what's going on around their kittens.

Since you say that your cat is not the calmest, friendliest cat, I think it's up to you to try to moderate the amount of time that members of the household and their friends spend interacting with the cat and her kittens. In general, sudden moves and loud noises put cats on edge.

I think you may be expecting too much from this cat too soon. Just because the 5-year-old loves playing with the kittens, does not mean she should play with them more than a few minutes a couple of times a day.

The kittens still have important lessons to learn from mom, and at almost 6 weeks, they are just beginning to wean and litter train. Mom needs time with her kittens without interference to do her job.

I'm surprised that you would even consider putting the cat to sleep due to her behavior! At 2 1/2 years old she has a long life ahead, and most cats calm down considerably after they are spayed. She can be spayed in about 2 weeks, by the way. You are planning to spay her, right?

Without meaning to sound harsh, it seems the cat may not be the best fit for your household. If that is the case down the road, after she is spayed and her kittens are weaned, you may need to re-home her into a different environment.

In the meantime, try to back off from judging the cat so harshly, and stop trying to pet her for now. Let her come to you. It sounds like she needs to feel safe with her kittens more than anything.

ok, I understand you being judge mental to my comment about possibly needing to put her to sleep. But I wish you would reread my first paragraph. I am EXTREMELY upset right now and was basically begging for advice. The last thing I would want to do is put an animal to sleep. I have been in tears for hours. In fact I have to be up in less than 3 hours for work but I've been so upset about the situation that I can't sleep. I want to do everything I possibly can to resolve this situation and hopefully end up with a very happy mom and kittens.

I do appreciate your advice to stay away from the kittens. And I'm sorry if I gave the impression that we are in there all the time. We aren't. But one of the kittens has to be bottle fed so we HAVE to be in there often enough to get her and feed her. We have the kittens in a room with a child gate at the door so that mom can come in and out. I wasn't even in the room or anywhere near the kittens one of the times she's attacked me.

Apparently in my upset state, I didn't really explain the situation correctly or accurately. But I will be honest, I still don't feel like these attacks are normal. I would have completely understood them if the kittens were only a week or two old, but it seems to me that the more independent they get, the more aggressive she gets.

Just for the record, I wouldn't have put her to sleep without first trying absolutely everything we could think of and that would be suggested to us. We are major animal lovers.

I'll admit that I am now regretting asking for advice. I thought I'd get some ideas and people telling me this is normal so that I can calm down and not worry so much. But I can already tell that instead I'm going to get a lot of hate for even suggesting that the worst possible outcome might be what had to happen. I wish I knew how to delete the whole thread.

sarthur absolutely meant no harm, I promise you that we're here to help and she's just trying to help you.

I don't know if the behavior is normal or not... but I can assure you when people respond here they aren't going to hate on you. Every member that comes here for advice we try to help, including you.

I'm sorry. Maybe I'm just defensive because I would never want someone to think I'd take a situation like this lightly. Maybe I need to just stop commenting until I can get some sleep and am not so upset. Then maybe I can take the advice in the spirit it is given.

It has been suggested to me that I am exaggerating and that the cat probably just hissed at me and I freaked out.  So, I decided to include some pics.  In my inability to go to sleep after this whole thing, I was doing research online.  I found that in my area, by law I am required to report any animal bites to animal control.  And since I am a federal government employee, I had better stick with the law.  Sorry that I've been such a whiner.  It's been a pretty crazy night.

Take a step back here!

No one thinks you are a whiner. Cat attacks are very scary, and I am very sorry that happened to you. You are not under attack here, though.

Mama cats frequently get more stressed as their kittens start to explore more as they get older. Her hormones may also be confusing her. She may be in heat. She may be perceiving threats. Either way, mom needs to be spayed before you make any decisions about her.

Does mom live with you or your sister in law? This is a lot of people visiting, even if it is brief. The bottle baby may not need as many bottles now if she is stronger and can nurse from mom some. They will also be weaned soon.

If you report this cat, you may get your sister in law in legal trouble. You may also be forced to surrender the cat, and it will be put to sleep. I don't know the laws in your area.

kas913

It was not my intention to be judgemental at all. I tried to answer your question "Is this normal?" and your question "Am I overreacting?"

I also gave advice to back away from petting the cat since she tends to attack, and to see that she has as much privacy with her kittens as possible. And I suggested that she may calm down once her kittens are raised and she is spayed.

Upon reading your thread, I see that the cat belongs to your sister-in-law, and you do not live there, but have been bottle feeding one kitten.

I agree with Talking Peanut that the kitten, at almost 6 weeks, should begin eating solids and nursing mom.

Reporting the cat to Animal Control rather than backing off is not the reaction I intended from my response. Rather, I hoped you would try my advice to protect yourself from further incidents.

YOU do not need to report an animal bite if it's your own animal. If you seek medical care, THEY need to report the bite. But it's not a mandate for the average citizen. Can you imagine if everyone had to make a report every time their puppy nipped them?

Anyway if you do report it they'll probably kill her .

I know there are cats like that; I've dealt with them. It's particularly common in cats who were taken from their mother too young. Spaying will help a little, to prevent the hormonal swings. But she'll probably always be a bit cranky. With careful management you can usually get them to the point where they don't attack unprovoked.

Mama cats are actually a little more protective at this age, since their kittens are just becoming mobile and so are in more danger. Try to learn the mama cat's body language, and vacate the room when you see her start to get agitated. She's probably in heat again so her hormones are all over the place.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this. It's very understandable that you would be upset. 

I think you should get your injuries tended to by a professional, especially if they get even slightly infected. Cat-induced injuries can get infected and that can be dangerous. These look fairly deep too. 

I have no idea about the legal implications in your area. If I were you, I would call local Animal Control just to ask. They should be able to tell you what the local regulations are without it actually being a report. However, whatever the regulations are, do not delay medical care for your injuries for fear of this being reported.