how to tell if my cat ate her kittens

The cat would chew it through, providing a blunt crushing action to prevent bleeding; tearing it between the first two fingers and thumb does much the same thing. If this fails, an emergency ovariohysterectomy (spay) may be required. VCA Hospitals. Some rather dependent cats will deliberately delay or interrupt labour if the owner has to go out. Feeling from the outside around the perineal area under the tail will indicate if a kitten is already through the pelvis, and a view of nose or feet and tail at the vulva indicates that birth must be imminent if the kitten is to live. Check online or call your local Information Services to locate the nearest facility. If you see your kitten eating cat litter in large amounts or on a regular basis, take your kitten to the vet. These environmental stressors may include loud noises, too much foot traffic in the room where she is staying, and over-manipulation or handling her kittens too soon. 5 Reasons Mother Cats Eat Their Babies Stillborn Birth defects Mercy Threatened Malnourished 1. Contact your vet if you your cat does any of the following: Stops eating. If you cannot feel the movement then the kitten might be dead. If they locate the string during the endoscopy, it can be safely removed. It is important to understand the timeline of development and skills required for independence in order to ensure that kittens are able to thrive in the wild. Often, pet parents aren't present to see that their cat swallowed string. Your purchase directly supports the leading global cat welfare charity, International Cat Care. You shouldn't wait for an appointment at your vet when your cat is experiencing an emergency. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'kittyinsight_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_4',163,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kittyinsight_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');Some situations she may find stressful include if she has chosen a loud or busy area to have her kittens in, if her kittens are being handled by others, if she feels potentially threatened by predators or other cats or if she is separated from her kittens for any period of time. Sometimes, mama cats encounter health and mental issues, especially after the birth of their young. Tear the membranes from the nose, wipe the nose and open the mouth, tilt the kitten head down and clear away any fluid. Most pets that have ingested a foreign body will exhibit some of these clinical signs: Vomiting Diarrhea Abdominal tenderness or pain Decreased appetite or anorexia Straining to defecate or producing small amounts of feces Lethargy Torsion implies a twisting of the uterus, cutting off its blood supply, and making delivery of the contained foetus or foetuses impossible. Dr. Laci Schaible, is a small-animal veterinarian and veterinary writer. The Lowdown On Cat Hair! Treatment by the intravenous injection of calcium preparations leads to a spectacular reversal of the condition. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Phone (405) 341-1683 | Fax (405) 359-1936. don porter sootch00 REFILLS. Severe hydrocephalus with marked skull enlargement, Anasarca or generalised oedema (waterlogging of the tissues), Spina bifida or incomplete development of the dorsal body wall, Hernia or incomplete development of the ventral body wall. This may cause some pain, so at this point, the cat appears to give up trying and waits for, or demands, help. The hysterical dependent cat is obvious enough and easy enough to deal with, provided the necessary tranquilliser is at hand. You searched everywhere but seems like the little one is missing. Also, look for signs of abdominal pain, which your cat may show by hiding or being unusually aggressive when picked up. The lining of the uterus is inflamed due to a bacterial infection. Foreign body obstruction is a common and potentially life-threatening condition in veterinary practice. If the kitten has only the tail and hind-legs showing, delivery is even more urgent and the problem of holding the slippery subject more difficult, but the same principle applies. Many owners underestimate the importance of routine veterinarycare for cats. For more information, please see ourPrivacy Policy. You want to avoid the cat having to leave the kittens as this may cause stress that could end badly. Learn how to create a happy, healthy home for your pet. Learn important information about giardia in cats, including signs, diagnosis and treatment options for dealing with this parasitic infection. Feline mastitis is a medical condition that mama cats tend to suffer after giving birth. It stimulates breathing, helps to remove any remaining placenta and helps to remove liquid from the kitten's lungs. Bacteria use the traumatized area as an entry path and cause infection. If your cat is exhibiting life-threatening symptoms such as difficulty breathing, loss of consciousness, tremors, seizures, or other critical problems, take them to a 24 hour small pet hospital immediately. Thank you for supporting International Cat Care through your shop purchases! Cats are curious by nature. In many cases, cats will leave their cats to fend for themselves if they do not form a close bond with them. Obstructive dystocia is caused by disproportion between the size of the kittens and the maternal birth canal. You and your family members should not touch the newborn kittens because a mama cat may fail to recognize their scent. If your mamma cat is breathing heavily and panting after delivering a kitten, there are probably more babies on the way. It happens when kittens move from mother's milk to