My pregnant cat keeps moving her sister's kittens. What should I do?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Pregnancy can be a very stressful time for animals, and it may be hard for your cat to be separate from her previous offspring. However, my recommendation would be to separate him from her so that he cannot suckle/breastfeed from her before her kittens are born. The milk produced at the beginning of lactation is very antibody-rich and important for the brand new kittens to ingest. There is also the possibility that the previous offspring could out-compete the brand new kittens for nipples if they are left together. The new kittens will need the most care and nutrition from the very beginning, and if he is allowed to suckle from the mom, the newest kittens may not get all of the nutrition they need. I hope this is helpful!

Nursing can take a lot of energy, so making sure your pregnant cat is receiving enough nutrition for herself, the growing kittens and the kitten she is nursing is key. Be sure to provide her with a high-quality kitten food that will offer extra protein and fat to provide enough for everyone. Many cats will adopt kittens from other litters, and some cats have even been known to adopt babies from other species! If this is her first litter, she may want to push away or attack the kitten when her own litter comes, so be sure to have supplemental milk ready if it is needed or if the kittens own mother is not nursing it already. If your pregnant cat does become aggressive, be sure to keep the kitten separated so both mom and kitten can be stress-free. Otherwise, as long as mom and kitten are both happy, she should be fine nursing one more!

I would move your heavily pregnant cat to her own room away from the kittens so she can focus exclusively on her kittens. I'd place her in her own room with her own food, water, litter box, and whelping box.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I wouldn't allow the other cats in the room during labor. Despite them all getting along under normal circumstances doesn't mean their presence during labor won't stress Lovely. When cats are stressed during labor they can delay delivery of the kittens. She should be in a quiet room that is familiar to her. The number of people should be limited. With one person checking on her every few hours. As for after the kittens are born I wouldn't allow the other cats in the room without you. Again just because they get along doesn't mean that one of the cats won't hurt the kittens. It's best to be safe than sorry. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Be sure that Liona is actually producing milk before putting the kittens with her. If she isn't making milk then you need to bottle feed the kittens every 2-3 hours with kitten milk replacer. Once she gives birth you can try to put the kittens on her. Just be sure they aren't pushing her kittens off. Track the weights of her kittens to be sure they are getting enough. I wish you the best!

If the male cat is irritating your pregnant female the best thing you can do is to keep them separated until after the kittens are born. It should not affect the kittens if they are around each other but it may lead to undue stress for your female cat. If you are unable to safely separate them at home you may want to consider boarding the male cat or having him stay with a friend or family member until the kittens are born. It may also be beneficial to have the male neutered as soon as possible. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

You really need to keep them separated - I agree 100%. I would put mom and kittens in the kennel but you need to make sure that mom has access to a litter box and her food/water and as the kittens get a bit older she will need to be able to get up and walk away from them at times during the day or they will drive her nuts. So, she cannot be in there until the kittens are weaned. I would say only for a week or two (maybe up to three). I don't know what the situation is, if you bred the cats on purpose or if they got pregnant by accident or what but please keep in mind that if you don't have the appropriate facilities for cats to be queening then you should get them spayed. This situation of trying to keep them separated is going to cause you a major headache. Also, keep in mind that will come back into heat sometimes almost immediately after queening so they can get pregnant again if there is a male cat in the house that has access to them or if they get outside. My other recommendation would be to get a Feliway diffuser to put in the room with them. It may help reduce stress: https://www.chewy.com/comfort-zone-feliway-cat-diffuser-48/dp/48072 Hope this helps. Best wishes!