how to tell if my cat ate her kittenshow to tell if my cat ate her kittens

Dr. Harrison is part of The Spruce Pets veterinary review board. How to Deal with Cats With Kittens Still Inside. Weaning is a big step in a kitten's young life. Thankfully, regurgitation is easy to stop by slowing your cat down while it eats. If the string was swallowed more than two to three days ago, or if your cat is clearly ill from the incident, your vet will likely suggest surgery and the sooner it happens, the better. Brachycephalic cats may have difficulty at the point where the foetal head first engages the opening of the maternal pelvis. The kitten should usually be able to find its way to the birth canal and towards the center part of the lower abdomen. Other safe toy options include crinkle balls, plastic milk jug tabs, a catnip mouse or another toy to bat around, and feather wands. The reason why this condition can cause so much damage is due to the way it can cause an intestinal obstruction says Manhattan Cat Specialists. The cats first act is to see that the kittens nose and mouth are clear. 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. 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. For health-related questions, always consult your veterinarian, as they have examined your pet, know the pet's health history, and can make the best recommendations for your pet. Weaning Kittens. This can prevent fleas, intestinal parasites, and other parasites from making your cat sick. Mouth-to-mouth respiration can be useful, but only if very carefully carried out. Bacteria use the traumatized area as an entry path and cause infection. 5 Reasons Mother Cats Eat Their Babies Stillborn Birth defects Mercy Threatened Malnourished 1. [9] If you notice your cat withdrawing from her kittens completely, like not cleaning or nursing them, contact your vet for the next steps. Hyperthyroidism in Cats. The Facts of Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. Why would a cat engage in this extreme behavior? The mother may feel the kitten is endangered or she is about to lose the kitten. Another potentially life-threatening condition may occur if the cat swallows thread. But, there are instances when she eats her young. The first signs of the onset of the condition usually include lack of coordination and tetanic muscular spasms with later collapse and coma. Torsion is usually presumed to have occurred during jumping or some violent movement which imparts a swinging motion to the heavily gravid uterus. Midwives should have provided, as far as possible, the ideal kittening bed which should be warm, comfortable and safe, but should also be observable, ie, a happy medium between confinement and relative freedom within the confined area. The good midwife is essentially a good and unobtrusive observer until trouble occurs. You can call your vet or the emergency vet if you need help deciding if something is an emergency. Many vets recommend wet diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The most difficult decision usually concerns the kitten persistently rejected by its mother, despite its apparent normality. Also, look for signs of abdominal pain, which your cat may show by hiding or being unusually aggressive when picked up. Excessive vomiting, diarrhea, and frequent urination may all be symptoms of poisoning in cats. Learn important information about giardia in cats, including signs, diagnosis and treatment options for dealing with this parasitic infection. You need to provide clean bedding and a sanitary area for your cat and kittens. Antibiotics are essential. Looking for a convenient way to access your pets health records, refill prescriptions, view upcoming appointments and more? In this condition extreme apprehension during the first stage causes all progress to cease. | Hill's Pet, Managing Cat Diarrhea: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment. The Reasons Why Mother Cats Might Eat Their Kittens. If you see your kitten eating cat litter in large amounts or on a regular basis, take your kitten to the vet. Lactation tetany often occurs after each kittening so this fact must be remembered when considering the advisability of breeding again and taking prophylactic measures, or alternatively of neutering. Mama cats are usually protective of their young and will do anything to keep them from harm and predators. There is another reason why cats and many other animals are less likely to show pain or illness: They simplydo not have an emotional relationship with their discomfort. Your pet cat just gave birth and youre excited to see the newborn kittens. During that final week, the search for the most suitable kittening bed becomes the dominant factor. Generally, two types of temperament are seen in cats at kittening: the independent type which will go to extreme lengths to discover a dark enclosed space well away from human contact, and the dependent type which will go to equal lengths to seek comfort in the presence of its owner and may well choose the owners bed as the best place for kittening. For more information, please see ourPrivacy Policy. Contact your vet if you your cat does any of the following: Stops eating. When this happens, the intestine can become folded, or plicated, which makes it not possible to pull the string out. The following are some ways to tell if the mother has abandoned a kitten for any reason mentioned above. The uterus may be considered as a muscular, sausage-shaped bag, capable of contracting both around its diameter and along its length. How do I know if my cat has eaten a foreign body? (See the Linear Foreign Bodies in Cats handout for more information.). "Usually, one end of the string becomes anchored, either by wrapping around the base of the tongue, or by getting lodged in the pylorus (the part of the stomach that leads to the small intestine). The cat is much more obviously ill than with simple retention of foetal membranes. Well, actually there are several documented reasons why this kind of thing happens, here is a rundown of the likely causes : The mother cat may have detected a birth defect with a kitten or a whole litter of kittens. It is undoubtedly connected with the demands of milk production and the affected cat usually has a fairly large litter to suckle. It's important you be able to recognize the signs a cat is sick. 