I just got home from town and found 2 kittens under my bed ( I didn't know my cat was pregnant as she was a stray and we only had her 3 weeks). Anyway, one of the kittens had its stomach completely ripped open! I dont' know why or how this happened. Has anyone ever seen this before. There are no other animals in the house. Please help!
2006-07-26 16:47:23 · 17 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Why would the mom do this, she is taking good care of the other one.
2006-07-26 16:47:54 · update #1
Without knowing any of the history of the mother cat, or what happend when she had the kittens, my very best guess at this is, the kitten was either born that way, or most likely the mother did it. She would only have done this if the kitten was dead or is so sick it will die. This is animal instinct as much as we don't want to know about this part of animals. If a baby is hurt, or very sick it will die, the mother will know, and this is her way of taking care of that. Sorry this happened. You may want to call your vet if it's still alive.
2006-07-26 16:53:47 · answer #1 · answered by Fawnice 3 · 4⤊ 1⤋
Take that kitten to the vet immediately! Newborns have a weak immune system and are prone to infection.
Though I'm no cat whisperer, I'm pretty sure that the mother wasn't the one that hurt the kitten, or at least not purposely. Mother cats are infamous for defending their kittens. Are you sure another cat isn't sneaking into your house? Tom cats have been known to kill kittens so the female goes back into heat.
(In the meantime, if the wound isn't deep, clean the area gently with a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. This will disinfect without hurting the kitten.)
2006-07-26 16:57:04 · answer #2 · answered by SoJen 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
honestly it could have been born that way even some humans are born with their intestins out of their body and the best thing for you to do is to take it to the vet asap and see if it is possible if it can be saved and is there anything wrong with the other kitten? animals can since that there is something wrong with their young if they think that it is going to die then it wont even attempt to feed it or anything and move the rest of the kittens away from it i would check over your whole house to see if there are any more kittens good luck
2006-07-26 18:26:53 · answer #3 · answered by gigglezdelight 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I agree with one of the other answers. The kitten that was injured was probably born dead, died shortly after birth or was deformed in some way and the mother just does as nature tells her. It's not that she's cruel, but she can't sacrifice her healthy kitten by trying to save a weak or dead one. Just be kind to her and help her take care of her newborn.
2006-07-26 16:59:16 · answer #4 · answered by NannyMcPhee 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a birth defect in which the abdominal wall does not fully form. If I remember correctly, it is called gastroschisis.
It is not likely that the mother did this to the kitten. A mother cat will often neglect a kitten with a defect and refuse to nurse it, but they don't usually attack a kitten with problems.
2006-07-26 16:56:16 · answer #5 · answered by LovingMother 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Animals usually reject babies when they know there is something wrong with them. Is the other kitten OK? Perhaps they were premature since you didn't know your cat was pregnant? Love & nurture the remaining kitten. You will have so much fun watching its eyes open, hold its head up, start to crawl, walk etc. Take lots of pics!!
2006-07-26 17:08:44 · answer #6 · answered by al 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
prolly cause it was sick.. Animals always know when their babies are not healthy. I had a boxer that had puppies and she kept pushing the same one to the corner so we took her out and bottle fed her... in the end, she only lived 3 days. My sister bottle feeds baby kittens and puppies all the time, it's not like she didn't know what she was doing either. Don't worry, as long as she is taking care of the other one, it will be fine!!
2006-07-26 16:52:26 · answer #7 · answered by underwaterangel 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use a eye dropper. new born kittens are in many cases to liable to suckle the nipples that comprise the bottle set. a dropper provides you with some administration over how plenty she gets at one time. yet another selection I definitely have used with newborns is to get a rabbit nipple ( its the long skinny one in case you have one).. poke 3-4 holes in it with a warm stitching needle. then instead of using the bottle. I pushed the nipple with the aid of the corner of a plastic zip lock baggie and held it in place with a small hair rubber band around the bag and nipple. you placed milk in the baggie and there is not any " vacuum" for the kitten to artwork against. each suck grants milk in basic terms like mama does. toss the baggie whilst its empty. i got here across i will make a days incredibly worth of milk at a time for a sparkling born and in basic terms placed the hollow element in the refrigerator between nutrition. additionally be sure she is heat.. 90F on the towels. chilly kittens wont feed. so she incredibly desires it heat If she hasnt fed quickly. call the vet and ask them to teach you the thank you to tube feed and to insert a feeding tube for her. She desires Cloustrum the 1st milk
2016-10-08 08:58:00 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When chewing off the umbilical cord and the skin on the stomach is not closed at that point, the mother just keeps chewing. Since the skin on the stomach was not closed, it would have died anyway.
Mom just made is faster so the kitten did not suffer.
2006-07-26 16:55:37 · answer #9 · answered by Blossom 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nothing you could have done here. the mom could be a first time mom. and/ or something may have been wrong with that baby. sometimes when an animal fears for its own survival it will "thin the heard" given this cat is new to your home maybe she is still coming from being on her own. she will do better next time if there is a next time. hope this helps.
2006-07-26 16:58:46 · answer #10 · answered by sillygoose 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