My cat is lying on her kittens. Is she smothering them? What to do?

Usually the mom will take care of them. Just make sure they are all nursing and she is grooming them all. I would try to no let her sit on them as she could smother them if she isn't aware she is sitting on them. You are doing a great job. If you find that one is weak or not nursing you may have to supplement with kitten formula and either a syringe or kitten bottle every 2-3 hours. You will also have to stimulate them to pee/poop by rubbing their behind with a warm wash cloth every time they eat. I hope this helps!

It is fine to handle the kittens, cats do not generally reject their young if they are handled by an outside source. It may also just look like mama is smothering them when in fact she might just be providing them with heat and/or the ability to nurse. Unless you actually see the babies actually struggling to move or crying out, they are probably not being smothered. The kittens are waking up a lot because they have to nurse. When they are this young, the tend to nurse upwards of every 2-3 hours. If you are not seeing the kittens nursing that often, they might need supplemental care in the form of bottle feeding. You can pick up some kitten milk replacer at a pet store or a big-box store as well as the bottle. Hope this helps!

If you do not mind that she raises her kittens under or in the sofa, then it should be ok. Kitten mamas are extremely careful and will not hurt their kittens by lying on them or any other way, theey will also not kill kittens. Sometimes, if a kitten dies by itself, a mother will actually eat it, in order to keep the nest clean and not to alert predators to the live kittens. You may want to prepare a nice box with towels for your kitten mama and move the kittens into the box where she will then join. She might move them again....and then I suppose you may want to give her her wish.

Hello. Yes, if the bond is strong. If you are not sure Lily is producing enough milk ( the kittens will be restless, crying, producing less urine & feces ), you may need to supplement them with a kitten milk replacer. But if the kittens seem to be latching on & fall asleep after nursing, then she may be producing enough milk for them. If you are not sure, you can purchase a postal scale & weigh them every day. If there are tiny gains, they are nursing well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

There are a few possibilities: One, she is a new mother and is feeling a bit overwhelmed or doesn't know what to do with an entire litter, so she is just trying to move a single kitten with her. Two, there may be something wrong with the other kittens such as a deformity, etc, as some cats will try to push away or stop caring for these kittens if they sense something is wrong. Three, she will eventually move ALL the kittens, she is just trying to find a place that she feels safe and comfortable in before she does so. Making sure she has a nice cozy and private place to house her kittens may help her feel more comfortable. You may also need to start helping out and supplementing feeding for any kittens she is pushing away or is having trouble nursing. If any kitten or momma cat seems ill or aren't thriving, bringing them into your vet for an exam to rule out any illness or genetic issues is best.

Hi, thanks for using Petcoach! I am sorry that you are going through this! It is common for mother cats to move their kittens, especially if stressed and they feel that their kittens are at risk. I wold try to leave her be and try not to stress her. You can check on the babies once-twice a day. Her laying on them is some what normal. Unfortunately there is no way for me to tell based on the picture if the kitten will survive. Sadly some kittens don't make it and we don't know why. It is called "fading kitten syndrome." If Tinkiee left him/her behind she may know it is sick. You can try to hand raise the kitten by bottle feeding it with Kitten Mild Replacer (KMR). You have to bottle feed it every 3 hours and stimulate it to urinate and defecate by gently wiping it's anus and genitals with warm wash cloth after feedings. Below is a link to the milk replacer. It is also sold in pet stores or at Veterinary hospitals. https://www.chewy.com/petag-kmr-kitten-milk-replacer/dp/125389?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=PetAg&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1b-Q66bt1QIVRDaBCh1xgwYyEAQYASABEgIBmPD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I wish you the best of luck!

Poor thing. Sometimes mama cats can sense that a kitty has some sort of defect, so they will neglect them and focus on the healthier kitty. Also, if somehow the kitty was touched by a person and the mother no longer smells the kitty's scent, but instead a human, this too will cause the mother to neglect said kitty. Give it time and continue to monitor this kitty closely to see if she is getting fed and stimulated to pee and poop on her own. If she isn't, then it may be a good idea to separate the kitty and nurse her yourself until she can be weaned onto kitty dry food, which is around 3-4 weeks of age.