mother cat ate her own kitten, why?

Question

why do cats eat their own kittens? my cousin has a cat who gave birth to three kittens but today she had eaten one of them and only the head remained! why would a cat do that? could it be related to the fact that my cousin has been picking up the kittens quite often since they were born?? Please explain, thanks

Answer 1

Animals in general are very in tune with things human are not. The kitten could have been sick, weak, any number of things. In the wild, it is called survival of the fittest. Something was wrong with the kitten, and the mother knew it. By removing the kitten from the pecking order, she allowed a greater chance of survival for the other, stronger offspring. Remember, deep down inside, these animals were once wild, and they are only doing what thousands of years of instinct have taught them to do.

Answer 2

The simple answer is that the cat didn't think that particular kitten would or should survive. In eating it, she is following instinct, and also recycling the protein. She now has more milk for the two surviving kittens. She left the head because she was physically unable to eat it, unlike the rest of the carcass.

This seems awful to us but happens a lot in the wild (and cats, whether we like it or not, are wild animals) Your cousin's handling of the kittens had nothing to do with it.

The cat is not "bad" for doing this. She should not be punished or disliked for doing what she did.

(when cats miscarry they usually eat the aborted embryos.)

Answer 3

when you are born why shoud your mom hold your head cautiously. Well, Its because you are a newborn and although you are out of the womb, you have much of developing to do in the first week.You are very fragile and if not taken seriously may contact a bone problem or even worse break the baby's bone. So back to the kitten. After picking the kitten up so many times after the birth, you may have not noticed but it became weaker. Maybe that kitten bones broke ( they are very small like twigs), but whatever the case may be, the mother did it because she knew it would suffer and be weak when it grew. In other words let's just call it a "mothers instinct"

I hope this helps,
<<<<~Baby doll~>>>>

Answer 4

If the kitten had been picked up a lot it might have been hurt, in a way which mum knew he wouldn't survive. You shouldn't pick up kittens that small, their bones are tiny twigs.

When animals know their babies won't make it they eat them up, to use the nutrients for another litter, thus avoiding predators sniffing out the dead baby and finding the others. Nature is perfect.

Another explanation is that the kitten was handled so much that it completely lost the smell of a kitten, and she recognized it as an enemy to the rest of her litter, or herself.

Mother cats are known to go into burning buildings to save their babies, so they are the best mums they can be.
It was all the fault of whoever handled the poor tiny kitten relentlessly.
Would you pass your newborn babies around all day?

What's your cousin thinking???

Answer 5

Yes it could - mothers and kittens should be left as much alone as possible, apart from giving food, water and cleaning the litter tray. Start handling the kittens when their eyes start to open. It would be good to get the mother cat neutered as soon as the kittens are weaned - the country is full of unwanted cats and kittens. If the owner wants another cat, go to a rescue centre, there are always cats and kittens loooking for good homes, without letting pets breed.

Answer 6

In the wild if there is something wrong with the kitten she will either kill or eat the ailing one so this could be why, how old were the kittens when she ate it? If the mum knows your cousin really well it shouldn't really have bothered her about your cousin handling them so i would find it hard to believe that, that is the cause i would still suggest your cousin takes mum and the remaining babies to the vet..

Answer 7

Yes it probably will be something to do with your cousin picking them up. When a mother gives birth she relys on scent to find her kittens and insure they are all there, if they are handled they are then covered in a new scent which the mother won't recognize as one of her kittens and in some cases see it as a threat which might have been why she ate the kitten.

Answer 8

They eat it for a lots of reasons but i believe it stems from the wild.If a kitten is sick the mom will eat it so the body doesn;t attract others that would eat baby kittens,Sometimes mama will do it also if the kittens get picked up before 2 weeks of age ' as they need to smell their scents on the babies; but if humans pick them up mama will only smell a human and kill them,,,, lol

Answer 9

Tell her to KEEP OFF THE KITTENS. They have picked up her scent, which the cat recognises al alien and has killes what she believed to be another cats kitten. do NOT handle kittens before 2 weeks old.

Answer 10

My cat had kittens years ago, she ate the placenta (it's natural & a pain reliever while the other kittens are being born). Gross....I know....I have never heard of a mom cat eating her kitten-----call the vet. And tell the humans to please leave them alone with the mom---esp the first weeks!!!