I believe my cat is killing them...this is her first litter...I think she was eating one of them when I came back to check while at work...She had 4 kittens this morning or sometime last night...3 were alive and 1 was dead; I put it in the trash outside. I left her nursing three kittens in the basket that were alive and well, and even with all the blood, she seemed to be doing ok...I didn't know that she wasn't finished! About 2 pm, I returned home to check on her only to find that not only did she have 2 more kittens, but one of the first 3 kittens in the basket was dead and partly eaten...one of the second 2 was lying dead by her litter box and the other one was loudly meowing 5 feet away in the corner of the room. I removed the 2 dead kittens and put the alive one back in the basket with the alive two remaining. I was afraid to let my cat stay with them when I had to go back to work. I locked my cat in the computer room away from the kittens until I got home...What's happening?
2006-08-07 08:31:14 · 10 answers · asked by Diamond 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
Mother nature is taking over. It's normal for a cat to eat her dead young. Don't ask me why - it just happens. Why she moved one kitten out of the box could be anything. She may sense it is sick or dying or if a human touched it, that might be the case. Just give her some time. At this point, that's about all you can do.
2006-08-07 08:37:02 · answer #1 · answered by Blond Logic 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont think any of these guys have any idea what they are talking about. When cats, and many other animals like dogs and rabbits, have there first litter they often dont know how to take care of them and often have a tough time with there first litter. Her next litter should be fine, but there is almost allways a few who dont make it and there is almost always a runt in the litter who usually dosnt make it. Dont keep the kittens seperated from the mother because the kittens have to eat quite a bit, especially while they are young. The kittens usually eat every 1 or 2 hours. Sometimes every 3 hours. If anything would be killing the kittens it would usually be the male cats because they usually get jelous of the kittens because they get more attention then him, but thats not always true. Hope this helps!
2006-08-07 10:54:47 · answer #2 · answered by Linzi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Cats somtimes eat the dead kittens when they are born, or if they are sick she will take them away from the litter. It is instinct. I had a cat that waited till her kittens were ready to wean then she tried smoohtering them. But they were big enough to seprate from tne Mother cat while I was at work. then the next litter she had,she started doing it when they were 1 day old. I got her by the throat and squeezed her to let her know how it felt , and she never did it agiain. If his is her first litter and she is young she may not know what and how to care for them
2006-08-07 10:30:27 · answer #3 · answered by jingles_200 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
PLEASE CALL THE VET.
Ask them what's going on. This may be helpful: I've heard that when a cat has kittens, the mother can tell if there's something wrong with them. (Like a disease, illness or something that they'll eventually die from.) I say to just keep the kittens seperated from the mother, call the vet and maybe you should get rid of the kittens. I know it may be alittle harsh, but they may die anyways. Plus, you don't want see ALL of them killed and eaten, do you? face it, if you get rid of them, they'll have a better life. I had to get rid of my kitten before. I'm over it now. But, anyway, that's what you should do.
2006-08-07 09:49:57 · answer #4 · answered by Sandra H 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If she is a very young cat, a lot of times they will eat their babies. Also the babies could have been born too early and died on their own and she is eating them after they die. If the cat is seperated from the cat all day while you are at work, they will be very weak when you get home.
2006-08-07 08:37:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
if your cat killed one of the kittens before, you should have taken the mother away from the kittens. then after removing her, you should have taken care of them yourself. you should be with the mother as she was having her babies because what if she had difficulty having them? a birthing process doesnt just take half an hour.
2006-08-07 08:37:46 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well that does happen sometimes. In the animal world, sometimes the mother will know that the babies aren't going to make it or are somehow damaged and she will smother them or refuse to feed them or things like that.
2006-08-07 08:36:34 · answer #7 · answered by Rvn 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
alot of cats with their first litter do this. She could have sensed that they were sick....if they are sick they will eat them or reject them... if you want theem to live I would suggest bottle feeding...take them to a vet to see if they are sick.
2006-08-11 05:48:39 · answer #8 · answered by Love not hate 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take them away from her and try to nurse them on your own in a seperate room because hamsters try to eat their kids to if they dont want
2006-08-07 08:36:08 · answer #9 · answered by ziegler910 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unfortunately.. it happens that way.. some are still borne and there may not be any reason for it but it just happens.
2006-08-07 08:36:30 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