The cat ate newborn kittens: reasons. What to do so that the cat does not eat newborn kittens?

Maternal love is an irresistible and inexplicable force. But animals often happen that the mother eats a child.

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The affectionate caring mothers licking and protecting the approaches to their kids - we usually see these cats who have just given birth. And all the more implausible, the situation in which it destroys its own kitten seems implausible. However, such cases are found, and quite often.

The cat ate newborn kittens: Reasons

First, we note that both a cat and a cat are capable of destroying a newborn kitten. Of course, the reasons why they do this are different. The male can eat kids in order to speed up the beginning of the next estrus in the female, because during feeding babies, estrus is impossible. And although such cannibalism constantly living in the same room with a female is usually unusual, it is better to prevent the neighborhood of a nursing mother with other animals.

The female can eat kittens, and such cases are also not uncommon-in general, up to 12-13% of newborn babies die. Why does this happen?

As a rule, the female does this in relation to stillborn or clearly sick kittens. If she has a miscarriage, she eats all a premature litter, including the last. This is explained by natural causes: the cat takes care that healthy offspring is not infected.
If the mark is very large, the cat is not always able to feed all the kittens. Therefore, it destroys the weakest, giving the opportunity to survive stronger.
With repeated pregnancy, which began too quickly after childbirth, the cat does not have enough strength to come out of offspring, so it can also destroy kittens. Therefore, make sure that your cat does not “walk” more than once a year.
If a cat cannot equip a safe place for feeding in all respects for offspring, it may begin to stress, which leads to eat kittens.
Insufficient nutrition of the cat itself, which affects both the amount of milk and the condition of the female.
The age, at which a cat is no longer able to fully endure and feed offspring.
Violations of the hormonal background, in which the hunting instinct prevails over the maternal.
If you pick up a newborn kitten, a cat may not accept it because of someone else's smell.
The kittens extracted by Kesarev can become a victim of the maternal instinct that did not awaken in the cat, since the birth was not natural.
At the first birth, the cat can eat a kitten by mistake: it is in postpartum shock and can simply confuse a living baby with the dead.
The cat can injure the kitten at a time when he grows the umbilical cord. In this case, she can perceive him as a non -viable.

There is also a version that if the cat ate newborn kittens, then this is caused by the egoism of the domesticated cat, which does not want competition for a place in the heart of the owner. So or not, it’s difficult to say, because the behavior and instincts of a domestic cat differ from those that are developed in natural conditions.

What measures to take so that the cat does not ate newborn kittens?

We do not know how only the given cat will behave. But according to some signs, it can be assumed that it is able to destroy offspring. This can happen if the cat has hyperactivity, it is not constantly with kittens, running away from them. In addition, kittens are in danger when access to them is open to other cats.

Is it worth it to prevent the destruction of kittens with a mother? Hardly. Indeed, in this case, instincts are triggered by which nature itself tells the cat the most correct solution. Therefore, do not choose drugs for the drug treatment of your cat - everything is in order with it.
If you are engaged in the breeding of a particular breed of cats, then you need to pay attention to whether the animals are inherent in such an aggressive attitude to the litter. It is possible that it can become hereditary, so it does not interfere with such cats simply exclude from the process of breeding.
And only in that case (quite rarely encountered), if the veterinarian determined the violation of the hormonal background of the cat, you can refer to drug treatment with progestins.

To minimize the situation when the cat ate newborn kittens, you should worry about the litter in advance, preparing a suitable place for them. It is best to use a comfortable box, quite roomy so that there is enough space for feeding. It is necessary to put it in a secluded place where they go little, there is no bright light and sharp sounds.

If the cat clearly shows aggression and cannibalism in relation to its kittens, you can try to preserve kittens by isolating them from the mother. It is necessary to try to provide them with maternal colostrum, applying to the female. But if mom is still aggressive to children-children need complete isolation. You can feed them with the help of artificial mixtures or by slowly placing another “nurse”, feeding their own kittens.

Do not punish the cat who ate her kittens. She already suffered tribal and postpartum stress, and led it exclusively by instinct, and not evil intentions or insidious in nature. You just need to figure out for what reason the cat destroyed its offspring, and think about how to avoid the repetition of the situation in the future.