# Mother cat growling at 8 month old kittens



## Yuri (Jun 16, 2013)

Last year we took in a cat abandoned by near neighbours, who turned out to be pregnant. We kept the kittens, who are now just over 8 months old, and the mother has been fine with them up until about 2 weeks ago, when she started growling and taking the occasional swipe at them.

They've already gone through the stage about 2 months ago where she weaned them and they've stopped trying to feed, so I don't think it's that. They don't always have to be anywhere near her or doing anything, they can be sitting on the other side of the room and sometimes she'll growl at them.

Both the mother cat and all the kittens have been neutered, so it's not another pregnancy. My partner has had cats before but hasn't seen anything like this, so I'd be grateful for any help or advice. Thanks in advance.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

This kind of behaviour is not unusual in a mother cat after she has weaned her kittens and they are no longer dependent upon her. Basically she has had enough of them and no longer wants them around. She is clearly telling them it is time for them to *move on* and find their own territory. 

Some domestic cats are comfortable with one (or even two) of their kittens remaining around after weaning and sharing the home, but other cats hate the idea. Yours is one of the latter type I'm afraid. 

The problem is if you keep the kittens against the wishes of their mother, the mother cat may decide to move out and find another home for herself. This happened to one of my friend's female cats when my friend decided to keep one of the kittens. The cat found herself a new home with a neighbour several houses away, and could not be persuaded to live back in her original home.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Change in behaviour can be a health issue, I'd have her in for a checkup to be sure. Or redirected aggression, where they see something outside (generally another cat or dog) that upsets them and because they can't get to it the aggression goes onto whoever is around. 

It can also be as said above, not all cats like having their kittens hang around.


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## Yuri (Jun 16, 2013)

Thanks for the replies. I know for a fact that before we took her in she used to go to about half a dozen different houses for food, so it wouldn't entirely surprise me if she did decide to move in with somebody else. It'd be sad, but if it made her happier it'd be worth it, and I'm sure she'd still pop round for the occasional snack.

Having said all that, she has seemed a bit calmer the past couple of days, so we'll see what develops.


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