Why is my momma cat moving her kittens so often? How can I help?

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.

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! :-)

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!

If you know where she wanted to move the kitten, you can take the box there for her with the kittens. If you do not know where she wanted to move them, watch her move one kitten and then you can move the box to that place, Talk to her and show her what you are doing, so she does not get upset,. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Bissy feels for some reason that her kittens are not safe. I would get Bissy and the kittens and put them in a spare bedroom closet. Use a laundry basket, cardboard box or a large dog carrier with towels. Put her food, water and litter box in the room. Keep people, other animals and children away from the kittens. Have one person she is close with check and weigh the kittens daily. Also keep the bedding clean. In a week or 2 start socializing the kittens and see if you can let Bissy out of the room. I wish you the best!

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!

Because she wants to! Often we set up what we think is the perfect environment for a nursing mother, but she may have other plans. She thinks it is safer or better to have the kittens in a different area. The kittens are also getting older, so they need to start exploring different areas. She may also be preparing them to start weaning, which usually occurs at 5-6 weeks of age.