momma playing with kittens?

sasha had her kittens about 3 weeks ago. they are doing great and sasha is a great mother. the only time we are ever worried about them is when she plays with catnip. i am not even sure she is suppose to be playing with catnip but we let her roam the house and the other cat's catnip toys are out. anyways she seems to get a little frisky with them. sometimes when they are close to her and she wants them to be closer, and she is laying down, she will reach with her 2 paws and grab them by the neck and try and pull them to her. that itself doesnt really bother me bc it is pretty gentle. what bothers us is sometimes they will be tryin to nurse and she will sort of grab them and use her hind legs kicking at them, like playful when u rub a cat's belly. i never see any claws out, but im afraid she is going to hurt them. i dont see why she would be holding them and using her hind legs to kick them, i dont see the point in it. also when she was playing (she brought a catnip toy in the kittens room) i brought a kitten to her bc it was crying and she turned and looked at it and tried to bite its head off. i couldnt tell if she didnt realize it was one of her kittens right away or if she was trying to get it from me but i put it on the ground and she kept playing. she just really scares me when she acts like that! is the catnip making her a little more hostile and messing up her thinking a little? btw the kittens are not around the catnip toys themselves and we are not going to let her play with anymore until the kittens are done nursing. any input would be greatly appreciated!

If she is "bunny kicking" the babies when they try to nurse, it might be a good time to begin introducing them to solid foods. Try a little chicken or turkey meat (meat only - no veggies and especially no onions or onion powder) warmed gently on a little saucer, not bowl.

As long as you are introducing them to solid foods, you might as well go ahead and put a little litter box out for them as well. As they begin to eat on their own, Momma will quit doing "butt duty" so they will begin to squat anywhere they feel like going.

The best way IMO to do this is to confine to a small area (I use an extra large dog crate) which is easy to clean. I usually put them in with a little litter box and several dessert paper plates of baby food. They get the food everywhere - they walk in it, they roll in it - it makes a terrible mess. But they will begin to lick it off of themselves and lo and behold - they will likely eat it the next time it is put down for them.

The best way IMO to do this is to confine to a small area (I use an extra large dog crate) which is easy to clean. I usually put them in with a little litter box and several dessert paper plates of baby food. They get the food everywhere - they walk in it, they roll in it - it makes a terrible mess.

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LOL, it sure does make a mess...but you are definitely right, they do eventually 'get it' and realize that eating it is more fun than playing in it.

she only "bunny kicks" when she has been playing with catnip, you dont think it is just her being a little overly playful, or is it because she is overly playful we need to start putting them on solid foods.. if we dont let her have catnip and she stops doing it, do u think we can start givin them solid foods in a week???

Since you asked ... *grin* ... I really don't think the catnip has anything to do with it. At about 2 to 3 weeks old, babies start getting their little teeth in and it sometimes hurts Momma when they nurse. That's why I suggested that you start to introduce the babies to solid foods now. It won't stop the kittens from trying to nurse, they will continue to do so as long as Momma lets them. But when Momma starts kicking them like you described, it is time for the babies to start eating on their own.

I remember the first time I watched a young litter of cats with their mom.. I got sooo worried when I saw mom do the bunny kick/bite the throat on the kittens (especially targeting the weakest). But it wasn't enough to hurt them, it just sort of looked bad. I think its a form of discipline.

Perhaps remove all the catnip and catnip toys fo a few weeks. It can make some cats get a bit worked up and excited. If you need to, you can replace them with non-catnip toys.

thanks for the advice! i guess it is time soon to start giving them food. hehe our grandbabies are growing up so fast!!!!