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My cat had a stillborn kitten and won't eat. Is she sick or mourning?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | British Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 12 years and 11 months old

Hi my cat wiskers gave birth to a dead kitten yesterday around 5pm . She has not had any more. Could she ? She is still very affectionate and very vocal , she does not want to eat ! Is she just morning the loss of her kitten? Many thanks

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Emily, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 19th, 2017

The only way to be sure there are no kittens left is for your veterinarian to do an exam and likely an x-ray of her belly to make sure there's no kittens still present. It maybe she only had one kitten. But it is also possible she's not wanting to eat because she could be having complications of labor. I recommend having your veterinarian do an exam to make sure there are no further issues.

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    Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    It would be best to have Whiskers checked by the vet. If the kittens are dead they can be very hard to pass, so there could be more stuck inside. The dead kitten could also have given her an infection in her womb. Sometimes it takes a while for them to show signs of being sick even if a dead kitten is stuck.

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