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Why is my male cat attacking kittens and mom not protecting them?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

Temari had 6 healthy little kittens three days ago. My mother heard a distressed mewling and noticed Temari's brother Pein (about seven months old) had pulled a baby out and was batting it around! My mom put the baby back with it's mama. After a few minutes he took the kitten back out and was trying to bat it around again. When my mom checked the babies, the runt and another bigger kit were missing. We think he killed them. Why is Pein doing this and why isn't Temari trying to protect her litter

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on May 13th, 2018

Unfortunately, it is a normal cat behavior for male cats to kill kittens that are not theirs. Temari cannot protect all her kittens at once. You must keep adult male cats (and 7 months old is an adult male cat) away from any kittens in order to protect the kittens.
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