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. However, it does have an increased risk of drowning in its own foetal fluids if the time from placental separation to when its nose is free from its membranes is too prolonged. Exploratory surgery is generally recommended if a foreign body obstruction is diagnosed or suspected. 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. The vet may find minor abnormalities on the exam that indicate a minor problem before your cat gets really sick. While some of these techniques may work, a more reliable treatment is the application of a drop of doxapram to the underside of the kittens tongue. It is seen when the uterus produces none, or only weak, infrequent contractions and there is a failure of expulsion of normal kittens through a normal birth canal. An internal examination is resented by most unsedated cats and should not be undertaken by the unskilled. 3. Learn from a Veterinarian: Discover some vet-recommended advice about common cat digestive problems, including how to deal with worms, hairballs, and more. If the number of kittens in the litter suddenly reduces and there is no visible evidence as to where they are located you should assume that the mother has eaten the kitten. The defect may be such that she is convinced the kitten/litter is unviable and does not want to invest resources into the kitten or the litter. To do so, she will back up to her surface of choice, raise her quivering tail, and may even perform the rhythmic treading described above. Straining in the course of a normal parturition, while it may or may not be vigorous, is clearly productive in moving the kitten along and does not appear to give rise to pain. She's Breathing Heavily. Time is critical since an intestinal or stomach obstruction often compromises or cuts the blood supply to these vital tissues. While the precise causes of the condition are not known, it involves a sudden drop in the amount of calcium circulating in the bloodstream. Dystocia can also be classified according to whether it arises from obstruction of the birth canal or a functional deficiency of the uterine muscle. She might think that the kittens will be taken away or become exposed to predators and as a result, shell end up eating her young. 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. This can include floss, sewing thread, and fishing line. To help in its passage, each foetus is contained within a fairly tough double-layered bag of foetal membranes, which are filled with slippery fluid in which the foetus floats. Kittens and mothers need the best chance of good health at this stage. Secondary inertia arises after prolonged second-stage labour, and may be associated with obstructive dystocia, muscle fatigue, or excessive pain. All these may make the mama cat nervous, anxious, and stressed. Finally, a more general drying lick and some attention to the posterior part of the abdomen and anal area is given to start the bowel and bladder movement going. towels/bedding) High enough to contain crawling, newborn kittens Vet Help The amount can be increased each week until birth and continued until the kittens are weaned. In this case, when one or more kittens have been born, the mother will cease straining and rest quite happily, suckling those kittens already born. If in doubt persist with stimulating the kitten; some can still be revived over 30 mins from birth. These are the common causes of maternal behavior problems: These are the possible treatments for maternal behavior problems: Other mother cat behavioral problems include moving their kittens to other places, rejecting or ignoring her kittens, and biting or becoming otherwise aggressive to people and other pets. Why Is My Cat Throwing Up Clear Liquid and What Can I Do About It? Set up your myVCA account today. Kittens should be removed from the cat if old enough, otherwise, their numbers must be reduced or supplementary feeding given. 2020. Whilst this behavior sounds bizarre and abhorrent, it is often a natural reaction that once understood can be appreciated as being an understandable, but extreme, course of action given the circumstances. Malcolm Weir, DVM, MSc, MPH; Ernest Ward, DVM; Updated by Amy Panning, DVM. Although kittens need socializing, this should not be carried out too early. If the mother cat is stressed during birth or feels unduly stressed by her surroundings following the birth she may act to reduce the stress by eating her kittens with the aim of alleviating the stress she feels she is under. 5. They love to investigate new sights, smells, and tastes. This can be prevented from happening by making sure that your mama cat is well-fed and has a proper diet to be able to feed her young well. How To Tell If My Cat Ate Her Kittens If the number of kittens in the litter suddenly reduces and there is no visible evidence as to where they are located you should assume that the mother has eaten the kitten. Unfortunately, this curiosity can lead them into trouble. When the mother eats the kitten they usually leave no trace and the kitten is gone in a few gulps. 