Why is my mama cat attacking her 8-week-old kittens now?

If the kittens are old enough to survive on kitten food instead of needing to nurse (around 8 weeks) then I would not be too concerned. Mama may just be teaching them cat manners. If the kittens are younger than that and still dependent on mom for milk, then I would contact your vet, as it is important that they are getting enough nutrition, or they could quickly become ill. It's also important to have mama cat checked to make sure she isn't feeling unwell as sometimes conditions like mastitis (inflammation in the mammary glands) can lead to a mother cat refusing to allow kittens to nurse. I hope that helps!

Cats are not naturally sociable and it is not uncommon for mothers to reject the kittens beyond puberty. It may ve worth considering segregation to different parts of the house or even rehoming one if very aggressive.. Pheromone products and calming diets or supplements can help in less severe cases

It sounds like Fifi is ready for her kittens to fly the coop! Cats often wean their kittens between 4-6 weeks old. Soon after, if they are still together, the momma cat can get fed up with all the kitten energy and tires to teach them some manners. This is completely normal! However, sometimes the kittens can get hurt. I recommend that you give Fifi plenty of space to escape the kittens if she wants to. You may need to separate them completely if she causes physical damage to any of the kittens.

Hello there, Kittens are typically weaned at 8 weeks of age. Kittens that are weaned later in life may chronically suckle on objects through their lifetime. Sometimes this can become an obsessive behavior, lead to ingestions of non-food objects, or can cause injury to another pet. In the wild, most kittens would be quite independent from their mother already. Chronic suckling can only happen in captivity when they are kept together longer than they normally would be- being kept together means there is no natural end to the suckling. I'd recommend keeping them strictly separated for a few weeks to months to try to stop this behavior. They will likely become anxious and vocal at first, but it will be for their benefit in the long run. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Weaning is typically started by the mother cat at 4 weeks of age and will leave them more frequently to hunt and bring them food. It is CRUCIAL that you never move stray kittens unless you know that the mom is completely unable to get to them. If she cannot find them, she will call to them and eventually give up. All that being said, some mothers are just more nurturing than others so maybe she truly is neglecting her responsibility. In that case, discuss with your vet how to properly finish weaning the kittens and care for them. Best of luck!

They should naturally wean eventually by 12-14 weeks but feeding them in separate rooms and trying to keep them separated for an hour or so at a time may help to encourage a bit more independence in the kittens. A natural calming supplement such as zylkene and/or comfort zone diffusers may help with the transition all round

It is normal for the mother cat to use her mouth to move a kitten around or she may nip gently when the kitten is bothering her. If she seems aggressive and you are concerned she may injure the kitten you may need to keep them separated, however you will need to bottle feed the kitten with a kitten formula like KMR.