My cat ate her sick, dead kitten. Why would a mother cat do this?

I'm so sorry you lost a kitten! No, they likely won't get sick from it. Cats have been known to eat their young before (even though it's not common) and have been ok. It's gross, but your cats should be fine.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry this is happening. Either Cara is a bad mother or this is a natural thing she is doing because the kittens are abnormal. Nature is hard and animals do things differently than people. If she keeps having litters that are born prematurely or are sickly that is a problem. I would suggest having her spayed so she can not have kittens anymore. I hope this helps and I wish you and Cara the best!

HI, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Oh no! If the kitten looked premature she may have miscarried it. Sadly this happens in the animal world as it does with humans. It is also unfortunately natural for a cat to eat a dead abnormal kitten. It isn't wrong for Lala to be examined by a Vet. They can take an X-ray to see how many kittens are left and use the ultrasound to see if they are moving and have heart beats. If there is no vaginal discharge, fever, she is acting fine and is eating hopefully she can deliver the remaining kittens. I wish you the best!

The most common cause of momma cats killing or cannibalizing their young is because they sense something may be wrong with the kitten. This might be they sense some sort of illness or some sort of congenital abnormality. They view this as a threat to themselves and more importantly to the other kittens in the litter. It seems gruesome and cruel, I know, but it is how nature works unfortunately. The other reason we see it sometimes is stress. This occurs most commonly in first time moms, or cats who are giving birth under less than ideal circumstances. Sometimes, cats who have their kittens handled too much by humans can respond with this type of behavior.

It’s not normal instinct but reports of eating kittens are out there. Not all cats make good mothers or have good instincts. It sounds like your kitten needs to see the veterinarian quickly. I also recommend to have you cat spayed so that she does not have any further litters. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi and thank you for using PetCoach. I would recommend removing and bottle raising the kitten. Please also catch and spay the mom as soon as you are able, as she may go into heat again quickly. Articles below for information on raising bottle kittens. Good luck. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=1738 http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576

Hello. This is very concerning because your first thought is that both kitties got into something toxic. Until proven otherwise, I truly urge you to get Momma in to your vet as soon as possible. She is not depressed. She is very sick & it would be tragic for you to lose her as well. I hope she is feeling better soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.