Angry mother

Question
Our cat Kitty had three kittens 4 months ago,  all our persians.   The problem started about a week ago when the mother began threatening the kittens by hissing loudly and pawing at them with claws extended.  The kittens are frightened and come to me for protection.  The mother has also been going out all night which is also unusual for her,  she is three years old and has no mate.   thanks and regards J A Yaxley

Answer
Hi
well this sounds perfectly natural to me.

It is normal for a un-spayed female cat to push her kittens away at around four months as she needs to free up territory for her next batch of kittens. In the wild cats are protective of their territory and too many cats mean not enough food and or mates and so it is natural to chase off the kittens to find their own territory.

At four months old they too are moving into adult hood and are seen as a threat ie for mates etc.

I don't know what your plans are but if you are planning on keeping these kittens you will have to have the mother cat spayed and also be starting to think about having the kittens spayed too in the next few months also. Other wise you may end up with a house full of fighting cats and many more kittens.

best wishes Kate