Constant moving of Kittens

Question
Hello,
My cat Milli recently gave birth to four healthy kittens, they are now three weeks old, very strong and getting about very well, they even started playing a couple days ago.
Shes a first time mum and doing a great job, but the only problem is she started moving the kittens a lot.

shes done this before when they was less than a week old and moving them from the box in my room to under the sofa in our lounge, but this is dangerous as our sofa's recline and its a small space so she could get hurt in the mechanisum if someone reclines in it accidently. We solved this by putting them under my bed in the same room, but she makes too much noise at night and keeps me awake, so we had to move them again, taking them back to the box. She wasn't very happy about this until we put the cover they had under the bed in for her. That was about a week ago now and she settled in and loves the pen as much as they do, for they can sleep anywhere they want as theres a quilt on the floor and raised at the edge so they don't get out.

But last night something really upset her and she started to move the littlist one. I didn't notice until she had all four under there and went to check on them before i went to bed. We finally got them out but she kept trying to get out and put them under there. Now today she keeps doing it and in total tried to move them about 25+ times, once succesfully moving three under there.

There isn't any other place safe she can take them as we have a dog who is clumsy and two other, male cats, one is the father and often goes to see her and the kittens, but the other is dislikes move her and the father and we are worried she make take them upstairs which is his territory, where he may kill or hurt them, though he is yet to show any sign of interest to them.

I don't know what to do, shes very upset and wandering around the house crying, and she normally doesn't meow a lot, and visibly unsettled. Its taken a lot out of the kittens too as they can't get any rest as she wakes and moves them, and i've only seen her give them one feed all day.

Is there anything i can do to put her at ease? As i've said she can't move them anywhere else and the box she is in is bid and comfy, the pen is very secure and we don't go in to them a lot, only checking on them a few times a day, but we do give them cuddles, along with her, every morning and night to check them over and say good morning/night, but she's never had any problem with this. I read that it may be the amount of light so i've lowered that by putting the blind down and tieing a blanket over the pen and box, yet even while writing this she had brought the same one out four times. There is no danger to her or her kittens as us, Milli and the father are the only ones to ever go in there.
Any suggestions?

P.S We were going to have another litter from her next year, do you think this problem will hinder this plan?
Thank you!

Answer
Nichola,

Don't keep putting them back as it is stressing her out badly and it will affect her milk production and care of the kittens! A first time mother can behave in bizarre ways, that is normal.

She does NOT want them where you do! She either doesn't feel like they are safe there (for some reason in her mind that only she knows) or, because they are starting to play and run around, that she is losing control of them.

Let her put them where she wants them for now and let her settle down emotionally. The kittens will be old enough soon that you won't need to worry about it. About the recliner...can you put a block of some sort behind it where she can't get the kittens under it if she tries and maybe just behind it? Can you let her loose in your bedroom with her food and litterbox and keep the door closed?

Now would be a GOOD time to get the males fixed! Remember, a cat can get pregnant again as soon as 48 hours to two weeks after giving birth! Also feed her about 4x the amount of food she normally eats while she is nursing to replace what the babies drain out of her. A good quality kitten chow is best because it has the extra protein and vitamins she needs now.

Tabbi