Should I separate my older cat still nursing from a new litter?

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!

You need to keep both of the separate for now, they each need to focus on their kittens fully. Put each in their own room with their own food, water, and litter box as well as any kittens who are nursing.

Hi there. I would recommend keeping the 12 week old kitten separate from the nursing mama. We don't want the kittens to fail to thrive due to too little nutrition. If you want them to spend some time together make sure you supervise and don't allow her to nurse. Good luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

I would completely separate Ciki from the other kittens. Their mother needs to care for them, and it's not right that Ciki is preventing the other mother from having access to them. I would put that mother and her kittens into a room away from Ciki so that mother can care for her kittens properly. Good luck!

Yes, you will need to Puzzle away, and I would keep them complete separated until the kittens are older and starting to wean. I would also neuter Puzzle so he doesn't mate with his mother. Best of luck.

I would keep them completely separated for now to stop the behavior. Keep them separated for the next week, then slowly start letting them have time together. If the behavior starts again, immediately separate them again and try re-introduction in a few days.

Try putting Blacky in her own room with the newborn kittens, and keeping her completely separated from the older kittens. Make sure she has a litter box, food, and water in that room. Hopefully that will allow her to focus only on the newborn kittens. Best of luck.