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. If you can see Fluffy's backbones or ribs through its coat, take your kitty to the vet. Other times, your kitten could be eating cat litter because of a nutritional deficiency or a health problem such as parasites or anemia. If you notice a sickly or ignored kitten among the litter, gently separate it from the rest and feed and care for it yourself. Hold the hind-legs above the hocks, ease gently to alternate sides, and if progress is not made with the aid of a strain or two on the cats part, try gentle rotation through a few degrees before continuing the easing-out process alternating the direction of pull. If nothing can be felt at the vulva and the hold-up is evidently further forward, then it is time to send for professional help. If it is only congested, the application of heat and subsequent gentle massage will bring normal milk out of the teat orifice, and the situation may be speedily relieved by milking the gland concerned. Common signs that a cat is sick are vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, lethargy, increased thirst, and many more. As we touched on, handling kittens too early can be risky. Texas A&M University Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. While many positions that cats sleep in can indicate pain, the most serious is if they're sleeping with their hind legs and back arched, and their paws beneath their body. While many authors believe that problems in parturition (birth) are rare in the cat, others feel that with the progression of selective breeding these problems are becoming more common. The presence of a dead foetus within the maternal pelvic canal can, in itself, result in functional or obstructive dystocia. If you don't want to go through the stress of getting your cat into a carrier and taking it to the vet, you may consider finding a mobile vet who can come to your home. Abdominal palpation may cause the queen pain and the uterus usually feels thickened. The swing will have the effect of forcing fluids out of the air passages and a further wipe of nose and mouth will clear it away. Is it a normal behavior? You should observe and monitor the mama cat before and after birth and count the number of kittens that were born. Foetal causes of obstructive dystocia may result from malpresentation, severe foetal malformation (eg, hydrocephalus, Siamese-twins), foetal oversize or foetal death. Abdominal straining. An important point of difference between the two is that secondary inertia follows previous difficulty or delay and the cat is often restless and exhausted. Keep information about after-hours veterinarians handy in case you need to rush to one. In the 3rd stage of pregnancy, the kittens begin growing quickly and your cat will continue to gain weight and develop a belly. Cat mothers generally begin nursing their kittens after birth and at hourly or two-hour intervals. Functional dystocia is usually termed inertia and can be either primary or secondary. About three weeks prior to her approximate delivery date, begin supplementing her diet with premium kitten food. Can my cat's sleeping positions tell me if they're sick? Its disadvantages are that many cats dislike the open bed required for its use and that it may make both mother and kittens too hot and lessen the close normal nursing contact between cat and kittens. The kitten is usually passed eventually. salesforce dynamic forms limitations Some rather dependent cats will deliberately delay or interrupt labour if the owner has to go out. When this situation does arise it is usually limited to activity in feral cats. But the leading end is lodged, so the string can't be pulled along." The presence of blood and mangled bodies of kittens are enough proof that a mother cat killed its own offspring. To prevent this from happening, make sure to provide a secure and quiet place for your mama cat and her young. You searched everywhere but seems like the little one is missing. Don't let your cat play with toys unattended. Follow this, if the mother is ill or not co-operative, by contact with a warm, well-covered hot water bottle and conserve heat with a covering blanket. Read our, The 6 Best Carpet Cleaner Solutions for Pets in 2023. Thank you for supporting International Cat Care through your shop purchases! If you know that your cat ate string, even if it's only been partly swallowed, resist the urge to pull it out yourself. Any affected cat should only be allowed to rear a small number of kittens at any subsequent litter. Never ignore obvious signs of illness. 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. The Lowdown On Cat Hair! A separation during the first few weeks can create anxiety and stress in the mother which may have undesired consequences. Typically, no special modifications to your cat's routine or medicine are needed after this procedure. The kitten should be supported and the cord held at the kitten end so that the risk of pulling on the kitten is minimised. In this case, the mom will eat the kitten instinctively. Cornell Feline Health Center. The affected gland will be tense, hot, painful and enlarged. Because of the small size of the cat, manipulative correction of malpostures from within the vagina is rarely possible and is, in any case, a job for skilled hands. One of the biggest concerns of cats eating string is a condition veterinarians refer to as linear foreign body. Mastitis (inflammation of the mammary glands), as an acute suppurative form, sometimes occurs during early lactation. To rear a small number of kittens that were born to as Linear foreign Bodies in cats supporting International Care... Recommended if a foreign body ( see the Linear foreign body unsedated cats should... Youre excited to see the newborn kittens through its coat, take your kitten eating cat litter of. 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