Mother cat biting her kittens

[Whisperer]

Hey guys so earlier I told you how we are fostering four kittens and a mother. Well the kittens are like two and a half weeks now with their eyes opening and just starting to explore the world.They practice their wobbly walking and have started biting each other and wrestling now. But now sometimes the mother pulls one of the kittens over and bits their neck (front and back) then kicks them with her back feet as if she has a toy or a mouse or something. Is this just disciplining or should I be worried? I looked it up on the internet and there wasn't really any clear answer they were mixed.
Thanks
Alessa

PS I'll be posting more pictures soon

[Maloo]

I'm not sure if it's dicipline or not, but my cousins had a cat that used to lay on top of her babies and almost smother them, and step on them too. They just kept a really close eye on the mommy and kittens to keep them safe.

[escape_thereal_world]

Biting their neck is a sign of discipline. That's called "scruffing". As for the kicking...not entirely sure. Does the kitten squeak? Is it hard enough to hurt it? It may be discipline, but I'm not sure.

When our cat had a kitten (the rest of the litter never made it to birth), she was too young to care for the kittens. So we had to.

Just make sure you see if the mommy kitten is feeding them. ALL of them. If you notice one being left out, wait a little while longer (day or so) then you may need to take over.

[OMFG!You'reActuallySmart!]

I don't know much about cats but in labs, mice and rats display very similar, perhaps identical behaviours. The mother mouse/rat often will grab the cub by the back of the neck area to move it around the area, whether it be for resolving cub-cub aggression or just mothering behaviours. The mother often lies on top of the cubs as a means of guarding them and keeping them warm. Kicking/boxing can be used against other adults if the female doesn't want to mate, however, gentle kicking can be used on the cubs as a method of discipline. It's like a gentle smack on the head when you screw up on something but the smack doesn't cause harm. The smothering may seem harmful but it probably isn't. If the kittens squeal though, then the mother is going too hard. This isn't a problem if it happens just a few times and if the mother quickly reacts to stop and care for the squealing kitten. If it happens very often or the biting cause the kittens to bleed, then you may want to consider jumping in. Keep in mind, mothers of various species can be extremely protective of their children, so the mother may lash out on you if you try to grab the kittens from her. This is also seen in bears: if you see a baby bear, you should leave not because the baby bear will harm you, rather the mother is nearby and she may tear you apart.

[Whisperer]

Thank you guys. And when she is biting the neck she isn't scruffing them though that's the thing. She biting like the underside of its neck almost like where a vampire would bite lol

[escape_thereal_world]

Well that's just mean

But I think as long as she isn't leaving marks/blood and the kitten doesn't squeal as if in pain, it is probably a punishment for something. So, hope it all goes well