Warning! Kitten in the Bed!
By GreenMoo
@GreenMoo (11833)
June 3, 2012 12:34am CST
One of my cats has a little kitten at the moment. I can't remember how old it is, but it's big enough to moving around a little with open eyes, although it's still feeding from it's mum.
A little while ago, back before the other died, mummy cat spent an entire evening moving her kittens from their box to under the duvets on the beds. I kept putting them back, and she'd keep doing it again. We kept this up for an entire evening, until eventually I realised she may be looking for somewhere more tucked away so covered the kittens' box with a sleeping bag. Problem solved and she stopped doing it.
Now she's started again. I was woken up in the wee small hours by my youngest son who was putting the kitten back in it's box after she'd woken him trying to put the kitten under his duvet. Then she did it again, and again, and again.
I don't really have a problem with the kitten being in the bed occasionally, if someone were to be playing with it for instance. But I'm terrified that one of us will accidentally kill the poor thing by rolling on it if she puts the kitten under the duvet with us whilst we're sleeping.
Have you ever some across something like this before? Any suggestions as to why she may be behaving like this? Or how I can solve the problem. I'm quite happy to move the box or improve her conditions if it makes her feel more secure, but I'm not sure what she's looking for that she hasn't already got.
Thanks. Cats are so much fun to have around!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@Suebee (2013)
• Canada
3 Jun 12
I suggest that if it is at all possible you let the mama cat put her kittens wherever she wants to. Let me tell you a little story, and I'll try to make it brief.
I once had a female cat who had kittens, in the middle of the night, in my bed, with ME in it! I woke up one night around 3 am or so to my cat licking, licking, licking. She was snuggled right in to the crook of my knees as I slept. I tried to get back to sleep but I couldn't. Then I thought "that's seems awfully wet for her to be just cleaning herself", so I pulled back the blankets and there were 3 tiny, newborn kittens in my bed and she was cleaning them! That's why it felt so wet! We had a box prepared for her in the closet, with blankets and stuff but she choose to have her kittens in my bed, alongside of me. Well, I did the same thing as you. I moved the kittens to the box and she moved them back to the bed. This went on for days until I decided that if she wanted them there that badly she could keep them there. So, to make a long story short, my husband and I ended up sharing our bed with mama cat and her 3 kittens for 6 weeks or so until the little ones could jump off the bed themselves.
I still don't know why she insisted keeping them in our bed but she did.
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
3 Jun 12
That's a lovely story. I can only assume that mummy cat is bringing the kitten to our bed because she feels it's a safe place. She (mummy) is one of three siblings who all like to sleep inside beds.
Whilst I have no problem with this, I'm just really worried about the kitten getting injured or smothered. It's not just us moving around on the bed, but the dogs sleep there when they feel like it too. One of them is nearly 40 kg, and isn't known for his delicacy. If he decided to sleep on the kitten because he didn't know it was there under the duvet, the poor thing wouldn't stand a chance.
1 person likes this
@cotruelove (1016)
• Denver, Colorado
3 Jun 12
I've had cats most of my life from kittens who I've hand fed that were rejected by the mother to old kitties. From my experience, cats are very clean animals and it may be that the box is not clean enough for her or the kittens have soiled the blankets or clothes they sleep on. Cats are very sensitive to smell. If it smells soiled, they won't sleep on it. Even stranger, you can often times clean the area, but the cat remembers the prior experience and won't go back to it. I did learn that sometimes completely changing the box and blankets to clean ones, will sometimes solve the problem.
Security is a huge issue from what I've seen with mama kitties. I would guess she knows that if dogs are around that you will protect her kittens. Cats never cease to amaze me. If dogs have the intelligence of a seven year old child, then cats must be far above that level. I know I count myself short on my ability to detect things that are in bed with me. Good luck, you will find a solution, but I'm absolutely positive it will be the cat's solution that you agree to allow. 
@BarBaraPrz (51831)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
3 Jun 12
I was thinking the same thing...
1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11833)
•
3 Jun 12
It's hot here at the moment, and it's in a cardboard box full of woolly clothes, with a sleeping bag over. I'd be more inclined to think too hot than too cold. But what cat was ever too hot!
I'm thinking more looking for security. But I can't for the life of me think why my bed would be more secure than the box. My dogs sleep on the bed, and one of them jumping on the kitten unexpectedly when it's under the duvet would probably smother it too.
2 people like this
@chicksdigscars (5483)
•
7 Jun 12
other thank locking the cat & kittens in a room the mummy can't get out of, I have utterly no idea.
are there blankets ok in the kitten bed? maybe she feels the kittens are cold?
