Why would a mom cat kill her kittens?

The most common cause of momma cats killing or cannibalizing their young is because they sense something may be wrong with the kitten. This might be they sense some sort of illness or some sort of congenital abnormality. They view this as a threat to themselves and more importantly to the other kittens in the litter.

Will a cat kill its own kittens?

Some mothers kill their kittens by mistake – it could either be a case of overenthusiastic grooming or unintentional trampling. However, these cases are very rare. Cats kill their kittens only if they feel very threatened or if they know that the kittens have very bleak chances of survival.

Will a mom cat suffocate her kittens?

Can mom cats squish their kittens? Cats, if they aren’t even nervous, get even more so after giving birth. They have kittens to look after, and they don’t always produce enough milk to eat them all right away. Unfortunately, cats may smother or kill their kittens as a result of their tension.

Do female cats kill other kittens?

Most female cats can switch between ‘play mode’ and ‘hunt mode’ in order not to harm their offspring. In tomcats this switching off of ‘hunt mode’ may be incomplete and when they become highly aroused through play, the ‘hunting’ instinct comes into force and they may kill the kittens.

What does a mother cat do with a dead kitten?

Mother Cats Will Bury Their Kitten She might bury it, or if she has quite a few live kittens left, she will take it away from them and abandon it. If she doesn’t have live kittens — and sometimes, even if she does — her grieving process might be burying her kitten and lying over the burial spot for hours.

Will father cats kill their kittens?

It’s unlikely that your cat would hurt his own kittens. Cats sometimes will kill the kittens of other males, just like big cats do in the wild. However, some mother cats are very nervous when males come around and have been known to even turn on their own babies.

Why is my cat being aggressive to her kittens?

If a mother cat is threatened by other cats, people, excessive noise or other stressful situations she may abandon her kittens or develop aggressive tendencies towards them. First-time mothers may also be more prone to behavior problems.