My cat is trying to move her kittens ..how can I help her feel safe?

Question

I have a foster cat with her 2 kittens in a HUGE kennel so she and her kittens can walk and play .
she keeps trying to take them out..how can I get her to not do that. I understand why she is doing it but it's the safest place for them.

I have the back and sides covered with a sheet to make her feel safe, should I cover the front with one also to make her feel safe ?

Answer 1

Honey I was in a similar situation at one time. If you have a large walk in closet. I would keep her in there. It worked real well for me.Then she can get out and stretch and I just fixed up a litter box for her and her food and water. She was very content. God Bless you for caring for your cat.

Answer 2

I have only helped birth one set of kittens in my life. A foster cat that was not doing well at the shelter, so I took her. She did the same thing yours is doing so I left her bed and the kennel, door off, in a storage room where she didn't have many options. She would move them everyday from the bed to the kennel and back again. She did it for about a week, we stayed away and did not handle the kittens, we fed the mama, Allie, very quietly and then all of a sudden she chilled. It was almost like she thought we were a predator at the time and once she trusted us she was totally different.
Good luck, hope this helped.

Answer 3

Is she in the house or the garage in this kennel- if she is a stray cat she isn't going to feel safe for a while since she is use to fending for her self, but if you have her in the house, put the kennel in a room that no one goes into (at least not a lot) and open the kennel door and leave the room she will come out and look for a place to put them where her instincts tell her she & her babies will be safe, or put the kennel behind a bunch of boxes or a wall of some sort so she feels as if she is hidden, do you have a litter box in this kennel for her to use? She will want to use one or the dirt outside (if stray) sooner or later. But if she is a stray she will want to hunt for food for her babies also-this is her instincts, so you may have to gain her trust and help her to know your there to help and not hurt her and the babies! Good Luck!

Answer 4

The best thing you can do is to fina a private room to move her and the kitties into and give her a good size box with a towel to keep her kitties in. Keep her locked in there until the kitties are at least 6 weeks old. Go in a couple times a day to feed and water her and handle the kittens a little bit. If you mess with them too much she will be nervous and anxious so do not bother them too much until they are 3-4 weeks old. Once they are walking good start offering them soft food (either canned or hard food soaked in water). Some will start eating earlier than others but just let them take it at their own pace. Once the kittens are all eating start offering food a couple times a day and consider taking the mom in to get fixed. She will be able to come back to her kitties the same day. Talk to your vet for specific recommendations as to the best time to have her fixed. There may also be places to get her fixed for free or help with the cost. Ask your vet if they know or call the local ASPCA, humane society, or animal shelter. She is obviously a bad mom and there is no reason for her to keep having more babies.

Answer 5

Yes. From experience, mama cats like their privacy. My cats when they had their kittens used to try to move them to the cabinet or under the sink or where the laundry was; anywhere where it was dark and quiet. Cover the front of the kennel with a another sheet and make sure wherever you have kennel it's quiet. She should be more comfortable then. Good Luck!

Answer 6

A momma cat with kittens will want to keep them in a small warm cozy place - like a cupboard or a box or a closet. I don't know how huge your kennel is (I have an outdoor one for my 2 cats that measure 13 ft x 7ft x 7ft), but if it is hude enough for the cats to walk around in, why not make a cosy corner in there for moma cat to keep her kittens. Get a hude carboard box or something, line it with towels or old blankets, turn it upside down and cut a small entry way in one side of it. See if momma cat will likehat better.

Answer 7

It is normal for a momma cat to try to move her babies. She may feel safe in the spot you have created for her, but needs to have a back-up (perhaps - if you have an active house - where she can feel things are more quiet). If you can, create another 'nest' in a closet close by for her (attract her to it with one of her current blankets, maybe even put it in a drawer with sides so she feels they are extra safe and show her where it is). Do not cover the front of the kennel entirely or she will feel too confined. You may want to leave at least a 'cat door' size opening so she feels she is in more of a den.

Answer 8

You've earned a special seat upstairs for doing this. I would try covering the front too. If there is room is it possible for you to put a box on its side in there so that she would feel a little more cocooned and out of view? Often new mothers will take their babies to dark, secluded places like inside the closet. I'm thinking that the space she has is too big for her to feel secure and comfortable.. Do you absolutely need to keep them in the kennel? Think about letting the mother out and see where she will take her babies and work around her choice? She is doing what's natural and probably knows better than us humans.

Answer 9

are you messing with the kennel to much? You said it's a huge kennel, might be to big, cats like tight places, that where they feel secure. Try giving her a box inside the kennel just big enough for her and the kittens and a whole just big enough for her to get in.

Answer 10

It might be too open of a space...with no privacy. I'm guessing it's in open view and people stare at them. Try placing a little box or something off to the corner where she can go with her babies and be alone. We have 4 grown cats and they have plenty of places to hide in the house. One of the things we have is an old doll play pin. We have it on it's side with a towel hanging over it as a "door". That's a favorite place. Try to come up with something as well, and if they go in there, don't allow people to violate their "space".

Answer 11

Maybe you should partition off part of the area so her space with her kittens is smaller. Usually cats prefer a smaller area. It seems to make them feel more relaxed and secure. The sheets are a great idea.