help with kittens?

Question

i have a mother cat and her 5 kittens. they were in her cat bed but as this had kitty poop on it i had to clean it my vet said that would be ok. she has her kitty bed back but now is trying to move the kittens to inside a couch in the garage i usually wouldnt mind but the kittens seem to be getting pussie eyes and seem to be snezzing alot. i have got stuff to fix eyes from vet but they keep getting it from being moved to this dirty couch. how do i stop her from doing this i have tried moving kittens back to where she had them in the beging but she just moves them back. oh and she doesnt care if i touch them so if people think thats the problem she places kittens on my lap her self.

Answer 1

This is why you always keep the towel or the sheet the mother gave birth on.


The reason she doesn't like the kitty bed anymore is because it doesn't smell like her or her kittens anymore. As a mother of NUMEROUS kittens and caretaker of NUMEROUS Queens (Nursing mother cats), place a blanket or sheet over the couch and allow her to put the kittens there.


Trust me on this. I just lost a two week old kitten because the mother kept moving it because she didn't like where I put them. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN THIS FIGHT.


Let her have the couch. Put an old blanket or sheet over it to protect them.

Answer 2

Put something else that she sleeps on or that she is around a lot over the bedding or next to it or something. She is only doing that because you washed it. It took away the smell and she is going to keep moving them until she is happy. You could take a cushion off the couch and clean it up a little and let her sleep on it in the house or something like that. But until she is happy with where her kittens are she will keep on moving them. When my cat had kittens she was like that. She would go and hide them so we couldn't find them to move them back to where we wanted them to lay. LOL. So we would put something she slept on from where she was moving them into the box and she would lay there with them. Try that and if it doesn't work just make her leave them there. If she is smart enough you can kinda holler at her and she will put them back. Good luck.

Answer 3

Is there a way to keep her from getting into the garage or maybe something you could cover the couch up with in the garage? Change the couch someway where it's not as appealing to her. I have done this before when cats want to lay in a certain spot. I place something over it or change something to where they don't want to go there anymore. I also had a cat that kept moving her kittens. I kept moving them back and eventually I guess she got tired of it and left them where I moved them. Try fixing her another bed and try to make it as appealing to her as possible. Good luck.

Answer 4

Hi there;
Congrats on the new arrivals. :)
First, cats will often "move" their offspring. Normally the queen will seek out several places prior to birthing where she can stash the kittens. One of those places happens to be in an unhealthy location for the kittens. What you can do is offer your queen (momma cats are called queens and rightly so too ;) ) a more suitable place.
Pick out a closet that has dim light, is mostly secluded, and gives the air of security for your cat. Put clean soft towels down in the closet for her and her kittens. Show your queen this new safe place. Offer alternative places that are equally clean and safe for her kittens. You can go to a pet store and buy one of those tunnels that have carpet on them as an example. In short offer places around the inside of your home that your queen will find acceptable. Move your new kittens to one of those locations while making very clear that the old sofa is now off limits. You do this by showing your momma cat that you have secured the couch in such a way as to make it impossible for her to access it. She will get the message.
Please be patient with the new momma queen. She probably associates the old couch with comfort and safety. You have to show her that there are other places which are equally comfortable and safe. :D
Good luck.

Answer 5

I have experienced this a lot of times. When my cat gave birth, I put them all in thier cat bed. And touched and held the kitties alot of times. The problem is that the mom cat doesn't want to be disturbed, she is trying to protect her babies and hid them under my couch. So the next time my cat gave birth, I kept them in a peaceful place(It may be okay to place them beside the couch, and cover the cat bed with a blanket, but have space to put the entrance and exit for the mom cat to go out to eat or do stuff. They just want privacy, so they don't really like to be seen that much.) where there is not too much lights,(They do not like big bright lights, just give them one little light, is enough, just make sure there aren't too many!) including a comfy cat bed with soft blankets. Anyway, just try not to disturb them once in awhile. You can get a peek or two just not too much.

Hope this helps!

Answer 6

The reason she is moving them in to the couch is it is like a den. Her babies are going to be, or already are crawling around. Wild cats keep their litters in the dens to protect them, as well as keeping the kittens rounded up. Give your cat a deep box and close half of the top this give the safe feeling. She can still jump out but the kittens can't. Make sure to put it in a low traffic out of the way place. Ive raised many litters. Had problems in the begging just like this then I started using the deep box and momma's happy, and feels safe about taking a break from her babies. You can usually get a good free box from a hardware store or other places that get their freight in boxes. Good luck and have lots of fun with them.

Answer 7

This is tricky. Mother cats always look for somewhere they feel is secure to put their kittens and will keep putting them back there even if you move them repeatedly.

When our cat had her kittens we got her a nice box lined with old blankets but everytime I tried putting the kitties in there she just moved them back under the bed!!!

Maybe you could try putting a nice clean blanket or sheet on the couch so they aren't directly on the grubby bits, or cleaning it up a bit if you can (though not with anything that might be irritant to them). Perhaps if you moved her food and water close to a nice basket or box indoors she might be tempted to move there for conveniences sake?

I don't think touching them yourself is a problem - if your cat trusts you she won't mind you occasionally picking them up - but she will keep putting them wherever she thinks is best out of harms way from preditors.

Answer 8

She is stressed out by the moving and the trips to the vet.

Take Mom and the kittens into the house, and shut them in a room she cannot get out of. Keep them in there. Put food, water, and a litterbox in there for the momma-kitty.

Apply the eye medication as the vet directed.

Some young or inexperienced, or simply nervous older females will be upset by a lot of attention/stress on the litter.

Give them as much privacy and peace as possible.

Answer 9

Since you washed her kitty bed it no longer would have her smell on it. Put a towel on the old couch she is using and after a few days take the towel in to the kitty bed and she if she will stay there.

Answer 10

You should put stuff on that couch so they won't go on it. if that wont work then do what the first person said because i have a cat an when i have cloths on my bed she always goes on them.