Why is my new mom cat licking her 2-week-old kittens excessively?

Hello Adora! Congrats on your new kitten! Latte is licking you because she is showing affection to you. She's letting you know that she likes you, it has nothing to do with mistaking you for her mother. This is a normal behavior, and not something that I would be concerned about with her. At this age, I would be sure to be feeding her a high quality kitten food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. Make sure she gets lots of love and attention from you, and play with her on a daily basis. Also make sure she is up to date on her vaccines, and put her on flea treatment and deworming treatment. I would recommend having her seen by a vet for a health check. I hope this helps!

Yes, the overgrooming can be from stress or anxiety. To control it quickly you can get a steroid injection from your veterinarian. You can also try using a pheromone diffuser like Feliway, and the anti anxiety supplement Solliquin. These things will help stop the overgrooming until she settles in with the new cat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Obi.

Some new moms tend to be nervous and overattentive to the puppies, especially if this is Lacey's first litter. Some overzealous bitches will end up injuring the puppies, or lick/clean them so often they don't have adequate time to nurse. This behavior often improves after the first several days. I would recommend having someone monitor Lacey and the puppies at all times if there is any sign that she may be too rough. You could also try a pheromone like Adaptil or a supplement like Zylkene (safe for lactating bitches). If Lacey seems to be panting frequently, having trouble breathing, or shaking you should have her seen by your vet - these signs along with anxiety can be seen with low calcium.

If Zoe is eating/drinking/alert/nursing and caring for her kittens perhaps she is just overwhelmed with caring for the kittens and not thinking of herself. I would recommend taking her temperature (a rectal temperature can be taken with any thermometer that has been lubricated well) and be sure she doesn't have a fever (normal temp is 100-102.5). Monitor her to be sure she is eating/drinking/using the bathroom/caring for her kittens. You may use a washrag with warm water and pet shampoo to cleanse her if needed. If you she doesn't start to groom herself or becomes lethargic/stops eating/vomits/stops caring for her kittens or has a fever then an examination by her vet is indicated.

If she is licking you more often when she is in heat, then it's possible that spaying her could help with the behavior. If Samantha licks year round, then it's possible that she does have some stress or anxiety, or she may simply be an affectionate cat. 10-20 minutes of grooming herself or her brother doesn't seem particularly unusual to me and I wouldn't necessarily think this is an indication of stress or anxiety unless she is also showing other signs of being upset like pinning ears, running and hiding, or swishing her tail. You could always try a pheromone diffuser like Feliway to help with anxiety.

I'm sure she is licking him when you are not around. I have never heard of a cat not licking her babies. I guess it is possible but that would be very odd. If you are concerned you can try to set up a camera to record her when you are not in the room. That way you can be sure.

That is a simple answer. Stress licking does not typically cause redness of the skin, just hair loss and patchy bald areas. However, a flea allergy will cause redness, bumps and hair thinning typically on the lower back or lower belly. I hope that this helps! Best of luck and take care.