Why would a mother cat kill her newborn kittens right after birth?

Question

What might cause a cat to kill her kittens the day they were born? Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 14 days old | 8 lbs

Jeffrey Milner · Accepted Answer

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. It seems gruesome and cruel, I know, but it is how nature works unfortunately. The other reason we see it sometimes is stress. This occurs most commonly in first time moms, or cats who are giving birth under less than ideal circumstances. Sometimes, cats who have their kittens handled too much by humans can respond with this type of behavior.

Why would a mother cat kill her newborn kittens right after birth?

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