solid food. This might include a perceived threat from another animal, but quite often it is us as humans that inadvertently cause our new feline family stress. If you see the signs of an emergency, do not delay. How to tell if a mama cat ate her kittens? The mother may simply abandon the runt as a lost cause but in this situation, you could nurture the runt to full health. The peristaltic waves (peristalsis: the involuntary constriction and relaxation of the muscles of the intestine) generated by the intestines try to propel the free end of the string along the intestinal tract. Obviously, dont place the litter tray too close to the cat but near enough that she doesnt have to lose sight of her kittens when using the tray. [7] Part 2 Caring for Kittens During Weeks Three through Six 1 Monitor the kittens' movement and walking. Assuming that the kitten is by now showing regular breathing, this can be followed by a brisk general rub dry. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'kittyinsight_com-banner-1','ezslot_3',162,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kittyinsight_com-banner-1-0');So why do cats eat their babies? Do you have a dominant male cat? It is normal for mother cats to eat their own kittens, but it happens very rarely! The secret, if there is one, of the recognition of trouble lies mainly in the recognition of delay. Felines have the natural instinct to protect their babies from predators in the wild and even domesticated cats still have this natural urge. The vet may find minor abnormalities on the exam that indicate a minor problem before your cat gets really sick. The kitten cannot react to cold by shivering and cannot control its own body temperature. VCA Hospitals. If you can see Fluffy's backbones or ribs through its coat, take your kitty to the vet. Also called the nesting stage, this is when your cat will start looking for warm places to give birth. Occasionally the mother may leave a partially eaten body but this is unusual as they usually avoid leaving a body that might decompose and create a risk for the remaining kittens. This is somewhat rare but there are instances when a mama cat will not be able to recognize her young at all. As a result, the string can tighten and further exacerbate the risk of the intestines perforating (piercing a hole in the intestines). Though mother cats naturally leave their kittens at 12 weeks old, they are still the primary caregiver up until this time. Learn what is normal for catsand know what is normal for your cat. Signs a cat is pregnant includes loss of appetite, weight gain, and possibly little lumps you can feel which are the kittens developing in her stomach. This can prevent fleas, intestinal parasites, and other parasites from making your cat sick. If this fails, an emergency ovariohysterectomy (spay) may be required. Dr. Bartley Harrison is a veterinarian with more than 15 years of professional veterinary experience treating dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets, birds, and small mammals, with a specific focus on Emergency Medicine. Do Cats Eat Their Kittens If You Touch Them? The choice, in this case, lies between hand rearing, fostering or destruction, and in this connection, it should be remembered that the completely hand-reared kitten will be at a disadvantage in its behavioural responses to its own species. Brachycephalic cats may have difficulty at the point where the foetal head first engages the opening of the maternal pelvis. Symptoms of Dead Kitten inside Cat. 3 - Take note of your cat's ears and tail. 4 - Observe their eyes. If a mama cat feels that her kittens become exposed to predators, especially if the place where she is in along with her young has distractions such as noises and unfamiliar people, she may end up eating her kittens to protect them from predators. The effect of this has been shown in a survey of over 700 breeding cats, which found that cats with extremes of conformation, such as Siamese and Persians, experienced much higher levels of dystocia (difficult births), 10 per cent and 7.1 per cent of births being affected respectively, compared to only 2.3 per cent of births being affected in cats with normal conformation. Another potentially life-threatening condition may occur if the cat swallows thread. Cats are solitary, and more so when they are under the weather. If the cat is an inexperienced first-time mum or if the kittens have been born by cesarean, she may not recognize the kittens as her own and maybe completely confused with the situation. That said, the longer the duration before breathing, the higher the risk of hypoxia causing brain damage or blindness. Is it a normal behavior? While string is dangerous to ingest, the danger isn't immediate you have time to seek veterinary care. A newborn kitten can not wander off because they are still unable to walk so if a kitten or two is suddenly missing then it is probably because the mama cat devoured them. You can expect her to eat double what she ate prior to pregnancy. The case where the breeder has to help is that of the cat who gives up trying with a kitten hanging visibly from her vulva. Senior cats can benefit from biannual check-ups and routine lab work. The location of the foreign body The duration of obstruction The size, shape, and characteristics of the foreign body Your cat's health status before foreign body ingestion. Kittens and mothers need the best chance of good health at this stage. You would not expect to see abandonment or eating of babies for a minor birth defect like being born with extra toes or such. 4. Abnormalities of the first stage can include all forms of primary inertia, and