My cat is moving her kittens. Should I move the nesting box for her?

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Oh my, they are cute! Congratulations on your new kittens! It's pretty common for cats with new litters to have a different idea of where they'd like to nest from what we planned for them! You may not be able to make her stay in her box, but you can make it as appealing to her as possible. Make sure it's in a quiet, private corner where she feels safe and protected, and have clean soft bedding inside. She may or may not choose to use it. You will probably need to physically keep her out of your room with a barrier if she's not allowed in there, and beyond that she will decide where she's going to be comfortable keeping her kittens. Once she chooses a spot, make sure she's got access to fresh food and water nearby. Hope this helps! :-)

She is trying to find a safe and quiet place to take care of them. I would suggest providing her with a box in a dark area of the home with little to no traffic. Once she feels secure, she should not try to move them as much.

I probably would go ahead and move her and the kittens when she is taking a break in between kittens. Hopefully you have another box with some clean bedding - just put her in the box with the kittens and remove the litter box until she's done. While you want to give her some space you should be monitoring her to make sure there are no issues with the birthing process.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! She could very well be moving the kittens- it’s quite common for them to move their kittens frequently. A hands-off approach works best. Provide access to quiet dark areas (open an empty cabinet, closets, etc). Keep an eye on her and know where she is currently nesting but don’t hover. She’ll take care of things. Hope this helps and best of luck to you and Mino!

If the box was moved to a location that Matcha doesn't think is safe for her kittens, she may have moved them to another location that she thinks is safer. I would leave her alone and see what she does. If she has moved 2 of the kittens, she will likely move the other 2 kittens to the same locations soon. If momma isn't worried, then I'm not worried. But I would be sure that she has a safe location for her kittens before night because sometimes momma cats don't chose the best locations for their babies. Once everyone is happy with their location, I would try not to move the box. I hope that helps!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cat and the kittens. Yes, cats will move their litters around. However, if she is placing the kittens up high, there is the potential they could fall. This is unsafe for the kittens. Try to examine the environment and see if there is any reason for your cat to feel her kittens are unsafe. Is she moving them to get them away from another cat, a dog or children in the home? Otherwise, I would move to kittens away from high ledges and try to block her access from these areas. I hope this information helps!

Cats commonly want to pick up their kittens and move them to "safety". My guess is that, left unattended, she would move all of them one at a time. Consider moving her basket/box to a more secluded area (under a coffee table, in a small closet, etc). This might appease her concern for her kittens. As for the eye goop, keep an eye on this. If you need to, gently wipe it with a warm damp cloth on a daily basis. This could be nothing or it could be an early viral infection. If you see snotty noses, reluctance to eat, or any other concerning signs, see the vet. You can start mom on a lysine supplement (we think this helps interrupt replication of the feline herpes virus.) And don't worry, human cold viruses do not transfer to people (and vice versa). Hope this helps and best of luck to you and the kitty family!