my neighbours mum is looking after the house and cat while they are away
6 babies came yesterday,
mother cat keeps taking them out of their box and putting them under the bed but only three of them she leaves the other three she is making a growling noise at them
help!!!

pants - I think medusa's power is off because she would've really been able to help...

I know nothing about cats and kittens really... I'd rather not tell you what I'd do in case I'm wrong :S

Can you get hold of the Cats shelter?

cats shelter? sorry do you mean they would give us advice?
i am a dog person i really have no idea about cats, i just feel for my neighbours mum she is so worried the kittens look fantastic and are not crying just why would the mother cat be seperating them and staying with three and leaving the other three alone, i wish i knew what to do for them thanx for your help so far.

Firstly check if the kittens are in a loud place - mother cats will sometimes move their kittens if they think they're in danger and a lot of noise and bright lights will make her believe this. Putting the kittens under a bed is usual, as bedrooms are usually the quietest rooms in the house and under the bed is dark and quiet.

You should keep an eye on her but don't cross the fine line of getting on her nerves. She should eventually move all the kittens - its an instinct cats have to throw predators off the scents of their babies (And you - or whoever is looking after the house - are more than likely seen as a predator). Keep any children and other loud 'things' away from her and don't just burst into the room where she is. She should find where she wants to put her kittens eventually but you can't do it for her - she has to do it herself.

Don't handle the kittens when Mum cat isn't there, as her scent will be removed from them and she may eventually reject them. Keep an eye on her to make sure they are being fed. As for her growling at the kittens - if you are near the kittens she may not be growling at them at all, she might be growling at you. Leave her to find a home for her kittens and everything should be alright, fingers crossed.

Keep us updated.

They might help taking them in or may give you advice over the phone. I'm more of a guinea person so no good either here

bobbybunny seems to know what they are talking about i would take their advise. good luck with them.:)

thanx bobbybunny you have really put us at ease. should my neighbour take the blankets out and change for clean ones she said she was worried about interfering and taking the scent off them they are feeding off their mum well and mother is eating like a pig lol thats the mother cat lol. they are in the spare room there is nothing in there and it is warm but very light from the windows would a box with a roof be better than the open box they are in we were in the lounge and we could hear the growling noise coming from the other room where she has moved the three to.
thanx bailey's mum but they knew she was due and all the babies have homes when they leave mother cat
god i havent felt this nervous since i gave birth i dont know about a neighbours cat:)

Leave the blankets, even if they're dirty because she'll recognise the smell. Does the spare room have curtains up? If she seems more comfortable in the spare room just leave her there, eventually she should take the others with her. She's going to be nervous and jumpy especially when she's around her kittens (is she a first time mother?). Leave the box as it is. Is she underneath a bed with the kittens she's moved? She'll likely move things around (blankets or quilt etc) to make a nest to put her babies in. I remember a cat we rescued had kittens once and actually gave birth to them in my bed between my pillows.. They choose a place they're comfortable and that's it, really. Glad I could help. Animals act so differently to us when they have babies that its frightening because we expect them to dote on their offspring like we do but they more often than not don't.

my cat had kittens 11 weeks ago and she always took one out of the box she had them in and hid him in a teepee bed so i put them all in the teepee and removed the box she had the kittens in she never growled tho so maybe its because its not her real owner she is scared i wud put a blanket under the bed where she keeps going and move the kittens there make sure she sees u doin so put water food and litter nearby for mum and see how that goes

my babies now there fine and very greedy lol!

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l250/xxhunniixx/woodydiggerlottie047.jpg

thank you so much i have just been and relayed your messages mother cat and babies are all under the bed so my neighbour as put the food and water in that room and left the smelly blankets and towels there so she can make a nest she is a first time mum and seems to be doing really well they are feeding well and seem settled i just said the same we expect them to be doting mums like us but she just seems to be re aranging things to her way and it is probably best to let her do that. she knows the lady who is there she is the neighbours mum and she goes everyday but at the moment she is living there while they are away. the house is quiet there are no kids. the room she gave birth in only has a voil which lets light in so could be why she has gone under the bed :)
thanx so much

Glad to hear everythings going ok. :D

I'm really pleased to hear that things are going well now- and thank you to BobbyBunny for giving the words of reassurance whilst the power was off at my place.

I agree entirely with the advice you've already been given- if the mum is looking after the babies then let her get on with it, with plenty of reassurance and love from the humans about the place (just not getting too close too often).

You can tell an awful lot about the overall health of a litter by sound BTW- if you're really quiet you can hear her purring and the kits making tiny 'nuzzly' noises and that's a healthy sound. If they are squeaking a lot that probably means that she's not feeding them as often as they need (and there may be things that you can do to encourage her to go to them more) and if they're making no noise at all then that's also a bad sign.

If the room is still quite light it may be worth hanging a towel over the edge of the bed to make a curtain for her to hide her nest behind- we give the mums a cardboard box with one side cut out and a towel draped over it so that she gets some privacy in her nest but can get in and out to the litter tray, food and water.

If the mum is only on normal adult food, please relay the message that she needs some really good quality kitten food if she's going to feed the babes properly. At the shelter we use Hills Science Feline Growth dry food, with plenty of water available- it grows big strong kittens and can be bought from any vets and most pet superstores. This is particularly important if the kittens were unplanned and the mother hasn't been getting kitten food whilst pregnant.