Aggressive New Mom

Question
My indoor cat just had her first litter on March 1st. She's wonderful with us, allowing us to touch the babies and be in the same room with them, but we have had to isolate her and the three kittens in a bedroom because when she sees one of our other cats, she starts a huge fight. I understand being protective of the babies, and we do have a young male ( approx. 9 months) that isn't fixed yet, but how long will the aggressiveness continue for? When will it be safe for us to let her and the babies out in a few weeks?

Answer
Jennifer,

In households where a pregnant queen lives with other pets it's in her best interests to be kept separated from her 'siblings' starting at least a couple of weeks before the babies are to be born. Some pets will view newborn kittens as prey which usually doesn't end well for the babies. Intact toms that have reached or passed sexual maturity will often kill young kittens so that the queen will come back into estrus more quickly than she would if she continued to raise her babies which allows the boys to mate with her much sooner than they would normally be able to. In some cases queens with newborn kittens can become pregnant as early as 24 hours after giving birth to their babies which is potentially harmful for the momma cat because her body hasn't had time to recover from the pregnancy which can increase the likelihood of potentially serious health issues for mom and/or her next litter of babies. In some cases if moms aren't properly handled and/or isolated from other pets in the household before they have their kittens or shortly afterwards they will become so severely stressed that they will kill (and often eat) their offspring.

Since mom is showing some signs of distress as a result of not being separated from other pets in the household prior to having kittens I'd recommend that you consider adding a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy to her drinking water over a period of several days. You can also speed up her response to this remedy by gently massaging a few drops of this remedy into the relatively fur free area of skin in front of her ears, but do be careful not to get any Rescue Remedy into her ears as this can cause some stinging (the flower essences are preserved in a grape alcohol solution). You can give mom Rescue Remedy as often as you think she needs it by either adding it to a clean bowl filled with fresh water or massaging it into her skin like I've described above. This remedy is one that I keep on hand in my feline first aid kit and my human first aid kit because it's incredibly effective but it's safe and gentle too. This remedy will not hurt the nursing kittens and can even be used safely in pregnant queens and young kittens. You can usually find Rescue Remedy in health food stores, naturopathic pharmacies and in some mainstream drug stores (Shoppers Drug Mart in my area carries this remedy so your local Shoppers may carry it as well).

At this point I have a few recommendations for you to help ensure that mom is kept as calm as possible and she has the best possible environment to raise her babies properly. Giving these kittens the best possible start in life and minimizing mom's stress levels by keeping her isolated until the kittens are bigger, stronger and more mobile. Contrary to popular belief it's not in the best interests of mother cats or their kittens to rush their early development by preventing mom from providing the care her babies need and teaching them the skills they'll need to be happy, healthy, sane and well balanced throughout their lives. While kittens CAN be weaned at 5-7 weeks of age it's not something that SHOULD happen unless there's a medical reason to do so such as mom developing mastitis (a painful infection of the mammary glands). Many people believe that the earlier you bring your kitten home the better off s/he is, unfortunately this is just not the case. Over the years I've observed many queens with their kittens and what I've learned is that kittens who have been separated from their mom and littermates as early as 5-8 weeks old are more likely to develop serious behavioral issues that can be difficult to resolve and this is something to be avoided at all costs if possible because according to some sources the leading cause of death in North American pet cats is euthanasia secondary to behavioral issues.

The first 12 weeks of a kitten's life are crucial in terms of their development and socialization and I've always recommended that the babies stay with mom and their littermates for at least 12 weeks - recently it seems that behaviorists and veterinarians are beginning to realize this as well. A nursing queen will usually wean her babies around 8-9 weeks of age on her own. A common misconception many people have is that if you don't see the kittens nursing they're completely weaned, with kittens, just like human babies weaning is something that moms do gradually over a period of time. Newborn kittens spend the majority of their day nursing in order to facilitate the rapid period of growth that takes place within the first 12 weeks of life. As the kittens get stronger, bigger, more independent and their mobility increases mom will begin gradually spending more time further from her kittens eventually forcing them to come to her if they want to nurse. The next stage of the weaning process begins with the kittens watching their mother eat solid foods, as the time between feedings increases and the amount of time mom allows the babies to nurse on her decreases her milk supply will gradually decrease. For some kittens this is all the motivation they require to begin eating solid food, other kittens may need some help from patient, gentle and persistant human caregivers to get the idea that they should be eating the same food as their mom eats.

