Why would a mother cat kill her newborn kittens right after birth?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 9 months and 14 days old | 8 lbs
What might cause a cat to kill her kittens the day they were born?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 15th, 2017
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.
18Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on March 17th, 2019
I hate to hear that happened. I'm sure it was very traumatic. It's impossible to say for sure why this happened. Sometimes the kittens are sick or have an abnormality that the mother detects. Sometimes the mother has poor nutrition or other stressers. Some cats lack a maternal instinct. Regardless, I recommend to have Lilly spayed as soon as you can (usually 8 weeks after giving birth) so that no one has to go through this again. Lilly will likely recover quickly and will adjust to her new life just fine. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
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