Post kitten birth mom behavior.

Question
Yesterday a stray cat that my wife and I adopted (about 1.5 months ago) had her kittens.  The "mom" cat seemed to become attached to the both of use about 2 weeks after we took her in.  Often times she would only sit in between the two of us and most of the night would sleep on the bed with us.  She would not be alone when having the kittens, and would come and find us in the middle of labor if we left her side.  Then last night she carried all of her kittens into bed with us and slept there in between us with her kittens all night.  If the two of leave her side she seems panicked, and runs around the house looking for us.  What do we do? and is this normal?

Answer
Hi Joe,

You have one smart cat there. She knows that her kittens are the safest with you. She has bonded with you and trusts you completely with her kittens. She is showing you how much she trusts and how much you are a part of her family. Some cats are like this. I have three that follow me all over the house and sit either right on me or close by me. If I leave the house they wait in the windows until I come back and talk to me from the window. You are lucky to have a cat like that. As for the panic she has, that will let up. She is new and is afraid of being without her "pack" members. As she gets older and is there longer she will calm down. Good luck with mom and your new family. Oh, I forgot, feed her kitten food for the extra nutrition she needs while feeding the kits. Write back if you have any other questions.

Ciao, Karen