Obviously providing any cat or kitten with a high quality, species appropriate diet is important, however a proper diet is crucial for pregnant/nursing queens so that they have the resources to provide for the requirements placed on their system during pregnancy and while they're nursing. In the event that a pregnant/nursing queen isn't getting a high quality, properly balanced species appropriate diet it's important to realize that her body will steal nutrition from anywhere it has to in order to ensure the survival and health of her babies which may result in serious health issues for that momma kitty at any given point in time. It's been my experience that the vast majority of pet foods for sale in pet supply stores really don't come close to the level of quality that I'd expect based on the price we're being asked to pay for them. Contrary to the belief that the pet food industry and many veterinarians have been nurturing for years the basic nutritional needs of cats don't change much beyond serving sizes and the frequency that meals should be offered at different stages of their lives. I have yet to see an older cat try to find a high fibre rodent or bird somewhere, I haven't seen kittens under a year old go looking for a high fat, high protein mouse and although the pet food industry (and some veterinarians) does its best to persuade pet parents that their pet has different nutritional needs in each stage of

While many pet food manufacturers and name brands claim that they offer the healthiest, most complete diets for cats with differing ages, activity levels and overall health status the reality is that in the majority of cases this just isn't the case. Cats have particularly unique nutritional needs because of the fact that they're obligate carnivores which simply means that cats must eat a meat based diet in order to be healthy and have all of the different systems within their body function well. Reading the ingredients on pet food labels it's difficult to know precisely what is actually in the food, in general the more processed a food is, the less useful the nutrients normally found in that food are for most cats. Unfortunately the pet food industry is very poorly regulated and there's very little accountability when things go wrong as we all saw during the Menu Food pet food recalls when someone's desire to increase their profit margin resulted in tens of thousands of pets losing their lives or becoming chronically ill with renal failure as a result of eating tainted pet food. Here are some sites on feline nutrition that you may want to check out:

- www.catinfo.org

This site was recommended to my by our family veterinarian after I lost trust in the pet food industry - my eldest cat nearly died as a result of eating melamine tainted pet food in 2007 which hadn't yet made the recall list by the time she got sick. I had asked veterinarians over the years about making my own cat food and generally the response was that such a practice would be detrimental to the health of my cats so just like many other pet parents before and after me followed the recommendations of different veterinarians feeling that they had much more education than I did and therefore they ought to know what was best for my cats.

Sadly after the Menu Foods recalls in 2007 when I did my research I found that I'd been lied to by the pet food industry itself I've always had a keen interest in the quality and safety of the foods my cats were eating, in fact on many different occasions over the years I've called well known pet food companies individually and spoken to representatives who assured me that they were so confident in the quality and safety of their products that I would be completely comfortable eating the ingredients used to make their food. In reality the more research that I did after the Menu Foods pet food recalls in 2007 while I provided ongoing nursing care and supplemental fluids to support my kitty's kidney function the more that I realized that the pet food industry is very poorly regulated. Despite paying top dollar for a well known brand that was and still is a highly recommended pet food my cat was still in the same position as those pets who became ill after eating foods that I wouldn't have dreamed of feeding because they were relatively inexpensive and I believed that cost was an indicator of the quality of the ingredients in pet food. When I spoke with a representative of the pet food company who manufactured the food my cats were eating at the time of the Menu Foods pet food recalls she  claimed that the pet food I was feeding was made only from the finest ingredients and under the most sanitary conditions. Unfortunately I learned the hard way that the food I was feeding my cats clearly wasn't all that high quality after all.

