Cat had to give up 2 week old kittens due to infection

Question
My cat had 2 kittens 2 weeks ago and had to give them up due to matitis infection. We had planned on keeping her kittens but the vet explained the level of work it would be and we had to make the heartbreaking decision that we couldn't take care of them ourselves due to schedules and our own little childen. Fortunately, the vet had 2 techs that want to take the kittens and nurse them and keep them as pets. Our cat Oreo is now home and on antibiotics. She did okay the first night but was naturally looking for her kittens who she absolutely adored. They really brought Oreo to life. Now she doesn't even want to come in the house. She accepts our affection as long as she is outside. When inside she is extremely skiddish, afraid of everything and moves very slowly. Otherwise, when she is now in the house she is visibly upset. It breaks my heart to see her this way. We are all mourning the fact the those kittens are no longer in this house. Is there anything I can do to help her coping with the loss of her kittens?

Answer
Nikki,

The first thing I would do is get her spayed. It will save you and the cat any more heartbreak. A cat can get pregnant again 48 hours to 2 weeks after giving birth. It will also help settle her down.

Here is a good article to read on cat grief:
http://www.messybeast.com/cat-grief.htm

You can try a very popular cat calming spray and plug-in you called Feliway or Comfort Zone with Feliway. It is available at pet stores or on-line. It copies relaxing pheromones that cats produce from rubbing their faces on things and helps relax and calm the cat.

There is also another cat calming product that you can add to her food or water that reduces anxiety called Bach's Rescue Remedy. It is available on-line and in health food stores. Here is a link about it: (copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)
http://www.bachflower.com/Pets.htm

Just give her alot of love and reassurance and she will be OK.

Carol