It is hard for lovers of purring fluffy kittens to believe that a cat is capable of such a thing. But in fact, this is a real fact. An animal is capable of eating its own offspring.
This happens for several reasons.
The very first one is that the cat is simply not ready for such an event as motherhood; her instincts have not yet formed, if we are talking about early mating (if the pet is under 18 months old).
Another reason is postpartum exhaustion. This is relevant for animals that were unable to receive all the necessary nutrients during pregnancy.
A stressful or dangerous situation can trigger such a problem.
A cat can also refuse her offspring in this way in a situation where she has no milk, which means that there simply won’t be food for the kittens.
A cat may also turn away from kittens that were born with defects or health problems.
But sometimes the person himself provokes the cat to do such a thing. If the owner touches the newborn kitten too often, he transfers his smell to it. This can scare off the adult cat, and eventually she will decide to get rid of the offspring.
Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the behavior of the pet, leave her personal space. It is advisable to arrange a "house" in a quiet and secluded place where no one will disturb the cat and kittens. If the mother cat ignores one of the kittens, hisses or growls at it, then it should be raised separately from the others.