The vast majority of pet parents truly believe that their veterinarian has received extensive training in the nutritional needs of companion animals and how best to meet those needs. In reality vets are given a fairly cursory tour of pet nutrition, when they go into practice major pet food companies kindly finish that education with scientific studies and other such information. The catch is that some pet food manufacturers will either supply pet food to a veterinary clinic at a nominal price or actually pay veterinarians a stipend to recommend their particular products to pet parents, the unsuspecting clients of vet clinics. As far as I'm concerned the claims of pet food manufacturers involved in the Menu Foods pet food recalls of 2007 that the pet food industry is tightly regulated are essentially like suggesting that allowing a cat with a predatory interest in all birds to keep song birds eating at a feeder safe.

In my opinion there are a few issues that make me doubt that there are any real standards in place with regards to the quality and safety of pet foods being marketed to consumers. In some cases the marketing plays to our hope that pet food companies see our pets the same way that we do - as members of our family, unfortunately as far as I know there are very few regulations in place to keep our pets safe and ensure that basic standards are in place within the pet food industry with regards to such basics as what is and isn't an appropriate ingredient and the quality and origin of the actual ingredients that find their way into pet foods. There's little accountability and the rules that pet food manufacturers say are in place really aren't there, disturbing reality is that pet food manufacturers are often permitted to pay veterinarians to recommend their products based on data that hasn't been confirmed by an objective outside source for products that the pet food industry.

In spite of being told many times over the years by different veterinarians that I would be taking a chance with the lives of my feline companions if I made their food at home the reality is that making a high quality cat food at home really isn't all that difficult or expensive - in fact it takes me roughly an hour to make a batch of homemade cat food. Of course there are a few supplements that I need to add and they range in cost from roughly 5 cents a batch to 50 cents a batch depending on the individual supplement. The local butcher is where I get my muscle meat and organ meats and for one batch of food it costs me around 30 dollars or so for certified organic muscle meat and organs. Initially your start up costs if you do want to make your own cat food are relatively minor - you'll need a good meat grinder capable of grinding raw bones (NEVER feed a cat of any age cooked bones for any reason, they can splinter and become potentially dangerous choking hazards).

- catnutrition.org

This website is mentioned at catinfo.org and it provides more detailed information on feline nutritional needs as well as a recipe that makes more food. This is the recipe that I use because I have multiple cats and the batch lasts my 3 resident cats around 2 weeks give or take a few days either way.

- www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/pet_food_what_you_need_to_know.html

This website helps pet parents to understand what all of the ingredients in their pet's food actually are as well as the potentially serious effects some of these ingredients can have on their pet's long term health and wellbeing. Some of the information here will shock you, but it's important to have all of the facts that you can when it comes to making decisions about the best possible nutrition for your cats. If you have a sensitive stomach I don't recommend reading this article while you eat since some of the content is less than appetizing.

In a population of cats where there isn't much human intervention mother cats keep their babies well hidden and they generally aren't introduced to the rest of the population until they're 8+ weeks of age. It's my opinion that you'll want to keep the kittens separate from the other cats until they're at least that age, particularly if the other cats haven't been properly vaccinated at least once in their lives or they're indoor/outdoor kitties since they could potentially bring home viral/bacterial infections that could have little to no effect on older cats but these infections could prove life threatening or even fatal for very young kittens because they're born with a very immature immune system. Contrary to popular belief the traditional vaccine schedules are actually excessive, there's good current evidence that over-vaccinating cats and kittens can result in a number of serious health issues such as vaccine related cancerous tumors, increases in malignant tumors, auto-immune disorders, severe allergies, kidney failure or even multiple organ failure. While nursing the kittens do receive some antibodies from mom which help to reduce the chances that they'll get sick, but maternal antibodies don't provide 100% protection so keeping mom and her babies isolated is best.

