Month old mother cat acting strange.

[kazhang]

Our cat which has been a mother for a month is acting a lot different now.

Normally when we give her treats she takes them and eats them, but she's getting very aggressive now for them, she'll bite hard and have her claws out more. She's being a MUCH bigger mooch now, she won't give up, she just jumped up and stole a piece of chicken then jumped down.

She also whines constantly when she's in the bedroom with her babies, whether we're there or not. What could be going on? she used to be a big friendly suck, but now she's being much much more aggressive when it comes to treats/our food... never to us though, she doesn't hurt us at all.

 

[missymotus]

Probably coming into call again, hormones are not always fun. She could also be hungry with the food stealing, are you feeding her wet and/or raw multiple times a day? They need a lot of food to raise their kittens, good quality wet or raw, not just dry food.

She will also want short breaks from her babies.

 

[kazhang]

Probably coming into call again, hormones are not always fun. She could also be hungry with the food stealing, are you feeding her wet and/or raw multiple times a day? They need a lot of food to raise their kittens, good quality wet or raw, not just dry food.

She will also want short breaks from her babies.

We keep her food pretty much constantly full. We also let her out of the bedroom for quite a bit at a time. We feed her kitten chow because she's under a year old herself, and the kittens try to eat it now, so...but she's always fed.

 

[missymotus]

Dry kitten chow isn't enough, she needs wet and/or raw at least 3-4 times a day. Both are also good for weaning kittens

She should be on kitten food regardless, she needs it to raise the litter. What a shame she's just a kitten herself, that can also explain her disinterest in the kittens

 

[kazhang]

Dry kitten chow isn't enough, she needs wet and/or raw at least 3-4 times a day. Both are also good for weaning kittens
She should be on kitten food regardless, she needs it to raise the litter. What a shame she's just a kitten herself, that can also explain her disinterest in the kittens

Yeah, we didn't want it that way, but money was tight at the time, we tried to stop our male, BUT HE HAS NO BALLS NOW!

 

[missymotus]

In another post you intentionally wanted a litter from this brother/sister pairing, One litter so you could keep a kitten then you'd spay her and neuter him.

Raising kittens is expensive, mums eat a lot, kittens eat a ton, that's just the way it goes.
Then there's the vaccinations, microchipping and neutering of all the kittens & mum.

It's really not hard keeping a boy away from the girl, I have a working stud boy who has indoor access. Yet he's not around my breeding girls unless I want him to be.

 

[kazhang]

In another post you intentionally wanted a litter from this brother/sister pairing, One litter so you could keep a kitten then you'd spay her and neuter him.
Raising kittens is expensive, mums eat a lot, kittens eat a ton, that's just the way it goes.
Then there's the vaccinations, microchipping and neutering of all the kittens & mum.
It's really not hard keeping a boy away from the girl, I have a working stud boy who has indoor access. Yet he's not around my breeding girls unless I want him to be.

That was BEFORE we got our 3rd cat. We have no plans to get these kittens vaccinated, fixed or micro-chipped, that is the new owners problem. And when you live in a one bedroom apartment it is very hard to keep them away from one another. Only one kitten the mom and our other cat is being fixed, mico-chipped and a rabies shot.

 

[Willowy]

Since YOU brought these lives into the world (and keeping 2 unfixed cats over 4 months old together IS deliberate breeding), it would certainly be nice if you took responsibility for them instead of making it someone else's problem. I hope that if you aren't going to vet them before finding new homes, that you'll at least give them first shots and de-worming, and screen the new homes carefully to make sure they'll be kind, responsible owners, and not just give the kittens away to the first person who calls (frequently dog fighters, large snake owners, and laboratories are first takers for free kittens ). And keep in mind that kittens should stay with their mothers and littermates for 10-12 weeks.

It's crazy expensive to raise kittens. The amount of food and litter they use is insane! Plus shots and de-worming. Much, much cheaper to have mama cat spayed, even if you have to borrow the money or pawn something. I hope that if you keep a kitten, everybody will be fixed by the time he or she is old enough to reproduce (4 months or so), or this will just happen all over again. And I hope you're able to find good homes for all the kittens before they're that age! It's not easy at all.

