PLEASE HELP!Cat obsessed with kittens!!!!!

My cat, Bestia, had kittens about 3 weeks ago. The kittens are now at the stage where they like to walk around the living room and explore the "world". However, I have another cat, Estrella, a spayed female(she had kittens about 6 months ago but I have since given all of them away) and she thinks that the babies are hers. Bestia(the mama) is usually not with the kittens because she likes to go lay around the house while the kittens are sleeping. Anyways, when the kittens go "exploring" Estrella is ussually nearby and will immediately rush over to them and start cleaning them(poo and all) and won't leave them alone. I mean, she doesn't just clean them and that's it. If they try and crawl away she will actually grab them with her paws and hold them there while she continues to clean them.

The worst happened today. I found that Estrella had layed down in "bed" with the kittens and was "nursing" them. I took her away and made her lay somewhere else. I then brought the mama in to nurse her babies. A couple minutes later I heard the cats fighting. Apparently, Estrella had gone back to the babies while Bestia was nursing because she thought they were hers and she fought Bestia to get them back.

I can't keep them apart because we are living in an apartment and can't seperate them. WHAT DO I DO????

Any advice, as crazy as it may be, is welcome! PLEASE!!!!

Someone mentioned here to take a sock and cut the toe out of it.....use it to slit over the female so she can't nurse the kittens.Maybe you could try that on Estrella to keep her from "nursing" the kittens?Other than that,I'm not sure what you could do.Expecially if you can't seperate them.
What about buying a large dog crate and putting the kits in it?

It didn't sound like an major problem to me until you said she is fighting the actual mother to get to the kittens that aren't hers. If she wants to care for them and play momma then I think that is perfectly fine. When it is "quiet time" for the momma to nurse the kittens and everything then I think maybe you can put Estrella in the bathroom or bedroom or something out of the way until nursing is done.

I would be concerned that the kittens may actually think she is their momma and therefore not go to their actual mom.Also,isn't it kind of dangerous to let another cat "nurse" the babies?
I don't know as I've never had to go through this!!

Well, when I say "nurse" I mean that they suck from her but she does not have any milk. Also, I too am concerned about the kittens thinking she is their mommy because I tried putting her in a crate while the kittens were having their playtime but all of the kittens went up to the crate and were reaching in trying to get to Estrella and she too was trying to reach them. I feel terrible because they want to be together and their mama is never with them but for maybe a total of 2-3 hours a day and alot of times I have to put her there or they may not get fed and cleaned enough. I just don't know what to do.

At 3 weeks, the Momcat should be spending more than 2-3 hours with the kittens. Since you have a crate, I suggest you shut her in the crate with them at least 4 times a day so they get plenty of time to nurse. Then if Aunt Estrella wants to help out with cleaning duties, I don't see where it would hurt.

By you putting Bestia with the kittens in a crate, that will keep Estrella away during nursing time. If she tries to pick a fight again over the kittens, you may need to send her to live with a friend for a few weeks, until the kittens get a little older.

Also, if you get her a cuddly toy to "mother", it may help.

I know when you said nurse that she couldn't actually be nursing them.
Do you think maybe Bestia isn't nursing them as much because she thinks Estrella is trying to take over the role?
I would really keep the kittens in the crate with Mom in there to feed them as Beckiboo said.Or put them in the bathroom.
Maybe get Estrella a stuffed animal to care for?

I tried giving Estrella little stuffed animals but she just gets offended and looks at me as if to say "do I look that dumb to you?" LOL! If looks could kill, I think I'd be dead!

I have a dog crate but I use that for my male cat the I just neutered. I don;t wand him getting Bestia pregnant again and also at night he likes to play with Estrella and we can't sleep because he makes too much noise.

Bestia nurses the kittens alot at night but during the day she mainly lays around or hides. I always make sure to put her with the kittens a couple times a day to make sure they get fed and then when the kittens are running around I let Estrella clean them that way I know thet get taken care of. It's like a kitten factory-line here, everyone has their part.LOL!

Anyways, I would get another crate, but they are expensive. Just to get one the same size as the one I already have would costs at least $80. Do you know how I could get one a little cheaper? I would buy it but my hubby doesn't like me spending a lot of money on the cats.

Any other suggestions?

first of can't u confine her to a bedroom with the kitten's ? or a bathroom? u must have a door to the bathroom lol and second of all , bit personal so sorry , but do u have ur own money ? ur o/h need's a talking to lol

If you know someone who has a larger dog (or better yet recently had a larger dog) you might ask to borrow a crate. We've got temporary custody of a crate right now for that reason.

I just moved and so I don't know anyone. Also, I can't confine Estrella to a room becausethe last time I did that she went poo on the bed, so that is not an option. I would put her in the bathroom, but she just scratches the door all night. At night is the worst because the mama likes to lay with the kittens throughout the night and Estrella is harasses her the whole time. Yesterday I took a chance and let the male out of the crate at night and put Estrella in it instead. It worked. She actually liked the crate and slept through the whole night. Also, the male didn't go anywhere near Bestia(I neutered him 1 1/2 weeks ago) because she wouldn't leave the kittens and he won't get within 5 feet of them, he hates them with a passion!(I don't know why, he seemed so eager to make them after all.LOL!)

Anyways, I think I will go ahead and do that for right now. Bestia just got out of heat so she shouldn't go in it for another 2 weeks or so. Also, like I said earlier, she doesn't like to leave her kittens at night. The kittens will be four weeks on Friday so I think within a couple weeks they will be sleeping away from mama anyways.

What do you guys think? Does it sound like a good plan or is it too risky to have the male loose? The vet said to keep him away from Bestia for 2 weeks after surgery and it has already been 1 1/2 weeks.

Plus, I can't get her fixed yet, she still nurses the kittens alot. However, I think she will dry up faster than most cats because of the fact that she doesn't nurse the kittens often. 2 of them are already eating wet food.

Well, Estrella sure got her handful(or I should say, "mouthful") today. She went to clean one of the kitten's bums today and happened to pick the only kittens that knows how to eat wet food. To say the least, she didn't get what she was expecting. The kitten went poo in her mouth. Not a little, smell-less kitten poo either, but a good-sized, stinky one! LOL!

She wouldn't even clean it, she just scrunched up her nose and walked off while licking her lips, leaving the kitten to clean the large glob of poo itself.

I had to wipe the globe of and give the kitten to mama to clean up. She did it with no problems and looked at Estrella as if to say, "well, that ought to teach you!" . I think it did too because she hasn't licked any of the other kittens since. Heehee. Maybe I won't have to worry about Estrella bugging Bestia anymore. I just wanted to tell you all that funny story and I'll keep you posted on any progress.

LOL!! That'll teach her.
I am not sure about letting the male roam.I've not had to go through a male being neutered YET.Corwin goes in on Wed. and so does Lilly.
I think I read that the male can still be fertile up to a month after being fixed.I would call and ask your Vet about it again.

Yeah, I heard that a male can be fertile for up to a month too. I asked my vet about it after the surgery and he said that it should be fine if I just keep them seperated for 2 weeks.

I don't know though, I don't want to take chances. Any other ideas?

Sorry, I don't have any other suggestions.Other than keep them in seperate rooms.
I would be scared that he could get her pg again though.