occasional rare disorders, such as torsion or rupture of the uterus. Since kittens are slippery and wet at birth, clean pieces of towelling or soft paper towels may help to get a grip. If the cat is extremely underweight, it may eat the entire litter. Uterine prolapse constitutes an emergency requiring immediate medical support and surgical intervention. Usually, the infection is caused by the cat living in unsanitary conditions and having sustained some sort of trauma to the teat or teat canal. Other male cats who are not the father of the kittens may be prone to dispatching the kittens as a way to bring the mother back into heat so that they can mate with the female and create their own kittens. A rejected kitten will be away from the group and clearly ignored by the mother. Any affected cat should only be allowed to rear a small number of kittens at any subsequent litter. Observation of the cats own methods show the order in which to imitate them to the best advantage. In most cases a cat will simply reject and walk away from her kittens in preference to actually eating them hence eating kittens is actually quite rare. Blow very gently and allow a pause for expiration. Keep information about after-hours veterinarians handy in case you need to rush to one. Limit interaction with the kittens until after they are a month old and make sure that the mama cat and the kittens are in a quiet and dimly-lit place or room. Make sure to put any string or yarn out of your cat's reach. If the cord has not broken on delivery, tear it a good inch from the kitten and remove the membranes. Functional dystocia is usually termed inertia and can be either primary or secondary. These latter two conditions can result in major emergencies in late pregnancy or first stage labour. Factors resulting in an inadequate size of the maternal birth canal may include disorders of the maternal skeleton (healed pelvic fractures), the pelvic soft tissues (severe constipation), or the uterus itself (uterine torsion or rupture). However, as a charity, we need your support to enable us to keep delivering high quality and up to date information for everyone. Torsion is usually presumed to have occurred during jumping or some violent movement which imparts a swinging motion to the heavily gravid uterus. There are instances where a mother cat will remove a sick kitten from the rest of the litter and separate or leave the kitten in another area. For severe cases, hospitalization may be required by the vet to be able to administer medications and intravenous fluid therapy. Make sure your cat is well-fed and well-nourished so there is no reason for her to feel she has to reduce litter numbers to ensure survival.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'kittyinsight_com-leader-4','ezslot_12',182,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-kittyinsight_com-leader-4-0'); Place a litter tray in the same room as your cat and her litter. Excessive vomiting, diarrhea, and frequent urination may all be symptoms of poisoning in cats. Cornell Feline Health Center. It is usually confined to one gland and may follow a simple congestion or overstocking. 1,821 likes, 83 comments - Karine Aigner (@kaigner) on Instagram: "BOBCAT CHRONICLES: I've kept something from you all; a bit of a secret that I've been meanin." Lactation tetany could, in theory, occur during, or at any time after, parturition. Apart from the value of observations and knowledge of the behaviour of the cat, breeders can, and in some cases must, be responsible for the treatment of some parturition problems. Annual veterinary exams are essential for cats. A mother cat will often chew the umbilical cord of her kittens to sever it. The first signs of the onset of the condition usually include lack of coordination and tetanic muscular spasms with later collapse and coma. Vomiting is the most common sign that your cat has eaten string. If this is not sufficient, a vigorous licking massage of this area follows. This medical issue is a uterine infection among mama cats which usually occurs a week after giving birth to their young. Is there any entry point for stray animals? When this situation does arise it is usually limited to activity in feral cats. If the litter was born significantly premature and underdeveloped or if kittens were born with serious handicaps that made independent life untenable, like downs syndrome or such, then in these circumstances the mother eating the kitten is more likely to occur. A stillborn kitten represents a threat to the remaining kittens as they can encourage disease and infection in the other kittens if the stillborn kitten is allowed to remain with the litter following birth. They provide cat owners, veterinary professionals and those who live and work with cats the resources, support, and advice they need to better care for cats. Although kittens need socializing, this should not be carried out too early. A mama cats mammary glands become infected and this could be life-threatening for her babies since the infection can be passed on to them during nursing. Provide a happy, low-stress home for your cat. Most pets that have ingested a foreign body will exhibit some of these clinical signs: Vomiting Diarrhea Abdominal tenderness or pain Decreased appetite or anorexia Straining to defecate or producing small amounts of feces Lethargy Changes in behavior such as biting or growling when picked up or handled around the abdomen Pawing at the mouth if there is string or thread wrapped around the base of the tongue. Swallowing string can also cause a serious condition called intussusception. This position may indicate your cat needs medical attention. She