Do mother cats eat their kittens?


Yes, some mother cats, also known as queens, will eat one or more of their kittens. There are a number of reasons why the queen might choose to do this, and this behavior is not necessarily a reflection of her inexperience as a mother.

When a mother cat feels threatened, either by humans or predators, and has no way to hide her kittens, she might choose to kill them to protect them. Queens will also kill kittens that have genetic defects or are weak as she does not want to waste her limited milk supply on caring for them. She may also eat these weaker kittens in an attempt to get some of her strength back after having given birth. If a kitten dies in the nest, she will eat it to prevent the decaying body from attracting predators or spreading disease among the remaining kittens.

Q&A Related to "Do mother cats eat their kittens?"
This is very sad but can happen. Sometimes the mother thinks that the kitten does not belong to her, or she doesn't want it, in some cases this is even because they are so hungry
1. Allow your cat to wean her kittens naturally. Separating the mother from her kittens before the kittens are fully weaned can be traumatic for both the mother and her babies. Further
Mother cats sometimes eat their kittens if they are unhealthy or have died. This is nature and I would assume the nutrients are needed to feed the other kittens. Sometimes mother
Some females cannot switch off hunting behavior. Some have poorly developed maternal instincts & hormonal imbalance.
Explore this Topic
Mother cats may abandon their kittens because they believe the kittens are sick and will die. They may also abandon their kittens if they believe they can't take ...
You need to wait until the kittens are around eight weeks old in order to separate them from a mother cat for adoption. Somewhere between 6 weeks and 16 weeks ...
Kittens and cats can eat tuna and are said to love it but their consumption should be watched. This is because tuna does not provide a complete and balanced diet ...