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My dog grabbed a kitten. Why did she do that? Are kittens safe?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 40 lbs

Our cat had 5 kittens the other night and we have 3 dogs who like to go in and look but never engage. We let the mother cat out, who is about 8 months old, and our smallest dog (who is fixed and has never been violent before) went into my moms rooms and grabbed one of the kittens out of the doggie cage. She didn't hurt it we hope but my mom was thinking it's because she wanted one for her own. Could that be it?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 20th, 2017

I would be concerned that the dog thought the kitten was a play toy, and that's why Dixie grabbed it out of the cage. Newborn kittens are extremely fragile, and Dixie could potentially hurt the kitten even if she didn't mean to; therefore, I would keep the dogs away from your cat and her kittens until the kittens are at least four weeks of age. At that age, they will be exploring the world around the, and the dogs can have contact with the kittens when fully supervised.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 20th, 2017

    It could be that Dixie wanted the kitten for herself, but regardless of her intention, I would not allow her around the kittens at this stage. Newborn kittens are extremely fragile, and they can easily get hurt even if Dixie isn't meaning to hurt them. In addition, mother cats can get very protective of their kittens, and your cat could lash out at the dogs if she felt threatened. The dogs may not mean to be threatening, but the cat could interpret their presence as such. It's best that the dogs aren't allowed in the room at all until the kittens are much older, around four weeks of age.

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