Why is my mother cat neglecting and burying her newborn kitten?

Question

My cat has recently had kittens, only a small litter of 2. While both cats were born healthy, lately my cat has been trying to bury one of her kittens under blankets and neglecting that kitten to care for the other one. Why is she burying her kitten alive? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 10 lbs

Destini R. Holloway, DVM · Accepted Answer

Poor thing. Sometimes mama cats can sense that a kitty has some sort of defect, so they will neglect them and focus on the healthier kitty. Also, if somehow the kitty was touched by a person and the mother no longer smells the kitty's scent, but instead a human, this too will cause the mother to neglect said kitty. Give it time and continue to monitor this kitty closely to see if she is getting fed and stimulated to pee and poop on her own. If she isn't, then it may be a good idea to separate the kitty and nurse her yourself until she can be weaned onto kitty dry food, which is around 3-4 weeks of age.

Why is my mother cat neglecting and burying her newborn kitten?

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