kittens and mum - how rough should she be playing with them?
kittens and mum - how rough should she be playing with them?
A couple of questions about my cats behaviour since giving birth. After thankfully getting all 4 of our kittens through their cold they seem to be doing great. The only thing that is bothering me is that their mum seems to have started playing a bit too roughly with them in the last couple of days. They are now 4 weeks old and are starting to get very active. When one of them gets a little more active than normal Esme will pounce on it and sort of wrestle with it for a bit. Mostly she does this very gently so we assumed she was just playing and teaching them but a couple of times she has really gone for it and they have started squealing. She did it with one tonight and we had to pull her off because we were worried she was hurting it. Could it be that she is just getting caried away as she is still quite young herself? Other than that the kittens are great and sooo cute! The other thing I wanted to ask is has anyone else noticed a serious perosnality change in their cat after she's had kittens? Esme does not like to be touched by us at all and she hasn't come near any of us in her usual way since the babies were born. This is especially weird for me bacause she was super affectionate with me before, and wouldn't let me leave her when she was giving birth, she even wanted to have her babies on my lap until I gently persuaded her to go into the box we had prepared and settled her down into it. Now if I even try to stroke her she miaows at me in a grump or runs away whether she's near her kitties or not. She's fine with us handling the kittens though. Thanks
Re: kittens and mum - how rough should she be playing with t
I'm not sure about the rough play ... I think you do right by gently pulling her away from the kitten if it looks to much.
As for the change in personality, yes, my Lucy (8 years ago), had just that. She used to be very affectionate with us, and like yours wanted me to be close during the birth. When the kittens were about a month/6 weeks old, it seemed to be becoming too much for her. She then often went over to our neighbour (they were outdoor cats then), to have her time off. And ever since then she wasn't so cuddly anymore with us either. She would often pull away when we tried to touch her, and picking her up was a complete no-no from then on. There were no physical problems and she ate and played as usual, but the cuddly side came out much less often. That time I put it partly down to us having her spayed so she wouldn't get pregnant again. But maybe it's more than that. Hormonal changes, I guess.
You should have her examined though just to make sure she's physically alright, and no pain is the reason her grumpiness.
As for the change in personality, yes, my Lucy (8 years ago), had just that. She used to be very affectionate with us, and like yours wanted me to be close during the birth. When the kittens were about a month/6 weeks old, it seemed to be becoming too much for her. She then often went over to our neighbour (they were outdoor cats then), to have her time off. And ever since then she wasn't so cuddly anymore with us either. She would often pull away when we tried to touch her, and picking her up was a complete no-no from then on. There were no physical problems and she ate and played as usual, but the cuddly side came out much less often. That time I put it partly down to us having her spayed so she wouldn't get pregnant again. But maybe it's more than that. Hormonal changes, I guess.
You should have her examined though just to make sure she's physically alright, and no pain is the reason her grumpiness.
Re: kittens and mum - how rough should she be playing with t
Esme is probably combining play with "lessons", meaning, she is teaching them what is and what is not tolerable to her. However, if you feel a kitten is getting physically hurt, by all means, seperate them for a few moments.
As for her behavioral change, it is probably because she is preoccupied with nursing her kittens, and has adapted a protective mode for them. Queens do not always appreciate a human's interference during the lactating stage, nursing stage, weaning stage. Let nature take it's course, and soon enough, you should find her cuddly behavior reappear, particularly soon after a spay.
As for her behavioral change, it is probably because she is preoccupied with nursing her kittens, and has adapted a protective mode for them. Queens do not always appreciate a human's interference during the lactating stage, nursing stage, weaning stage. Let nature take it's course, and soon enough, you should find her cuddly behavior reappear, particularly soon after a spay.
..........Traci
Re: kittens and mum - how rough should she be playing with t
Thanks for all the advice, it really appreciated. Its nice to see so many cat lovers who are willing to share their expertise,. I'm hoping to get some pics of the kitties on the computer soon so will post in relevant section. 