question about mom

i found a stray pregnant cat about 12 weeks ago. the kittens are now 10 1/2 weeks old and are all eating solid foods only. the mom cat has been very friendly from the first day i opened the door for her, even let me hold the kittens from the day they were born. well tonight when i went to pet her she started hissing at me. i thought maybe i just scared her but when i reached down again she hissed and jumped at me like she was trying to attack me. is this normal for cats? i have her locked up right now but am also worried because i have kids and am afraid now that she might try to bite them. is it to early to get rid of her or does the babies still need her? i just dont know what to do, i had planned to keep her and all 4 kittens. any advice is greatly appreciated. thank you

At 10 weeks, her kittens are weaned from her...it is now the appropriate time to have mom spayed. She may be going back into heat which may account for the change in her behavior. I would recommend that you set up your spay appt. now. If you need to find a low cost clinic, go here:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html

and scroll down until you come to your state.

I would not put her back outdoors or allow her outdoors at all until she has been spayed as she is likely to become pregnant again.

Katie