Many pet parents believe that kittens should be weaned by humans between 5-7 weeks of age. For many years I've observed feline behavior and found that cats who are weaned too early are more likely to have difficulty relating properly with other cats and people and in some cases these cats are more likely to develop serious behavioral issues that can result in a range of negative outcomes including: abuse, abandonment, surrender to a shelter/rescue group, euthanasia by a private veterinarian or frequent re-homing. None of these options are great for the cat and usually the cat ends up paying the ultimate price for behavioral issues eventually if s/he ends up in a home where pet parents are inexperienced, unable to seek help from their veterinarian and/or an animal behaviorist specializing in feline behavior or in some cases simply unwilling to seek help.

I've been pleasantly surprised recently to discover that more and more animal behaviorists are echoing my recommendations for ensuring that kittens are properly socialized and weaned when they're ready. It's been my experience that kittens who stay with mom for at least the first 12 weeks of life are better socialized, they've learned the basic skills they need in order to interact properly with other cats and people and they've also received the discipline they needed from mom along the way so that correcting bad behaviors is easier in the long term. Most nursing queens will wean their kittens roughly around 7-9 weeks of age on their own, during this period of time (and often beforehand) mom spends her time actively teaching her babies how to use scratch posts, litter boxes, drink water from a bowl and eat food from a plate or bowl along with other feline basics. My recommendation is to allow the mom to teach her kittens the skills they need in order to interact respectfully with other cats/human caregivers and pass along basic knowledge that will mean the kittens are less likely to be subjected to difficult or traumatic living situations. A great benefit of allowing mom to teach the kittens basic rules surrounding their conduct with other pets, people and within the household as a whole is that the little ones learn what they need to know much more quickly than they would if we were trying to teach them. For instance, a momma cat that uses a scratch pad, post or other such item teaches her kittens that they aren't to use furniture or flooring to "sharpen" their claws and when kittens learn what they're supposed to scratch early in life they're far less likely to be subjected to painful and elective declaw surgery which in turn reduces the risk that they will develop some of the problem behaviors associated with declawed cats.

I've taken the liberty of providing you with information about declawing and humane alternatives to this painful elective surgery. Many pet parents declaw their cats to prevent them from destroying their furniture in the belief that there isn't any other way to avoid expensive damage to their furniture and possessions, the reality is that cats are highly intelligent and more trainable than most people realize - with a bit of consistent training, patience and some appropriate surfaces to scratch (sturdy scratch pads, scratch posts, scratch mats, etc) they can be trained to leave your furniture alone. Some pet parents don't believe that cats are trainable, however with the right motivation you can teach virtually any cat to do just about any type of trick including leaving your sofa unshredded. For some pet parents frustration sets in during the training process and they give in to that frustration and declaw their cats without ever knowing that there are products out there to protect their furniture during the training process, there is more information about these products further along in this answer.

Many veterinarians don't take the time to inform pet parents about what's actually involved when declawing a cat. I know that you didn't contact me asking for information about declawing, however I do believe that declawing a cat isn't something that should be done without pet parents having access to information about this surgery and the potential adverse effects so that all pet parents could be aware of what this procedure entails and the fact that there are other alternatives. The information I'm sending out is meant to be a form of humane education. This isn't about judging other pet parents, it's about allowing pet parents to learn more about their cats and reduce the risk of serious medical and behavioral issues in the future.