 

[kazhang]

Since YOU brought these lives into the world (and keeping 2 unfixed cats over 4 months old together IS deliberate breeding), it would certainly be nice if you took responsibility for them instead of making it someone else's problem. I hope that if you aren't going to vet them before finding new homes, that you'll at least give them first shots and de-worming, and screen the new homes carefully to make sure they'll be kind, responsible owners, and not just give the kittens away to the first person who calls (frequently dog fighters, large snake owners, and laboratories are first takers for free kittens

). And keep in mind that kittens should stay with their mothers and littermates for 10-12 weeks.
It's crazy expensive to raise kittens. The amount of food and litter they use is insane! Plus shots and de-worming. Much, much cheaper to have mama cat spayed, even if you have to borrow the money or pawn something. I hope that if you keep a kitten, everybody will be fixed by the time he or she is old enough to reproduce (4 months or so), or this will just happen all over again. And I hope you're able to find good homes for all the kittens before they're that age! It's not easy at all.

We couldn't help keeping them both unfixed, we only just got the father fixed because we got the money and found a low income neuter program in our area. We can't afford the 300+ to get them all vet checked. We didn't want them to get pregnant, but it's too late now, they're here. We're not just going to give them away as my girlfriend wants to keep them all, so she wants them going to good homes. 

BY THE WAY, this is about our female cat and her strange behaviour, not about the kittens. 

Can we get this back to the OP?

 

[Willowy]

Hormones make cats act weird :dk:. You can't expect a new mother (of any species :tongue2 to act like she normally does. She'll get back to normal once she's spayed.

She's also veryvery hungry--nursing literally sucks the nutrients from them. Nursing mothers need at least 3-4 times the normal amount of food. Even if she eats a lot of dry food, Kitten Chow is mostly corn, and she probably isn't getting enough protein. She really should have some canned food or meat on a regular basis for the protein.

Getting the kittens to eat more solids will take some of the burden off of her. Try them on canned food, too. Friskies paté is fine for kittens, and if you buy the 13-ounce cans it's not too expensive.

 

[bigperm20]

That was BEFORE we got our 3rd cat. We have no plans to get these kittens vaccinated, fixed or micro-chipped, that is the new owners problem. And when you live in a one bedroom apartment it is very hard to keep them away from one another. Only one kitten the mom and our other cat is being fixed, mico-chipped and a rabies shot.

Let me get this straight. you added a third unaltered female cat to a 1 bedroom apartment? Why on earth did you get a THIRD cat if you didn't have the money to care for the other 2? BTW, I wouldn't complain that people are getting off topic when you do something so foolish. This site is PRO SPAY/ NEUTER btw. That is why we question your motives.

 

[missymotus]

We have no plans to get these kittens vaccinated, fixed or micro-chipped, that is the new owners problem.

And look how well that worked out with you, whoever you got your cats from clearly just passed on the "it's there problem" and what a problem it's become!

Your kittens are from a brother x sister mating, what if someone takes 2 of your kittens and does the same thing, such a high level of inbreeding is not good at all.

There are places that will speuter for as low as $10, part of being a responsible owner is ensuring these kittens get the best possible start. You can also have the new owners pay the neutering & vets cost as the adoption fee

 

[eb24]

Probably coming into call again, hormones are not always fun. She could also be hungry with the food stealing, are you feeding her wet and/or raw multiple times a day? They need a lot of food to raise their kittens, good quality wet or raw, not just dry food.

She will also want short breaks from her babies.

I agree it's probably a mix of hormones and hunger. Even if her dry food is always full wet food added to her diet will give her the extra calories and water that she needs. Plus, the kittens will start to wean onto the wet food much faster than they will dry. Getting them to eat some of their meals on their own will help take some of the nutritional burden off of her. 

I don't want to continue the argument that has erupted here, and I agree with you that the issue at hand is that the kittens are here and we need to help you do the best you can to take care of them. However, part of taking care of them is making sure they are properly vetted and re-homed. I also understand the huge financial burden that is but there are ways to try and minimize that. One, see if there are low cost spay/neuter clinics in your area. You could even look to see if there is a shelter who will "re-home" them for you and pay for vet costs if you keep them as "fosters." Finally, you can make sure the vetting gets done without cost to you by requiring the new owners to a) use your vet or b) set up an appointment with their vet for their spaying/neutering. You can drop the kitten off at the vet and they can pick them up and pay for it then. Or, you can pay for the surgeries and then charge that same amount for the adoption fee. This same concept works for de-worming and getting them their shots.

I know it is expensive but you need to think creatively. Whether they were an intended litter or not they were brought into this world by your cat and therefore you do have a duty to care for them and re-home responsibly. There are solutions to the problem if you just do a little legwork. I know you care about them enough to do that to ensure that they have happy and healthy futures! 

