she is 3yrs. old. this was her 2nd litter.she's an only cat.and always kept indoors. she was a good mother to her 1st litter,but when the kids and i went to the store,and came back less than an hour later,she had killed them.they were in a secure and warm spot,and she had food and fresh water with her. i have never heard of this before.thank's
2007-02-22 05:07:38 · 8 answers · asked by stacy 4 in Pets ➔ Cats
she was nursing the kittens,and they appeared very healthy.she had them very clean.
2007-02-22 05:27:30 · update #1
there are many reasons why a cat might do that.
-she may feel there is not enough safety in the house
-she may feel she can not give them enough nutrition
-she may see something wrong in just one of the cats
-she may feel they were born too early...to late...
no on will know for sure. but look at gerbils...they eat their runts...deer have self induced abortions if they think they can't carry to full term. it was probably for the better, mothers know best. unless its a human killing their baby by leaving them in a roasting appartment with dog feces all over her playpen.....
2007-02-22 06:01:28 · answer #1 · answered by Twilite 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure it was actually her? The same thing happened with my cat's birth litter, and it may have LOOKED like she had done it because she was bloody in the mouth from trying to lick them but actually it was thier dad the male cat that hung around the place. He killed all the males in the litter (future compition) and left the females. It was in exactly the manner you described the family came home about an hour later to find all but 2 of the kittens (the females of the litter) dead. She was inside at the time but on a porch so he had gotten in.
2007-02-22 16:32:04 · answer #2 · answered by cavalofun 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mothers in many different species do this when they feel their offspring aren't healthy. It kind of goes along with survival of the fittest. Her instincts tell her to pass on her genes to improve and spread the species. If she detects that one or all the kittens are defective this is how she disposes of them. I know it's harsh but it's a part of nature. This is why owners should always keep an eye on a mother and her litter until the kittens are a few weeks old. Hope this helps.
2007-02-22 13:22:58 · answer #3 · answered by dolfingrrl928 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maybe there were birth defects, but you should always supervise a cat when she has a litter, it may be some post pregnancy anxiety. you won't ever know what happened to those kittens for sure, but for future reference, please keep your eyes on that cat and her kittens at all times, or at least check up on her every five to ten minutes.
2007-02-22 13:14:25 · answer #4 · answered by Rachel 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u should have her 'done',usually cats will kill their young if they have defects,or it could b she's always indoors,cats are out door animals,they need the compertition of other cats to keep their bloodline going,she has no contact with other cats so she may feel the kittens are competition,just like males,they need to keep their bloodlines going,the stongest will sire the kittens, thats y toms fight!!
2007-02-22 13:30:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
from what i understand mother cats can sense something is not quite right with her litter and will eat them so they don't suffer you don't say how old the kittens were so it is difficult to really say
2007-02-22 13:54:55 · answer #6 · answered by gruntlover101 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have no answers for your gruesome question, as I have never allowed any cat of mine to reproduce. But I hope you avoid this scenario in the future by following the lead of me and millions of other responsible pet owners and PLEASE get your cat spayed.
2007-02-22 13:37:54 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
What made you think she wanted kittens?
2007-02-22 14:34:19 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