In my years of fostering and rehabilitating countless cats of all ages with a variety of behavioral issues as well as rescuing stray and abandoned cats and kittens I've learned that most pet parents don't have the time, patience or desire to deal with urine/feces on their carpeting, bedding or other household items. Many cats who have been declawed will begin house soiling after being declawed, sometimes this happens within weeks or months of the surgery, for other cats this behavior may develop years after they've been declawed, but the vast majority of pet parents that I've dealt with who have house soiling kitties either adopted their kitty after s/he'd been declawed or actually declawed the kitty after s/he was adopted. Most pet parents also don't want to deal with the legal liability that goes along with housing a cat that bites or scratches people. Many cats who have been declawed soon discover that they've lost their primary defense (their front claws are an early warning system of sorts) and begin biting whenever they feel threatened which usually ends one of two ways for the cat - the kitty is either surrendered to a shelter or euthanized by a private veterinarian. I really believe that all cats deserve a loving forever family to care for them throughout their entire life and it's important to me that as many kitty caregivers as possible have happy, fulfilling times with their cats as possible so I've chosen to include more information for cat parents about how they can have the most rewarding relationship possible with their cats/kittens.

I was disturbed to find out how few veterinarians are quick to declaw a cat without taking the time to help cat caregivers understand exactly what the surgery involves, the risks associated with the surgery and the potential for serious behavioral, emotional and physical problems to emerge sometimes years after the surgery was performed. In any situation where we're making major decisions I really believe that it's important for pet parents to make an informed decision once they have as much information about declawing as possible and they've been made aware of training and other humane alternatives to this cosmetic surgery.

I think it's very important that pet parents understand how important claws are to a cat's physical and psychological well-being. Cats are highly intelligent and very trainable once you discover what motivates your cat or kitten - two of my three resident cats are motivated by food rewards (meat based baby food, tuna, salmon, sardines and chicken/turkey are favorites in our household), they've learned that exercising claws must be confined to scratch posts and pads and I've also managed to teach them several basic dog obedience commands, my oldest resident cat will do just about anything for praise and pets, she learned basic obedience commands and where she's permitted to exercise her claws very early (she was rescued at 1 week of age and hand reared by me). My hope for the future is that all veterinarians will be ethical enough to educate caregivers about declawing and the risks associated with this surgery and finally that pet parents will have an opportunity to learn basic training techniques so that this surgery isn't nearly as commonly performed as it is today.

Maybe some pet parents will give serious thought to this issue and try training their next cat or kitten to use scratch posts/pads and cat trees instead of exercising their claws on your furniture so that declawing is treated as a last resort. In North America the leading cause of death in cats is euthanasia performed as a direct result of behavioral issues. Many cats that become aggressive towards other pets and members of their human family or develop problems with house soiling face a number of bleak options. Some of these cats are abandoned, abused, neglected, relinquished to shelters or rescue groups or euthanized by private veterinarians.

Contrary to popular belief cats don't actually sharpen their claws when they sink their claws into furniture. Cats are actually stretching and strengthening muscles in their shoulders, back and front paws when they're clawing their scratch post or piece of furniture. Cats are very territorial animals and they communicate with each other by marking objects throughout their territory with their unique scent. When a cat 'sharpens' they're actually using scent glands located in their paws to leave a scented business card of sorts for the next cat that comes along. Cats also have scent glands in their face and the anal glands are also used for scent marking, they're located inside the cat's body on either side of the anus. Each cat's scent provides other cats with a substantial amount of information about them for other cats to take in including age, sex, reproductive status, diet and health problems.

Declawing is a cosmetic surgery for cats that's often compared to amputating human fingers at the first joint, but the surgery is somewhat more complex than that. Humans don't retract their finger tips, cats do, this means that declawing involves amputating tendons, ligaments, bone, soft tissue and the cat's nails. This is a very painful surgery - the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recommends that cats who are to be declawed be given a long acting pain reliever after they're sedated for surgery. Before the surgery begins the AVMA recommends administering nerve blocks at multiple sites in the cat's paws to minimize pain levels immediately following surgery. It's also recommended that cats that have been declawed be sent home on a strong narcotic like Fentanyl administered in patch form.

