The F1 from hell

[Kiangagirl]

My F1 queen has her second litter of beautiful, healthy kittens. She is relatively friendly when she doesn't have kittens but she is so aggressive she has attacked me several times. Today she jumped on me because I accidentally stepped on a baby's toe and he screeched. I bent over to pick him up and she was all over me. Scratched me badly and ruined a shirt and pair of jeans by ripping holes in them. Is there any way I can mellow this girl out or am I stuck with the queen from hell every breeding season?

 

[Patti]

Well first I am wondering why kittens are out where they can get underfoot and be stepped on? How old are they? In my experience I find that it's not uncommon for mom to be protective of newborns, but as the kittens grow older they usually become less so, and by the time they are 6-8 weeks old mom is happy to take a break and let the humans entertain them for awhile.

Were you present during the birth? Will mom allow you to be? Do you handle the kittens from the day they are born or can you not get near? I would be worried about proper socialization as well if mom is so protective. I have known breeders to put aggressive moms in a crate daily so that they can interact with the kittens to assure proper socialization. I don't think you're going to mellow mom out if this is now established behavior. You should try to keep her nails trimmed if possible to minimize the damage, and wear heavy clothing to protect yourself. Good luck!!

 

[Kiangagirl]

Hi Patti; Thank you for the reply. These kittens are nearly six weeks old and very active. I was not present during the birth---mom will not allow anyone anywhere near her babies so I have to take them away from her for hand-feeding when they are about four weeks old. I did not realize she was under my bed when I started feeding them the other day---thought I had locked her out. This queen is extremely difficult to manage when she has kittens. Putting her in a crate would require cornering her and forcing her in, which simply makes her even more angry and aggressive. Trimming her nails---well, I haven't figured out whose army I can get to help me with that 'cause she isn't having any of it. She can't really be handled unless she is sedated. I can pet her but that is all---and not when she has kittens. She has actually attacked me several times because of her kittens. After the last attack the other day, I'd had it. I took her (or more accurately, chased her) out to the garage which I have converted to a cattery and confined her to her pen.
I'm happy to report that the kittens have responded very well and are all very sweet--want to follow me around and be with me almost all the time. The little monkeys are into everything of course, so I confine them to their pen when I can't supervise them.

 

[casper75]

Are your kittens still nursing on mum that could be a reason why she is so aggressive.

 

[Kiangagirl]

No they aren't--as I said, I had to take them away from her at the age of four weeks. As a matter of fact I was in the process of preparing a meal for them when I stepped on the over-eager little one as he attempted to climb my leg in his impatience to be fed. I have sold two of them, the two boys. Only the girl is left. Actually she is sold, but won't be shipped out for about another week. She is three months old and her mother is still very attached to her and somewhat protective---calls to her all the time and growls at me when I get near her.

Are your kittens still nursing on mum that could be a reason why she is so aggressive.

 

[Brigitte Cowell]

I think it sounds like you don't have a great bond or relationship with this cat when she is NOT having kittens around and so the addition of the protective hormones when she DOES have kittens means that that situation worsens.

Did you get this queen when she was a kitten or as an adult? I might want to work on my relationship with her once kittens are weaned and before you rebreed her if you want the situation to be different next time she has kittens.

 

[F1hybrids]

Your original bond with a breeding unaltered kitten compared to the bond when they are a breeding unaltered adult can change now that hormones are "controlling" actions.

My suggestion to you is having this unaltered female not with the kittens if she is being over protective. Some kittens have to be pulled if the mother is being OP. At the 5 week mark kittens go dashing off and the mother will try to force them into being in a "safe area" this can cause OP.

It's not uncommon for a unaltered mother to be overprotective at times especially if she feels that the kittens are in "danger" (in her mind anyways)

Also it is not uncommon for breeders to have this issue come up after breeding for a while, thinking nothing of how easy they have it till they have the OP mom causes chaos. A mother could be great then have a OP streak. It could be another cat smell on you, another cat too close, loud sound, hurt kitten and well anything that "spooks" the mother.

Be it a kitten or adult when you get the cat either can be OP. They could be OP for a year then never do it again.

If you have any more questions you can call my cattery phone and I can try to give you advise. Please make sure to properly clean your cuts or you can get cat scratch fever and you will regret getting that!

 

[Trish Allearz]

I just wanted to take a moment and make it very clear to anyone who might be perusing this thread- ANY breed of cat/dog/etc can be overprotective with newborns. ANY breed.

I find myself very blessed as I have never experienced anything more then a Momma grumbling if she thinks someone is outside of the kitten room. My Mommas have always welcomed me handling their newborns and their kittens- from F1 down to F6 and from Savannah to Sphynx.

 

[F1hybrids]

Yes, that is 200% true.

Unaltered feline that has babies is different than a fixed pet.

 

[Pam Flachs]

Very true, Trish! The most overprotective momma cat I have had was a pregnant domestic kitty dropped off at my house some years ago. When she had her babies (after a difficult birth and subsequent c-section), she went from being very sweet and loving into full momma bear mode! At the time, I was living in an apartment with my 20 year old son and his girlfriend and their pit-bull....me and the pit bull were the only ones she would allow to see the kittens or even be near the room they were in....lol! My son actually had to stay elsewhere for about a week until she calmed down somewhat ;0