new mom ignoring kittens

Question
I have 2 cats that had kittens. One had hers 3 weeks ago(2nd litter) and one gave birth last night to her 1st litter. The new mom wont pay any attention to her litter of 5, just to the older kittens. how can i get her to pay attention to her litter before they all die?

Answer
Hi Alicia,

The first thing you need to do is ensure that the new mum and babies are alone together somewhere quiet.  They need time to bond and this can take a couple of days.  The older kittens being around might be confusing the new mother, so it is best to separate the two litters so that she can concentrate on her own babies.

You should leave them alone together as much as possible for the first two weeks, and don't handle the kittens unless absolutely necessary.  Kittens need to be handled between 2-7 weeks of age in order to be properly socialised, but handling before 2 weeks can be threatening for the mother and break her bond with the kittens, and may cause her to reject them.

It is unusual for mother cats to reject their kittens and I would be surprised if she doesn't start to bond with them soon.  However, keep an eye on what is happening and if she isn't feeding the kittens soon, contact a vet.  You will need to obtain a milk substitute so that you can feed the kittens yourself through a syringe and you also need to get the mother checked for a medical problem.  There may have been complications arising from the birth that are making her feel unwell, and she would not have the energy to look after the kittens if she was ill.  

I should add that mother cats will sometimes reject kittens that are poorly, because they know they are not going to survive and so concentrate their efforts on the members of the litter that are most viable.  However, it is very unlikely that this would affect all five kittens.

Hope this helps you get to the bottom of things.
Take care
Annie