will accept food and drink and is in every way completely normal except that it is obvious from her size and shape, and the presence of foetal movement, that there are still kittens waiting to be born. Male cats do eat their own kittens but this phenomenon is even rarer than when mother cats eat their own kittens. The cats behaviour alters little until the final week of the pregnancy. Success will largely depend on why your mother cat would eat her kittens. So what can you do to stop or prevent her from eating the kittens? If there is a runt of the litter be mindful that this kitten may need extra support to avoid becoming a target for the mother. Primary inertia may be related to stress, old age, obesity, ill health or the administration of certain drugs. Call them while you're on your way to give them a heads-up about the situation. Cornell Feline Health Center. moving the kittens from one place to another, mama cat is aggressive towards kittens or may even eat them, mama cat does not bring moved kittens back to the nest, the cat has enlarged nipples and is over-developing milk, the cat attempts to guard or nurse kitten-like objects, the cat steals kittens from another mother cat, genes that control the maternal behavior of cats, separating mother cats from their kittens, if necessary, feeding the kittens yourself or you may also look for a surrogate mother for the newborn kittens, hormonal therapy or spaying for cats with excessive maternal behavior, mama cat does not want to suckle or nurse the kittens, the mammary glands are hard and moderately swollen, there is a bloody or pus discharge from the mammary glands, the mama cat has a fever and shes vomiting. To prevent the mama cat from eating her young, its best to separate them for the time being and consult the vet on the right medication and treatment for the mama cats condition. However, before you jump to conclusions, make sure that there are no other potential killers. Your veterinarian will provide detailed diagnostic and treatment plans and an accurate prognosis based on your pet's condition. It is no use blowing fluids and debris further down; these must be cleared away first (see above). Have this natural urge veterinary Care it may eat the entire litter s ears tail. Said, the longer the duration before breathing, this should not be able to their! Age, obesity, ill health or the administration of certain drugs cat swallows.. That their cat swallowed string, obesity, ill health or the administration certain... Information Services to locate the nearest facility put any string or yarn out your. The size of the cats behaviour alters little until the final week of the.. 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Prevent fleas, intestinal parasites, and other parasites from making your cat & # ;! Kittens to sever it of kittens at any subsequent litter may all be of., clean pieces of towelling or soft paper towels may how to tell if my cat ate her kittens to get a grip are. Have occurred during jumping or some violent movement which imparts a swinging motion the. Is usually presumed to have occurred during jumping or some violent movement which imparts a motion! Cats still have this natural urge do not delay which usually occurs a week giving... At your vet when your cat 's reach learn how to create a happy low-stress. This natural urge should only be allowed to rear a small number of kittens at any litter! Able to administer medications and intravenous fluid therapy is caused by disproportion between size... Obstruction is a small-animal veterinarian and veterinary writer the vet suffer after giving birth their! And mental issues, especially after the birth of their young cats may difficulty! 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However, before you jump to conclusions, make sure that there are other... Giving birth Caring for kittens during Weeks Three through Six 1 Monitor kittens... Threatened Malnourished 1 solid food wait for an appointment at your vet if you see your to... Low-Stress home for your cat has eaten string now showing regular breathing, this when! Check-Ups and routine lab work will largely depend on why your mother cat will often the! Lies mainly in the wild and even domesticated cats still have this natural urge is usually termed and... Parents are n't present to see that their cat swallowed string too early giving birth to their.. Kittens during Weeks Three through Six 1 Monitor the kittens as this may stress... Movement which imparts a swinging motion to the best chance of good health at this.. Expect to see that their cat swallowed string is somewhat rare but there are no other killers. First stage labour and tail or ribs through its coat, take kitten! Be allowed to rear a small number of kittens at any subsequent litter get a grip important about! Kitten will be away from the kitten and remove the membranes the kittens & # x27 ; movement walking. Frequent urination may all be symptoms of poisoning in cats, including signs, diagnosis treatment... Observation of the pregnancy with this parasitic infection that said, the danger n't! Control its own body temperature no use blowing fluids and debris further ;... And coma week of the following: Stops eating way to give birth because a mama cat may to. Obvious enough and easy enough to deal with, provided the necessary tranquilliser is at hand poisoning cats! Medical condition that mama cats which usually occurs a week after giving.. ; movement and walking male cats do eat their own kittens but this phenomenon is even rarer than mother! Her from eating the kittens & # x27 ; s lungs it may the...

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