How do mother cats carry kittens without injuring them?

Question

Do mother cats really bite the napes of their kittens? Or is it just with their gums? LOL ^_^ Why don't they get injured?

Answer 1

The mother is quite careful to get her mouth in just the right place. If you've ever watched a momma cat move her kittens, you would know what I mean. They sometimes feel around with their mouths for a little while, until it is just the right place. They bite only hard enough to hold the kitten, and not hard enough to pierce the skin.

The kitten, in turn, has a reflex reaction of going completely limp when it feels the mother cat do this. That way, the kitten doesn't squirm around and fall. It also tucks its little legs and tail up, so momma doesn't trip.

Moving kittens is a cooperative venture between momma and baby cat.

Answer 2

Cats Carrying Kittens

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How do mother cats carry kittens without injuring them?
Do mother cats really bite the napes of their kittens? Or is it just with their gums? LOL ^_^ Why don't they get injured?

Answer 4

A lot of good advice on here, already.....but haven't seen this mentioned. If you have a Petsmart nearby, go and get a "Top Paws Mothering Kit". This is a Petsmart product, so I'm not sure if you can find the same thing anywhere else. This kit has a refillable syringe and 3 "elongated" silicone "teats". They're just PERFECT to fit in the mouth of the newborns....unlike the nipples that usually come with the "pet bottle". I raised many kittens using these kits.....never lost one, after I discovered the elongaged teats, etc. The kittens took right to them and would suck the syriinge dry in no time. As they got bigger, I had to feed them more than one syringe! If I remember correctly, we got to 3 full syringes every feeding, before they got old enough to eat from a bowl!! Feeding 7 kittens like that, every few hours, took quite awhile! It seemed that I no sooner got through with one feeding, it was time for another! Who's going to take care of feeding the kittens while you're in school??? They'll need to be fed at least 3 times during that time!! So, along with the other advice (warmth, "bottom" cleaning, etc), try to find this EXTREMELY HELPFUL TOOL. You're in for a lot of work, but if everything works out, you'll be the "proud mama" of a couple of healthy kittens. BTW.........keep "demon cat" away from the kittens for a few weeks. At least til they get their eyes open, and even then, YOU need to be in the room with them! Hope all goes well..............enjoy.

Answer 5

Some times a mother cat carrys it kittens by using its teeth to grab hold of the back of its neck but not so hard that it is injured and acasionaly the kitten rides on its mother's back.

Answer 6

They don't clamp their jaws all the way down - just enough to keep them in their mouths. In fact, sometimes you'll see the mother drop the kitten because she wasn't holding tight enough.

My cats are mother and daughter and they look like they "fight" all the time, but when I stick my hand in the middle of their fight, it's all soft and fuzzy - no claws or teeth.

Answer 7

i believe mother cats actually bite the nape. i mean kittens are born with extra skin on their nape for a reason. As they get bigger the skin tightens and will hurt if you grab them there. ive seen my cat do it to two litters of her kittens and ive nvr heard any of her kittens mewoing.

Answer 8

they do not hurt them...they only grab enough to get hold of the kitten, and would never bite their skin. this is the way they carry their babies....

i had a cat named tigger that that would carry stuffed animals around that way...the toys were his babies....it is nature's way for cats..

Answer 9

It's just how they evolved. If you pick up an adult cat he will have the same reaction as a kitten (curl its paws and tail toward it's stomach).

Answer 10

Of course the mother doesnt hurt the kittens. She doesnt bite too hard. But hard enough to hold them.