Mom is separating the litter?!

Yesterday morning the mother tried moving the kittens under my bed. I put the kittens back in the closet nest before she could get all of them under the bed. The mother gave up and stayed with them in the closet nest.

Well, sometime last night while I was sleeping the mother moved 3 of the kittens to under the bed and left the other 4 in the closet. The 4 in the closet were sleeping peacefullly but mom was under the bed nursing and cooing to the 3 she had moved.

Do you think she did this because the 3 were weaker and needed more feeding time? Do queens instinctively try to save weaker ones?

I put them back in the closet nest but now I'm wondering if I should have just left it alone. They are all trying to feed (and all appear to be feeding) but they fight and struggle a great deal and some of them compete for the same nipple.

Of the 3 that she moved, 2 of them appear to be smaller and skinnier, 1 of them was fairly fat and stronger appearing. Nevertheless, they all appear to be vigorous and vocal, but 2 of them are kind of small and scrawny.

Nevermind...she just did it again while I was out here on the computer, but this time she moved ALL of them under the bed.

Should I just leave it be? The bed is on rollers and she is up at the head of the bed so I can easily pull it out to check on them. However, there is no way to block/box them in and keep them from wandering.

i think you should leave it, cats usually move their kittens from the birth area so predators don't eat them. you can try to move them someplace else though, if you don't want them under the bed.

It would be best for everyone if you could confine them in one area. A very large dog cage would be ideal.

I had a large cat cage all my litters were in and the moms would stay in there and keep the kittens in there till they were older (about 2 months old) before they explored the house.

If you are okay with them being under the bed, then leave them. But have you tried changing the bedding in the closet and then see if she will stay there.

I would leave them be, but keep eye on them. Do not stress the mom or she will feel in danger. Take this time to change the box and stuff.

I've changed the bedding everyday but I didn't realize they move them from the birthing nest sometimes. I think they'll be okay. I rolled up a comforter and slid it under the bed the entire width of the bed to create a barrier between the wall and the comforter. Then stuffed a pillow on the other side to create a barrier from them creeping out the other side of the bed. So...they have a little boxed in 2 x 3 area with an opening for mom to go in and out.



[/IMG]

They look so cozy. They should be fine.