Will my male cat try to kill the kitten? No one knew how helpless she was feeling. If she does there is nothing you can do about it, it is because there is something wrong with them and she knows it. The first possible reason why a mother might kill one of her kittens … I hate to think of kitties being killed. Neonatal isoerythrolysis occurs in kittens with type A blood born to type B queens. Animal rescuer found dead of apparent suicide. I got him when I was very young as a kitten himself). The reason why the mother eats the killed kitten is purely functional. We'd been feeding her and she found a sheltered spot behind the sofa. Why? Even though I continually separate them, should I be worried about this? The first possible reason why a mother might kill one of her kittens is that she is conducting a ‘disease control system’. Your vet is a MORON!!!!) In the purebred population, certain breeds have a higher incidence of type B blood. They were so tiny and beautiful and playful. Finally, there may be psychological factors causing the mother to feel insecure due to a perceived danger or threat to the mother’s survival. Lately, a stray cat had 2 kittens in my house. The dog is fine with cats. Another concern would be that the risk of a condition called neonatal isoerythrolysis. At present there are several recognised reasons for this, all supported by field observation, documented by breeders and related to other known feline behaviours. Some female cats act as midwives, attending a birthing and helping to clean the newborn kittens. Another good thing for you to know is that cats aren't like lions as one of the answers said. It is not uncommon for a female cat to adopt another female's litter of kittens, but sometimes females can be hostile toward litters that are not their own. Do male cats raise kittens? He will sometimes kill all the kittens and then breed with the females in order to have only his kittens survive. it is not aggression as such it is pure instinct . That cat used to love our home. Dawnie, another cat, did that with me after she lost her only kitten and was spayed. So if I get a cat and dog should they both enter at the same time (dog must be okay with … Sometimes male cats kill kittens (esp. We may, A St. Peters, Missouri man who would scour Craigslist ads for free cats has been charged with felony animal cruelty. Tom cats can kill kittens fathered by another tom so that the queen would soon be in heat again and they will have the chance to father the next litter. Why do cats, either male or female, sometimes kill kittens - either their own kittens or those belonging to another cat? Our question this week was: Dr. Debra – I have two adult sister cats that just have 5 kittens each within 2 days apart. A queen may kill her kittens because, in being handled by another animal or human, her scent on her kittens has been obliterated or obscured such that she no longer recognised them and they become prey. A bite on the top (dorsal) side of the neck is not an attacking bite, it can be (as mentioned above) mating behavior, or just a show of dominance. She won't kill your new kitten but I guarantee that she will absolutely HATE the kitten for a long, long time. What I was talking about and I assume the OP is as well is when the resident cat tries to kill the new cat! In the feline world, caring for the young is solely the responsibility of the female cat. Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. This cat's behaviour is very unusual. This looks like a mother and her kittens. What can be the reason for this behaviour? (Not with us, her past owners) I was wanting to get a kitten, and I was curious as to if she would take care of it. Kitty, Oreo, and Morris. > Do cats kill kittens that are not theirs at a certain age? You can separate them and allow the mother cats to bond with their litters. Territory Size A female cat's territory is generally much smaller than a male's. I’m not a cat owner. This is stress related. Hi – thanks for your email. Stace, I love barn cats. At first, it looked like the adult was trying to clean the kitten until he bit the kitten. By killing and eating one of her kittens who is suffering from an infection due to a reduced resistance or hypothermia and inactivity, the mother eliminates the pathogen from the nest thereby protecting the remaining kittens. Pairing a kitten or an adolescent cat with a mature cat usually makes a good match, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She may eat and kill a kitten while eating her placenta. Both male and female cats can kill and eat kittens. A cat won't go into heat if she's nursing. especially, if they come from a different household . How can we use it? It is unfortunate that it is standard procedure here to separate cats when they're no ready. We have 2 cats - a spayed female and an neutered old male (he was neutered after we adopted him at about 3). It is a report which has surfaced from under the radar. Mother cats are known to eat their kittens. Cats … I find this disturbing. Cats don't like change. Please enable JavaScript on your browser to best view this site. Female cats rarely eat kittens. So maybe it wasn’t entirely the Siamese thing with Christy. Trixie will be spayed when the kittens are born. You can find out more in our privacy policy. Yes we were told she was a male (rescued her 3 weeks ago) Will my cat Mouse (spayed female 1 and half years old) Kill Trixie's Kittens when they are born??? Even kittens that nurse for only a brief time may develop severe illness and die. Handled another