Pseudo mother cat attacking me!

[Kittehcatlover]

Hello!

I'm very comfortable/familiar with cats and their behavior, but right now I'm at a loss of a solution. I have four cats, two if which are kittens that I recently adopted. The older two are a two year old female and 8 month old male. I have had them for about 3-4 months (a friend stayed with me for awhile and left her cats when she left). I love them dearly. I recently got them fixed, the female, Spook, was in heat so she remained in heat after being fixed. I adopted two kittens about a week after the older ones were fixed. Initially the kittens were kept in the bathroom, in order to introduce them slowly. However all four seems to take to each other quickly so they were let out after a few days. The kittens actually began nursing from spook (they are 10-12 weeks) which was initially weird to me but I learned that while in heat, kittens could trigger lactation. So I was happy they were bonding. Yesterday, one of the kittens got tangled in thread he had ripped from the shower curtain and began crying. This must have set off some protective mother instinct in Spook because she viciously attacked me to the point that I had to throw her off me into the bedroom and close the door quickly. After awhile I opened the door and she was calmer, I petted her and reassured her everything was okay. She let our a few low grumbles after that but mostly the night was mellow. Then this morning the littens were playing too hard with my other older cat and there was some growling going on, again Spook came after me, and had to be locked in the room. At this point I am sliced up and stressed out. I bought a spray bottle to help keep me safe and let her know her behavior is unacceptable. I've thought about putting the kittens back in the bathroom but I know they want to be with her. And there's no way I could lock her in the bathroom because she hardly goes in there and it's unfamiliar and will stress her out more. Is there anything I can do to help the situation while I wait this out? I was thinking one of those calming collars? Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

[Koteburo]

Maybe try a Feliway difuser at home and also creating a nest for her to cuddle with the kittens.
She's also going through hormonal changes since she was in heat and now recently spayed.

[hazelrunpack]

Also, if you were badly scratched or punctured, please see a doctor! Cat-inflicted wounds can infect quickly and severely!

[Kittehcatlover]

Im not too badly wounded. We've been progressing, slowly but surely. The water bottle seems to be working great, she still gets all worked up and runs towards me but wont attack me, kinda like she catches herself before she acts. I feel bad that she is so stressed though, especially because the two kittens play fight a lot and the whole time she is on edge. Im going to get her the calming collar today, I cant afford the whole diffuser system at the time.

[Koteburo]

The collar might help her btw I've also seen alternatives to feliway at Petsmart that are more affordable.
Maybe you could also try spoiling her a tiny bit more than usual like getting her her favorite treats or some play time just with her, even if only a few mins.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Koteburo

The collar might help her btw I've also seen alternatives to feliway at Petsmart that are more affordable.
Maybe you could also try spoiling her a tiny bit more than usual like getting her her favorite treats or some play time just with her, even if only a few mins.

I was at the vet today and they had something that looks like an air fresher and when it's plugged in it put out a sense that help calm down cats.

[Koteburo]

Originally Posted by Barkingdog

I was at the vet today and they had something that looks like an air fresher and when it's plugged in it put out a sense that help calm down cats.

Yup That sounds like the difuser. Pretty much looks like a Glade or Airwick freshener. Now they manufacture difusers and sprays for different brands because Feliway can be a bit pricey however even Feliway is more affordable now. I remember back in the day when I saw the difuser for $99.00 I was like
Now it's way less. But there are even cheaper ones these days.

[Barkingdog]

Originally Posted by Koteburo

Yup That sounds like the difuser. Pretty much looks like a Glade or Airwick freshener. Now they manufacture difusers and sprays for different brands because Feliway can be a bit pricey however even Feliway is more affordable now. I remember back in the day when I saw the difuser for $99.00 I was like
Now it's way less. But there are even cheaper ones these days.

I would of had that look too , I guess they work as the vet office are using them. yes they look just like a Glade or Airwick freshener , I thought the vet had them out because a dog pooped on the floor.

[Koteburo]

Originally Posted by Barkingdog

I would of had that look too , I guess they work as the vet office are using them. yes they look just like a Glade or Airwick freshener , I thought the vet had them out because a dog pooped on the floor.

LOL
However a very logical reasoning