It has been my experience that cats who have been declawed are more likely to have certain behavioral issues including litter box avoidance, biting or temperament changes. I suspect that the litter box avoidance is a result of phantom limb pain, this disorder is known to occur in human beings that have lost a limb. Since cats are quite smart my guess is that the litter box issues are a direct result of the cat trying to find a less painful place to use the toilet.

Declawed cats often bite as a means of gaining the dominant position within the household hierarchy, however most cats will be more likely to bite when they feel anxious, fearful or threatened in some way. This type of behavior is a direct result of the cat feeling vulnerable most of the time - these cats typically strike out because they feel that they've lost their early warning system which eventually leads to the cat striking out defensively and biting people when they feel threatened in any way. In most cases when cats are fighting with other cats (for example to settle a territorial dispute if the usual posturing and vocalizations don't work) they don't normally defend themselves by biting, in fact they will generally opt to run away from a threat whenever possible, if they're cornered they'll use their claws on any animal or person that they view as a potential threat, biting is usually a last resort.

In my experience cats are actually quite polite with most people when they're attempting to communicate their desire to be left alone. Normally cats will start off their defense by running away and hiding. If they can't hide from a potential threat then they will begin hissing, growling and making themselves appear larger by arching their backs and having their fur stand on end. If things escalate to the point where the cats feel that they have to actually strike out defensively they'll start by swatting the offending cat or person with carefully sheathed claws, as the threat intensifies the cat will gradually increase their defensive response by scratching the cat or person that's bothering them. Cats that have been declawed will often forego the early steps in their defenses and move straight in to biting when they feel threatened. In general when cats living in stray/feral colonies the cats will usually defend their territory, determine their place within the colony's social hierarchy and solve their disputes through the use of posturing and loud vocalizations rather than taking the risk that goes along with physical fights. Intact male cats will defend their territory and discuss mating rights by engaging in displays that include caterwauling, growling and a staring contest of sorts - the winner is the cat who refuses to back away while the first kitty to back away is generally chased off by the winner of the dispute.

Some cats undergo significant changes in temperament when they come home after being declawed. I recently helped out a woman whose kittens had been the best of friends prior to their surgery and when they came home they couldn't be in the same room without a fight ensuing. I suspected that the fights were related to the post operative pain and the veterinarian not providing appropriate pain relief after the declaw surgery. I recommended that the kittens' caregiver pick up a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences that's designed to calm and reassure and head to the nearest vet clinic and request pain medications to alleviate their pain after surgery and once she gave the girls their remedy and pain relief to her surprise the cats calmed down and became close friends again almost immediately.

I do NOT recommend declawing a cat unless the cat has a medical issue such as Ehler's Danlos Syndrome (Rubber Kitten Syndrome) which can cause the cat's skin to be exceptionally stretchy and tear easily leaving kitty open to skin infections and expensive treatments. All pet parents should provide a variety of scratch pads, posts and mats which will allow their cats to choose what they like best and once a cat learns to use appropriate places to scratch they're much less likely to target furniture.

Another reason for keeping nursing queens and their kittens separate from other pets in the household is the fact that kittens are born with a very immature immune system which leaves them vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections that may not result in anything more than minor symptoms an older vaccinated kitty. Obviously another important issue is to ensure that all people handling the kittens or their mom washes their hands thoroughly before and after they handle mom or her babies to reduce the likelihood that they will contract any kind of infection.

While kittens can be weaned by people and given away as early as 6-8 weeks of age I've always cautioned pet parents against this way of doing things because in my experience kittens that are allowed to stay with mom and their littermates until they're at least 12 weeks of age because it's been my experience that kittens who are taken away from their mother too early aren't as well socialized, haven't learned some of the most basic life skills they'll need as cats and are much more likely to develop problem behaviors that might place them in less than ideal situations. Cats with behavioral issues are much more likely to be abused, abandoned, neglected, surrendered to an animal shelter or euthanized by a private veterinarian. Having the right start in life and spending the first few weeks of their lives with their mother is a great start when it comes to giving these babies the best possible chance to grow up happy, healthy, sane, well balanced and safe.

