mom cat & siblings

Question
Our Siamese mix mom cat had three kittens.  Now that they are older, the alpha male tends to chase mom cat when she comes in the house to eat (nightime or day).  Many times she will go back out the kitty door without eating. We sometimes will put the food outside so she can eat undisturbed. When we do this,  the other cats will push her aside, not all of the time though. Is this normal behavior?

Answer
Judy,

Has the male cat been around her since she has had the kittens? Cats recognize other cats by smell and not by sight. She would smell different after having kittens and he may think she is a different cat. Also if she is in heat again she will smell different. A cat can go into heat and get pregnant from 48 hour to 2 weeks after giving birth. Getting her spayed may help the problem.

You need to scold the male and let him know that chasing the mother cat is a bad thing. When she comes in to eat lock up the male until she's done. She won't eat enough and digest her food good if she is too nervous about getting chased. When you feed her outside either feed the others at the same time, stand there and make sure the other cats don't bother her, or keep a bowl filled with dry food all the time so the cats can nibble when they are hungry. They will eat at different times so it won't bother them if momma cat is eating.

Tabbi