 

[kazhang]

I agree it's probably a mix of hormones and hunger. Even if her dry food is always full wet food added to her diet will give her the extra calories and water that she needs. Plus, the kittens will start to wean onto the wet food much faster than they will dry. Getting them to eat some of their meals on their own will help take some of the nutritional burden off of her. 

I don't want to continue the argument that has erupted here, and I agree with you that the issue at hand is that the kittens are here and we need to help you do the best you can to take care of them. However, part of taking care of them is making sure they are properly vetted and re-homed. I also understand the huge financial burden that is but there are ways to try and minimize that. One, see if there are low cost spay/neuter clinics in your area. You could even look to see if there is a shelter who will "re-home" them for you and pay for vet costs if you keep them as "fosters." Finally, you can make sure the vetting gets done without cost to you by requiring the new owners to a) use your vet or b) set up an appointment with their vet for their spaying/neutering. You can drop the kitten off at the vet and they can pick them up and pay for it then. Or, you can pay for the surgeries and then charge that same amount for the adoption fee. This same concept works for de-worming and getting them their shots.

I know it is expensive but you need to think creatively. Whether they were an intended litter or not they were brought into this world by your cat and therefore you do have a duty to care for them and re-home responsibly. There are solutions to the problem if you just do a little legwork. I know you care about them enough to do that to ensure that they have happy and healthy futures! 

Some of them have been eating her hard food. 

I don't know of any people who get their cats altered before sending them to new homes, and it's going to be harder to get rid of them if people have to pay for them up front. If the new owners have that extra couple of months to take them to the vet to get fixed etc. they are more inclined to take them.It's not that we don't want them, it's just we can't afford to feed them if we have to wait for people to want to pay for them.

And look how well that worked out with you, whoever you got your cats from clearly just passed on the "it's there problem" and what a problem it's become!

Your kittens are from a brother x sister mating, what if someone takes 2 of your kittens and does the same thing, such a high level of inbreeding is not good at all.

There are places that will speuter for as low as $10, part of being a responsible owner is ensuring these kittens get the best possible start. You can also have the new owners pay the neutering & vets cost as the adoption fee

I don't know what places you're taking about, it's going to cost 45$ + tax for each cat. So you're saying we're not responsible for not having the money to get cats fixed? What do you people have up your butts. We're giving the BEST start, no one want more then one kitten to begin with.

Let me get this straight. you added a third unaltered female cat to a 1 bedroom apartment? Why on earth did you get a THIRD cat if you didn't have the money to care for the other 2? BTW, I wouldn't complain that people are getting off topic when you do something so foolish. This site is PRO SPAY/ NEUTER btw. That is why we question your motives.

It was male, and we saved him. Someone dumped a box of 5-6 week old kittens near my girlfriends parents house, they couldn't take him in because my mom is allergic so we went and took him home. She didn't want him to die in the heat with no food or water. I understand this site is pro neutering, and we are getting our cats fixed. I really don't think people are as dumb as you guys think they are. People get there cats fixed ASAP to avoid this, we couldn't due to a money problem. 

 

[jennyr]

We all understand the problems here and we need to think of creative constructive advice. I do agree that the momcat's behaviour is likely because she does need more food, preferably wet. Can you give her KMR (kitten milk) to drink too - that is very nutritious and at a month old the kittens will drink it too and take some of the burden of feeding off her. Have they started showing interest in eating by themselves yet? If not, you can help the mom by trying to get them to eat some soupy wet kitten food nashed up with water or stock or kitten milk (not cows milk of course). The mom will want to spend more and more time away from the kittens now and some of her behaviour may be because she is getting bored with them. She could also even be coming into heat again so you will need to be careful and watch for that.

I can understand that you are keen to find the kittens good homes. But do try and keep them with their mom as long as possible. Kittens who are separated at less than 8 weeks often suffer behaviour and health problems later, and really 10 weeks should be considered a minimum. So even though money is very tight, do all you can to keep them with mom till then.

 

[kazhang]

We all understand the problems here and we need to think of creative constructive advice. I do agree that the momcat's behaviour is likely because she does need more food, preferably wet. Can you give her KMR (kitten milk) to drink too - that is very nutritious and at a month old the kittens will drink it too and take some of the burden of feeding off her. Have they started showing interest in eating by themselves yet? If not, you can help the mom by trying to get them to eat some soupy wet kitten food nashed up with water or stock or kitten milk (not cows milk of course). The mom will want to spend more and more time away from the kittens now and some of her behaviour may be because she is getting bored with them. She could also even be coming into heat again so you will need to be careful and watch for that.
I can understand that you are keen to find the kittens good homes. But do try and keep them with their mom as long as possible. Kittens who are separated at less than 8 weeks often suffer behaviour and health problems later, and really 10 weeks should be considered a minimum. So even though money is very tight, do all you can to keep them with mom till then.

