Aggressive (?) nursing mother.

[Snoof]

Sashimi's kittens will be 5 weeks old on Wednesday. Lately, as they've been wandering, exploring, and playing pretty much all day long, she's been acting "aggressively" with them (I'm putting it in quotation marks because I'm not sure if she's supposed to or not).

For example, sometimes when they're out and about and she runs into a kitten, she will grab it, lick it, but also bite it. The kitten in question squeaks when that happens, and it sounds like they're not liking it.

She is still nursing them (doing so right now, in fact) and she can also be very kind with them. We've heard them purring when she's cleaning them (cutely - nothing sweeter than that clumsy kitten purr :smt049), they don't seem afraid of her, except for a few minutes after one of these biting sessions.

Sometimes she will grab them by the shoulders with her front paws and then kick at them with her hind legs, and the kittens have had cause as such to practice their "RRRREOWWWR!" squeaks. They will eventually have enough and turn over in her paws to escape, but sometimes it seems like they can't.

Now I don't know if this is her teaching them something, if it looks/sounds more violent than it is, or if it's not normal behaviour. As I said, the kittens are only 4.5 weeks old and still nursing. I have very little experience with nursing mothers as I never intended to find myself caring for a litter, and like any layman, I worry myself sick!

Sashimi has gone back into heat, although it doesn't seem like she's calling right this precise instant (she was last week though), could that have anything to do with it?

Please let me know if this behaviour is normal, and if it's not I'd really appreciate some tips or hints on what to do about it!

Thanks a lot :-)

[dinahsmum]

i don't know Snoof - but I do know that mother cats are supposed to 'teach' their young with 'discipline'.
Logic would suggest that whilst she is happy to nurse them then things aren't too bad
Hope it won't be too long before Fran or soemone else with actual experience can come along and put your mind at rest.

[Samz5]

When Mitz had kittens (this was 13-14 years ago & I was only 11) I remember her being quite rough with them as they got older, she used to get them in a head lock with her arm and start off washing them and end up biting, she would also kick them with her back legs like you say.... I guess its just teaching them how to fight / kill.
When Courtney had kittens and she wasn't so rough with them as Mitz was but she still did 'fight' the kittens as they got bigger.....this was a looong time ago, its hard to remember exactly how 'rough and tumble' it actually was.
I suppose any mother cat is capable of causing serious damage to her kittens if thats what was really intended.

[Fran]

It can be quite alarming can't it Snoof? It is mother cat's way of 'teaching' her babies their life skills but just keep an eye on her that she doesn't get too carried away, especially if she is a first time mummy....

[Sweet]

Sorry I cannot help, I hope someone can on here x

[Snoof]

Thank you all, especially Fran. You've saved my day so many times with this litter, Fran - you're a complete and utter star!

She's not a first-time mum (she's 3 and the people who had her before us mentioned at least 1 previous litter, but talked as if that was a normal occurrance :() and we're really proud of her, but we worried a lot that it was all going a bit pear-shaped! We're still so very gentle with the kittens (but there again we're gentle with cats, too!).

Good to know she's teaching them something - mind you, I've seen them implement some of her techniques in their play-fights with each other, already!