I rescued a pregnant cat, Ellie, in January. I had never had a cat before and fell in love with her. She had her four babies 8 weeks ago. She was an attentive mother and took very good care of them. Up until recently, Ellie was mostly calm and seemed content. But over the past week she’s started biting me a lot. She gets constant attention when I’m home. I’ve tried playing with her and she isn’t interested in toys, only me. It also happens when I’m sleeping or getting ready to leave. I felt guilty about it, but I had to shut her out of my room last night so I could get some sleep. I feel like she’s always trying to tell me something and I don’t know what. She cries constantly. I check her food and water, I pet her, hold her…it’s not what she wants. The worst part is that she doesn’t seem happy anymore.

I thought it may be because the kittens still try to nurse from time to time, but it’s the same when I separate them from her vs. when they are together. I plan on keeping one of the males and homing the others to friends and family. I don’t know if it will help when they are out of the house or not. Another thing is that she has started making a mess of her litter, kicking a lot of it out of the box to the point it’s almost empty. She also takes items, such as cat toys and even my clothing, and places them in the litter. I’m going to get her (and her son) spayed of course, but my clinic won’t allow until she is 12 weeks postpartum and 2 weeks without nursing. I’m not sure if that’s what will help?

If anyone has experienced this before, please share your advice. I love Ellie and just want her to be happy again.