person or animal. This could cause an unnecessary drain on her. I ask because theres been a stray cat coming to my house. Although again this will completely depend on the personalities of the cats in question, male and female cat companies seem to be one of the easiest to deal with. This looks like a mother and her kittens. While male cats might have more of a reputation for being territorial, … Why do cats, either male or female, sometimes kill kittens - either their own kittens or those belonging to another cat? Maybe her having been spayed had just as much to do with her being the little love bug that she was. Tom (male) cats may sometimes kill kittens that are not their own offspring to cause the female to come back into heat. Type B blood has very strong anti-A antibodies, but type A has relatively weak anti-B antibodies. The Brits are well known for letting their domestic cat companions wander around outside as they see fit. While some cats will fight much less than others, cats need to … There is NO MEDICAL REASON why you would EVER wait till a cat is 6 months old to spay (ESP since cats are sexually mature at 4 months, not 6! Type A kittens are born healthy and begin to nurse. First, the energy that it would require for her to nurse all 10 kittens would be great. Yes--two males struggling for territory in an enclosed area can and will kill. A male that is still 'intact' will kill kittens that he thinks was fathered by another tom. All Rights Reserved. But she has to diagnose a viral infection, which I’d suggest is difficult. Less than one percent are type AB. 4 books you might buy a cat lover this Christmas, Dog strokes cat who reciprocates the affection (video), Bidens will be bringing a cat to the White House (plus Major and Champ). I am so upset. Could our male cat have done this? Here are five possible reasons. There is nothing you can do to prevent this and it could go on for weeks or even months … But 95% of the time the adult cat would attack the younger, weaker cat. Okay it is normal for most resident cats to except a new cat/kitten with some hissing, growling, and swatting. At feeding time, all eight kittens went to four of her teats which produced milk. You could say that it ... A well-known animal rescuer was found dead of an apparent suicide Wednesday night. This gross behavior though is more common in female cats. Please refresh the page if the buttons don’t show . I told her she could get one if she agreed to take care of it. The IHC Group. Later, she gave birth to one kitten, but today I found that one unknown male cat foght with our female cat. Your adult female cat might prefer it, however, when you bring in a younger female cat, especially if your cat is maternal. Tomcats also sometimes kill kittens that have different fathers -- a way of eliminating living proof of the rival fathers' DNA. But my senior cat … If you can get a dog crate (you want it to be large enough for the kitty to walk around) put the kitten inside that for a few hours at a time while your adult kitty walks around and can sniff the kitten. Un-spayed females have a tendency to try to get outside when they are in heat, and they will likely disappear for long periods of time, too. I had to find an image to replace the original one. 10 years ago. I worked for a man who came in upset because he had taken a young stray tom into his apartment. You’ll receive one email per day and a list of links to the articles written in the past 24 hours. This means that more resources are available for the other kittens. For being in … Your cat has a built-in instinct, much like the hamsters on the video. I don't know if it's a male or female, but my (neutered) male cat, Jack, has been yowling loudly at it. Another interesting fact is that female cats can carry more than one litter at a time; this in known as superfetation, and can occur when a female goes … I very much doubt that your male cat would kill a kitten. The kittens can be considered as prey by the tom cats. The query I have with this theory is that the mother is ingesting a virus. I have been told that having a cat around is the most effective way to get rid of rats. Males will also kill kittens with no problem, but an adult female I doubt it unless she was on his turf. In a feral cat group, the alpha female in the group sometimes kills the kittens of other females to better … The incidence of type B blood varies in different parts of the world. They are all alive and well! For the method to work the mother has to act fast to prevent a build up of the pathogen in the sick kitten who is incubating the disease. This mostly happens with feral cats. I have recently purchased a male kitten, now 7 weeks old. Only the most dominant of them would kill kittens. Upon arrival of the new kitten, we tried to introduce the cats to each other. I have a female grey short-hair and she's been "queen" of the house for two years until I got my male tuxedo kitten who thinks he's "all that". This insures that his genes are passed down to another generation. However, in nature – it is not uncommon for kittens to nurse from other queens. I was looking at different kinds of cats online and clicked on a Youtube video by accident with a noisy kitten. To read most recent questions Click here! The birth of several litters of kittens in one cat colony can also give rise to episodes of kitten abduction and killing. I figure on a kitten though an older cat (same ageish) would be good too. Later, she gave birth to one kitten, but today I found that one unknown male cat foght with our female cat.