I always recommend that pet parents isolate their pregnant queens at least a couple of weeks before the babies are expected to be born for several reasons.

- Momma cat can relax knowing that she has her own private place away from the hustle and bustle of the daily routines. I generally suggest that kitty caregivers try to pick a room that young children and other pets don't have access to because the goal is simply to give mom a quiet, private and peaceful environment where she can go through the last weeks before her babies are born with as little stress as possible.

- If mom and young kittens aren't kept separate from other household pets and young children there's serious potential for kittens to be killed by other pets in the household or in some cases their own mother will kill her babies as a means of protecting them if her instincts are a little off. Mom may also become very defensively aggressive with other pets in the household which can result in nasty scratches and bite wounds. Keeping small children away from mom and her kittens when you're unable to supervise is crucial because kittens can be unintentionally injured by little children and too much handling at this stage of the game could mean that the kittens don't get the time they need to nurse from mom which can mean that they don't grow as they should. In some cases when kittens are handled too much their blood sugar will fall to a point where they may die if they aren't treated promptly by a veterinarian.

Mom's temporary nursery accommodations should be climate controlled, clean, quiet, dimly lit and equipped with everything she'll need on a daily basis. As a general rule mom should have at least two adult sized litter boxes, unlimited access to clean, fresh water at all times, scratch posts/pads (whichever your kitty prefers to use), a few toys, a couple of cozy places to rest, a birthing box. By providing mom with reasonably frequent meals made up of a high quality canned cat food such as Wellness or a properly balanced homemade diet such as those recommended on the websites I've included with this answer. As for the pet food industry's claim that cats at different stages of life require dramatically different nutrition this isn't actually the case, foods labelled as nutritionally adequate during different life stages are simply a way for pet food companies to make more money, a cat's age determines the frequency and size of meals rather than what the meals are made up of. Feeding mom (and later her babies) often and frequently is better, most cats prefer to eat 5+ small meals each day rather than snacking constantly or having 1-2 large meals during any given day. A quiet, dimly lit room equipped with all of the usual feline creature comforts such as scratch posts, food, water, litterboxes (at least two adult sized litter pans and one baby sized litter box should be introduced when the kittens are a couple of weeks old so that mom can begin potty training with the kittens), toys and a birthing box (a cardboard box large enough for mom to stretch out comfortably to nurse her kittens lined with thick old towels or a small blanket works well as a birthing box/nursery for mom to care for her kittens) will help to minimize mom's anxiety and aggression towards the other pets in the household. If mom is permitted to leave her nursery and mingle with other pets in your home be prepared for some defensive aggression if any of the other pets go too close to her temporary quarters, it's mom's way of protecting her babies from very real threats.

Unlike human mothers lactation doesn't hinder a cat's ability to become pregnant, in fact some queens can get pregnant as early as 24 hours after giving birth which is why it's so important to keep mom separated from intact males until she's been spayed. Allowing a queen to become pregnant again so soon can result in serious health issues for mom and her unborn babies. I'd strongly suggest that you keep mom indoors, away from any intact male cats until she weans her kittens which should happen within 8-9 weeks or so without human intervention. Once mom's milk supply dries up, which usually happens 2 weeks or so after she stops nursing then she should be spayed ASAP to prevent her from becoming pregnant again and contributing to the already serious pet overpopulation issue. Millions of perfectly healthy and adoptable cats, kittens and other pets are euthanized in shelters every week of the year throughout North America simply because the number of people willing to offer a safe, stable forever home for these pets simply isn't high enough to meet each homeless pet's need for loving people to care for them. Spaying your queen will also offer health and behavioral benefits in the long and short term and I'd be happy to go over that information with you if you're interested in learning more about the advantages of spaying and neutering our much loved pets. If you have any further cat related questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me again and I will help you and your kitties out to the best of my ability.