how does washing your hands stop a mother cat from killing her kittens?

Question

My brother told me that can anyone help?

My cat trusts my brother but not me

Answer 1

Supposedly it's so you don't get your scent on them. I don't really put much stock in it, especially if you're familiar to the mother cat, why would your scent bother her? I suppose it can't hurt, though. Better safe than sorry, perhaps.

Answer 2

Mother cats do not kill their kittens unless they suspect it is sick and going to die. There is no human scent that will keep them away from caring for kittens. Their instinct is different than birds.

Cats are normally solitary creatures and know that kitten care is the only time they expect to be around the cat. Domestication, however, has changed this solitary lifestyle (ie people who own 2 or more cats) and they have adapted because they get endless food supply.

You should handle kittens after a few days, as this will make them more socialized with humans - creating a very friendly kitten who will be adopted out more easily. Besides all that, you should spay and neuter, because for every kitten your cat births, that's one more kitten in a shelter who will die.

Answer 3

If a mother cat trusts you she will not kill her kittens if you wash your hands or not. My cat had 6 kittens 6 months ago and all are fine and doing well. She is having another litter very soon. And I will be holding those bundles of joy just like I did the last.

Answer 4

It doesn't, really. Although it does help keep the kittens healthy. Mother cats don't kill their kittens unless something is very wrong. I kept a mother cat and her kittens in my room when she had given birth in the rain behind the apartment where I lived at the time- and that meant playing with the kittens too. She never raised a paw against those babies.

Answer 5

That isnt true! I have never seen a momma cat kill her babies! When we were given our female cat, the previous owner neglected to tell us she was pregnant, but, when she had her kittens, we didnt handle them much because the moms are very protective of their babies, (some humans could take lessons from an animal, on motherhood) and if you do try and handle them too much, she may try and move them to another place where she thinks they will be safer, and least likely to be handled.

When the babies are old enough to be away from the mom, do the responsible thing & have her spayed, theres an over population of cats, in most places!!

Answer 6

Different cats respond to the handling of their litters differently
Some cats, even family pets, will protect their kittens by moving them if they're handled.
Feral cats almost always will.
But never in my twenty years of dealing with cats, domesticated or feral, unless a kitten is seriously sick, in which case it may be ignored,but never have I seen a mother cat for any reason kill her litter.even with my hands being dirty.

Answer 7

I've always heard that if their new kittens and the mother cat doest kno u/trust u then washing ur hands will prevent ur scent from bein passed 2 the kitten and the mother will reconize her baby

Answer 8

Again, another old wives tale. Not true, has nothing to with a mother cat killing her kittens. Mom told you that so you would leave the kittens alone.

Answer 9

They say that if you touch a baby with your scent then a mother will kill her babies but that's just BS. Even in wild animals a mother's instinct is too strong to simply kill it unless there's something wrong with it and they're going to die anyway. They're smart about not wasting energy on sick babies so they just abandon them or kill them to put them out of their misery.
You shouldn't worry about your mother cat killing her kittens just because you touch them. Make sure she's comfortable and feels safe then you should be able to do whatever.

Answer 10

Like any type of animal mother, when you touch its babies, the mother doesnt want nothing to do with the baby. Thats why we as people do not pick up kittens or puppies or birds when they are only hours to a few weeks old. If your friendly with the parent of these type of critters, there should be no harm done in loving on their babies when they are a slight older.

Answer 11

Bottom line... the mother cat will possibly move the kittens to a place where she thinks noone would get to them. She won't kill them unless she drops them in the move. I would just not touch them until they begin walking. The mother becomes jealous. While the babies are too small to walk I would pamper mom!!