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What does it mean if a mother cat eats a kitten?

Pet Knowledge
This article is provided by Veterinarian Dr. Isabella Davis
If a female cat eats kittens, it mainly indicates the following meanings: First, if the female cat is undernourished, it is easy for the female cat to supplement its nutrition by eating kittens. Second, the kitten has a different smell. The mother cat thinks it is not her child and will eat the kitten if she feels threatened. Third, the female cat is not very maternal and regards the kittens as a burden and danger to herself. Fourth, kittens are born with deformities. Out of an instinctive protection, the mother cat will eat the deformed kittens to increase the survival rate of other healthy kittens.

1. Female cats are undernourished

Female cats will be relatively weak after giving birth. If there is no supplementary food at this time, they will pick out the weaker kittens and eat them to supplement themselves. Nutrition. Therefore, after the female cat gives birth, the owner needs to provide the female cat with sufficient nutrition and water, such as canned food, crucian carp soup, bone soup, etc. When the female cat is pregnant, she can be given pregnancy-specific cat food.

This situation usually occurs in wild cats. Because there is no food source to breastfeed, the mother cat will choose to eat the kittens to supplement nutrition.

2. The kitten has other smells

If the kitten has other smells, the mother cat will think that it is not her child and feels threatened, so she Will eat kittens to keep itself safe. Therefore, it is best for owners not to touch newborn kittens, otherwise it will destroy the smell of the kittens.

3. Female cats do not have strong maternal instincts

Most female cats will stimulate their maternal instincts after giving birth to kittens. At this time, the female cats do not need the care of their owners. Take good care of your kitten. However, there are also some cats that do not stimulate their maternal instincts after giving birth, so they will not take care of the kittens after giving birth, and may even regard the kittens as a burden and danger to themselves. This situation occurs when a female cat gives birth for the first time. It is more likely to happen!

4. Kittens are born with congenital malformations

In the animal kingdom, survival of the fittest is the instinct of animals. If the kittens are born with deformities, the mother cat is likely to eat the deformed kittens to supplement her own nutrition and increase the survival rate of other cats.