Mom cat

Question
QUESTION: Mom cats milk sacks are hard as a rock she has not been with her kittens for 2 days so dose that have something to do with it?

ANSWER: Lori,

It sounds as though the mom cat may be engorged with milk. She should have been kept with her babies so that this was prevented. My recommendation is to try and put the kittens back with their mom after having her examined by a vet to be sure that mom doesn't have an infection of the mammary glands called mastitis. Momma cat will wean her babies at approximately 6-8 weeks on her own. It is best for kittens to remain with their mother and siblings until they are a minimum of 10-12 weeks old as the period from birth to 12 weeks is an important time in their physical and social well being. I hope that this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, Just to let you know, we put momma back in with kittens and she is fine now. We didn't put her back in by mistake, the old I thought you did it syndrom. One other question though if you don't mind? We are wondering when she could become pregnant again? We would like to get her to a vet and have her fixed before that happens!
Thanks,
Lori

Answer
Lori,

It is best to prevent mom from having any access to a male cat. Female cats can become pregnant even while they are nursing fairly young kittens. Once momma cat has weaned her little ones at about 6- 8 weeks or so and her milk has been dried up for about 2 weeks or so then it is generally considered safe to spay her. It is best for the kittens if they get to spend the formative weeks of their lives with their mom and siblings, put simply mom and siblings teach skills such as bite inhibition and basic respect, the kittens have usually learned proper social skills by 10-12 weeks of age. I hope that this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again.