I am fostering a mom cat and 5 kittens for the humane society (i am 13) and the mom is kinda strange .... she growls (for no reason even when no one is in the room) but then she rubs on me and is very loving (huh???) why? THe kittens CRY AND CRY a lot and i am wondering if she isn't able to care for them all (maybe a fist time mother) and should i help her with feeding stimilating them to use bathroom (i know how) the humane society people said that if i handle them at all the mom will reject them is this true? How can I make her more comfortable? thanks (
Like the other poster commented, give mom some time to get the hang of it. If she is abandoning the kittens often and not feeding them, then you have a problem. You don't want to suppliment kitten formula unless you have to because mother's milk provides colostrum and this literally gives the kittens her strengthened immune system to help them fight off deseases for life. However, if she is neglecting them, or they are crying constantly (instead of contently sleeping most of the time) then maybe she doesn't have enough milk or like you said is too young of a mother. I have always heard people say that if you handle kittens too much the mother will abandon them ..... in 36 years (and I have had kittens in my life most every year I can remember) I have never, ever had that problem. If the mother is a wild cat and has not been socialized to human smells and touch, then the forgein smell of humans on her kittens might scare her away enough to actually do this, but a cat who has been domesticated and is used to your smell and touch likely won't mind. I've always handled my kittens within a few days of birth and never has a mother rejected her kittens because of it. Keep mommy cat secluded in a quiet, dim place where there is little noise, little foot traffic and some privacy. Watch to make sure she is nursing and watch what the kittens are doing. Are they latching on? Do they need help to latch on. Do they nurse for a while and then let go and start crying (a sign her milk isn't coming in )...? If so go ahead and suppliment with kitten milk a few times a day. The growling .... that is a mystery. I can't say I have seen that. Have you caught her in the act to see what she is growling at? If it is her kittens then that worries me. Maybe they are bitting her nipples hard and she is giving them warnings? Anyway, watch them closely tonight and observe some of this behavior and you'll know what needs to be done. good luck!
Mother cats can be reaallly protective. I still have scars from one I fostered. I think she may be afraid you're going to hurt her kittens.
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I don't think that much crying is a good sign. I think you need to talk to your foster home coordinator and let them know what's going on. You may need to help the mom, but if she's growling, it may be difficult to handle them. See what they want you to do. Because if you do handle them and get bit, they will be upset that you didn't let them know what was going on.
Good luck to you. I hope you can get some direction from the humane society!
Yes that is true. If you hold a mama cats kittens she will sometimes reject them because you get your scent on them and sometimes they wont. I am pretty sure.
I say look up answers on Google and write notes on what you find. That will help a lot. There is a lot of questions on there about mama cats and kittens: D
Hope I helped: D
Just wondering its not a prrr correct? But i would let the mom do a few things 1st to see if shes doing the job right and if not then take over from there.
Are her growls aggressive sounding? If not it might be painful for the mother if the babies are suckling to hard.
Please call your vet immediately.
