Is it normal for a new mother cat not to lick her kitten?

New moms should only leave her kittens for a few minutes at a time for a visit to the litter box or to eat and drink. The older her kittens, the more time she will spend away. During the first week of life, new mom cats should only leave her babies for a few brief times each day. During their first few days of life, not only are the kittens both blind and deaf, but they are dependent on their mom to regulate their body temperatures, for food, and even for stimulation to be able to potty. It is best if you confine her to one small room with the kittens and be sure keep her litter box, food and water near her babies. She should not have free roam of the house. If you find that she is not properly caring for the kittens you may have to remove them from her and bottle feed them yourself. If that is the case she may just not be cut out for being a mom and should then be spayed so this does not happen again. I suggest you get a gram scale and weigh them daily. If they are gaining weight each day then they are probably just fine. If they are not gaining or they are losing weight you will need to take them away from her. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Coco is just being a good mom--I wouldn't worry at this point, as she should calm down about the grooming as the kittens age. If she starts to become aggressive with you or them, you can ask your vet about anti-anxiety medication like Lorazepam, which works well in cats. However, I don't think you need to do anything at this point. Hope that helps!

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!

Some cats are somewhat rough and vocal with their kittens. As long as the kittens appear to be nursing regularly, are snuggled up together or close with mom, and are not in any sort of weak condition, I would not remove them from their mother's care. Obviously monitor the situation carefully. If you start seeing any sort of serious marks or wounds on the kittens, you will know for sure that she isn't just moving them. If you need to separate them you will have to institute a bottle feeding schedule, keep them warm, and stimulate their bowels / urine. If this is required, you can certainly repost and we can walk you through how to safely accomplish this. Best of luck!

Luna may be feeling a bit stressed out if there are a lot of other people or pets in the house and may be staying near her kittens for protection and safety. Giving her some space to relax and care for the kittens as well as keeping curious children and pets away from them can help. You can also try placing her food and water near the area she is hiding so she has the ability to get the food and water she needs while nursing her kittens. You do want to make sure all the kittens are doing OK by checking on them every so often, however too much can increase stress on mom and babies. If Luna doesn't improve or you see any signs of illness from mom or babies, scheduling a vet check is best.

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.

This does seem like a strange behavior but I wouldn’t be too overly concerned about it. Your cat may have smelled something on the sheet and she was just interested in it. As long as she isnotherwose acting normally, eating and drinking well, and usingnher litter box then I would not be to concerned.