# Help! My cat had kittens and is acting crazy!



## Kodioko (Apr 19, 2010)

One of my cats had her first litter of kittens yesterday morning. Annie is fairly young, just barely a year old. After having her kittens she won't stop following me. Everywhere I go, she follows behind me, meowing and yowling like crazy. She is a pretty affectionate cat normally but now she wants me to hold her and pet her 24/7.

Now I would normally love all this affection but she is neglecting her kittens. She won't go in with them unless I'm not just in the room, but sitting in the closet with her. I have to force her to lay down and if I stop petting her she leaves her kittens to crawl in my lap.

Saki, Annie's mother, had another litter of kittens about three weeks ago. My cat didn't pay them any mind until yesterday when she had her kittens. Now she keeps trying to steal them. I know thats fairly normal but if they're with Saki, their mother, Annie will push them out of the way and try to nurse on Saki. She didn't do this before now.

I have had a ton of cats in my day and I have never seen one act like this and I am at a loss.
Should I buy some kitten milk to try and help her out? Or should I just leave her be and hopefully she'll get the hang of it? And why is she SO strangely affectionate and dependant on me now?

Any advice would be more than welcome!

Thank you!


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## Kodioko (Apr 19, 2010)

One of the kittens died this morning. I'm still at a loss, any advice is still welcome.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

It sounds like she was just too immature to have a litter and doesn't know what to do so she wants to go back to happier times and "be the baby" where everyone cares for her. But she *does* have a litter to raise and because you have lost one kitten due to neglect you have two choices for the remaining kittens:
Bottle feed the litter. IF you do this and do not make her care for her litter, her milk will dry up. 
Enclose her with her litter in a small area where she cannot get away from her kittens. The area should be large enough for her to lay down with her kittens, have a litterbox and food/water. A large dog kennel would work fine. 

I recommend spaying all of these cats (the adults and the kittens of the litters) ASAP. Keep the adults indoors and away from intact males until they can be spayed. These poor mothering genetics are *not* something that should be passed on. If your kitty did this as a feral she would never raise a litter to weaning age.
If you decide to bottle raise them, we'll give you as much advice as you need. _I also feel I should suggest you take your kitty to the vet to be sure she has nothing physically wrong with her._
Best of luck,
heidi =^..^=


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Please, PLEASE spay and neuter all these cats. 

As Heidi says, she's just a baby herself--has no idea what to do.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Kodioku, those of us who visit the forum regularly know that the shelters are packed with unwanted cats. These cats are among the tens of thousands who are being put to sleep weekly. And I'm sure most of these poor cats were the results on indiscriminate breeding. 

Please buy the formula and bottle feed these kittens. They will all die very soon if you don't. I know you never thought such a thing could happen, but Annie should have been spayed _before 6 months_ old, and her mother should also have been spayed.  Annie is a baby. It's like a child of 11 or 12 having a baby. The mother would have to raise the baby and her own child. I hope you'll take our advice and get all of your cats spayed or neutered. I know how thrilling it is to have kittens and watch them play and grow. There is no intention to do anything but enjoy these little lives. Unfortunately, as a result, more cats were killed (I don't call it euthanasia  ) And there is no loving owner to hold them as they die. How very sad. 

This sounds harsh, I know, but unfortunately, it's true. I pray that you will feed these kittens and ask the vet when they can be spayed/neutered and become treasured pets. Don't give them away. They could end up as snake food. A horrible thought, I know. 

There are shelters who will charge very little, if anything, to neuter/spay this litter, and there are organizations who will help to pay overwhelming vet costs. 

viewtopic.php?f=26&t=10228 (low cost spaying/neutering)

http://www.care2.com/c2c/share/detail/300198 (Help with vet bills.)


I hope you will stay and learn with us and share your knowledge with others who, innocently, are adding to this terrible problem. I know you mean well, and I believe you'll do what's best. God bless.


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