My cat is hiding her kittens?

Question

My cat had 4 kittens 4 weeks ago. She's been fine about letting my partner and I touch them and hold them. They have a large box in oour living room with a sheltered area and a play area, which is where she gave birth originally, she's been fine with it all this time and its clean and warm. Today for the first time she has been picking the kittens up and trying to hide them in my shoe cabinet in the bedroom. Why is she doing this and other than placing them immediately back in their box what can I do?

Answer 1

she want to keep them safe. let her do this, but keep an eye on the babies

Answer 2

i had a cat that did the same thing but she hid hers behind the computer desk. i let her hide them during the day and then put her and the kittens in a kennel at night, taking the door off of the kennel and turning it sideways, so only she could get out of the kennel with no kittens. Eventually she gave up on hiding them.

I think what it is is that she feels the kittens are being handled too much and she wants somewhere where she feels her babies are safe, especially if you all have a lot of friends coming and going. Best thing is to let her be. Cause all you are going to do is keep putting the kittens back where you want them and she is going to keep trying to put them where she wants them. Call it a power struggle in the cat world. Nine times out if ten the cat always wins. i had one cat that had her kittens in my bedroom and always kept them in the birthing box until they could get up and walk on their own. Then she took them and hid herself and the kittens under my bed. Had no choice but to leave her alone. She felt more comfortable under there.

Answer 3

This is something that mother cats do sometimes. Is there a lot of traffic around that area that she is in? If so she is just trying to protect them and I would let her do her thing.. Since the kittens are 4 weeks old, they will soon be scampering about, and will find their own space. Things will work out I'm sure. Try moving the box in your bedroom where it is probably more out of the way,and maybe that will make her happy.

Answer 4

This is very normal cat behavior. She does not feel they are safe where they are. You should let her for now as long as you know where they are and it actually is a safe place. You can move the box to where she has picked. For now try to limit strangers visiting, and give her some privacy. The kittens do need to be socialized but your immediate family it plenty of people.
If you keep putting them back she may pick a more obsucre less safe place to move them. Sometimes mother does know best. Enjoy it won't last long.

Answer 5

The kittens may be getting about quite well, by now. I think moma cat no longer feels that her kittens are safe ... she's not comfortable with them wondering all over the place. My moma cats have done this as well.

If and when they did this, I usually put the kittens in a box and moved them to a enclosed area, like my closet. The moma cats are usually happy with this "relocation". The kittens can't wonder off and the closet is dark and private.

BTW: You should, periodically, take the kittens out and play with/exercise them. They need to learn that humans are their friends, and nothing to be leary of.

Edit: It's not advisable to just let her hide them about the house. One of my moma cats hid one of her kittens in the couch. When my son sat down, not knowing the kitten was in there ... he accidentally crushed the kitten ... it was a terrible thing to see. :(

Answer 6

cats when pregnant know what to do when they have the kittens...when a pregnant mother has her kittens she feels in danger of her surroundings that's why she is very quiet and that is why she eats what is left over from the birth....she may be carrying her kittens somewhere dark of away from people because she feels that her and her kittens are safer in that space....i only know this because i'm studying to become a vet...and i want to specialize in cats...i would reccomend letting her keep her kittens in that place.....at least she feels comfortable and safe....it could really put stress on a mother cat if you keep moving her kittens back to another spot. my cat did the same thing only she kept putting her kittens under the reclining chair...and we had to move them...but i noticed after about the 3rd time we moved the kittens she started neglecting the kittens so i recommend that you leave the kittens where she put them if that is an inconvience then put the kittens and her in another closet or a dark secluded space away from busy areas

Answer 7

I think this happens because in the wild, cats had to frequently move and hide their young to protect them from predators. I think it is just an inert response that is left over from their wild days. Every female cat I have ever had that had kittens did this. It is annoying especially when they hide them in places you can't find them and you are trying to get the kittens used to human contact so they won't be ferrel. I wouldn't fret, but might want to consider a temporary cage with a lock until the kittens get a bit older.

Answer 8

Maybe a stranger came in and picked up one of her kittens? Momma cats are very protective, and if she was fine with you and your partner before, something must have spooked her to the point of wanting to move them to protect them. Momma cats hide their kittens, its natural, but since it took 4 weeks for her to do it, something recent must have frightened her. Its good for the kittens to socialize with people, so they still need to be around you, so you need to figure out what the problem could have been. Don't let your friends come over and grab the kittens, I know they won't hurt them, but their momma doesn't know that.

Answer 9

How much attention are you giving the kittens? Too much? Mama cat is protective, and knows her role as mama cat. Please respect her need to protect them, and the privacy. A cute story when my sister was a baby, our cat had kittens in a cupboard, one day when my sis wasn't in her crib-mama cat put her babies in the crib. It's best for kittens to not be touched by humans too much at first, a llittle at a time. Enjoy!

Answer 10

Cats naturally move their kittens.When my cat had had her kittens she constantly moved them,we couldn't keep up.Just let her do her thing.She is going to keep them safe,it's her maternal instincts.I would also suggest to stop touching the kittens too much and do not let anyone else touch them.She'll eat her kitten if she smells another humans scent on them.It's gross but true.

Answer 11

cuz the cat need a quit place so the the kittens to rest if not make her leand to keep the kittens in the box