We keep her with her kittens when we are not home so if she is in heat again we can intervene. We plan to keep them about 10 weeks, apparently they can pick up other things from their mothers in those extra 2 weeks. 

Could we add like chicken stock to her dry food? Would that help? I mean instead of wet food.

 

[missymotus]

I don't know what places you're taking about, it's going to cost 45$ + tax for each cat. So you're saying we're not responsible for not having the money to get cats fixed? 

$45 is still an awesome price for neutering. And yes being responsible owners means getting pets when you can afford them, feeding them well and ensuring all their vets needs (vaccinations, neutering etc.) are taken care of. You can google "responsible cat ownership" and get hundreds of sites listing those basics and more.

Take a look in the pregnant cats section, see how many cats are pregnant because people say they couldn't afford to fix them - despite the fact that raising a litter costs way more than neutering in the first place, or how many are fostering cats that were dumped at the shelter for "going out and getting themselves pregnant". Wouldn't it be nice if your litter was fixed and you never have to worry that those kittens will go on to have kittens of their own.

EB's suggestion of seeing if a shelter can help while you foster them is an excellent idea and certainly worth looking in to. 

Feeding the mum and kittens properly is imperative to their health, there was a thread just started on affordable wet food 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/249304/wet-food-on-a-tight-budget

Also, it's great your boy is neutered just be aware he's still fertile for up to 2 months so don't allow him near your girl until she is done. 

 

[eb24]

Some of them have been eating her hard food. 

I don't know of any people who get their cats altered before sending them to new homes, and it's going to be harder to get rid of them if people have to pay for them up front. If the new owners have that extra couple of months to take them to the vet to get fixed etc. they are more inclined to take them.It's not that we don't want them, it's just we can't afford to feed them if we have to wait for people to want to pay for them.

I don't know what places you're taking about, it's going to cost 45$ + tax for each cat. So you're saying we're not responsible for not having the money to get cats fixed? What do you people have up your butts. We're giving the BEST start, no one want more then one kitten to begin with.

It was male, and we saved him. Someone dumped a box of 5-6 week old kittens near my girlfriends parents house, they couldn't take him in because my mom is allergic so we went and took him home. She didn't want him to die in the heat with no food or water. I understand this site is pro neutering, and we are getting our cats fixed. I really don't think people are as dumb as you guys think they are. People get there cats fixed ASAP to avoid this, we couldn't due to a money problem. 

I know some of them have but that young they have a hard time chewing it really good and it can be really hard on their stomachs. 

I don't agree that it's harder to adopt them out if they have to pay upfront- I think a lot of people prefer it because then they don't have to take the time to get it all done. Usually people end up in exactly the situation you are in: they meant to have the kitten fixed but didn't have enough time, money, ect. I do think people are willing to pay so long as you provide paperwork of what was done. If they can't afford it then they are not suitable candidates for adoption. Do you want your kittens to go to homes of people who can't afford their most basic care taking needs? That is not responsible re-homing. 

I agree with MM, there are a lot of places that do spay/neuter for as little as $10. You are not irresponsible for not having the money to get the kittens fixed but, rather, were irresponsible in not fixing the Mom to begin with. I too live in a one bedroom apartment and have no problems keeping my resident cat and my foster Moms separated. Doors are magical that way. And you can't say that no one wants more than one kitten- you yourself took litter mates. You can vouch for how easily this kind of situation can happen- do you really think it wouldn't happen again if the kittens new owners choose not to fix them? The only way to stop the cycle is to take care of it yourself. 

I understand you tried to do a good thing in saving you most recent cat, but you can't help others if you can't help yourself. Part of being a responsible pet owner is living within your means and being able to afford their most basic necessities. If that's not feasible then adding another pet shouldn't be either. I would have been looking for a no-kill shelter to take him or putting up ads trying to adopt him out. 

As far as adding chicken stock to dry food: that isn't going to add much in the way of calories and has a lot of sodium which isn't good for cats. Also, wetting down dry food is dangerous because bacteria can grow very quickly. There is no substitute to adding raw meat or wet food to her diet. 

 

[Willowy]

Buying chicken stock would probably cost more than buying some canned Friskies. . .