mother cat and her kittens

Question
My cat has two two week old kittens, is it normal for her to play bite them all over and bash them with her back legs as if they are prey.

Answer
Hi Michele.  Mothers are often playful with their kittens as they get closer to 3 and 4 weeks old and begin biting her ears and playing with her tail.  Two weeks is a bit young, however.  I'm not sure how rough mom is getting with the "rabbit kicks", but these could do the babies some damage if she's got them in a hold with her front paws.  If the little ones are crying out as if they are afraid or hurt, you should definitely remove them from her permanently (or at least until 5-6 weeks or so) and bottle raise them, or see if a shelter has a nursing mother who could foster them for you.  However, if the mother has really modified her behavior so that she's only going through the motions and the kittens aren't suffering any sort of impact, then it may be that she's just being playful with them.  Although animals can be unpredictable, if the babies are quiet and interacting positively with her during these play times, it's probably best to leave the family together.