Why would a mother cat kill her newborn kittens right after birth?

Poor thing. Sometimes mama cats can sense that a kitty has some sort of defect, so they will neglect them and focus on the healthier kitty. Also, if somehow the kitty was touched by a person and the mother no longer smells the kitty's scent, but instead a human, this too will cause the mother to neglect said kitty. Give it time and continue to monitor this kitty closely to see if she is getting fed and stimulated to pee and poop on her own. If she isn't, then it may be a good idea to separate the kitty and nurse her yourself until she can be weaned onto kitty dry food, which is around 3-4 weeks of age.

Yes, it may have been the mother cat if she felt the kittens were unsafe or may have been another neighborhood cat defending their own territory. If there are remaining kittens please contact your local humane society and they may be able to offer a foster home and also neuter the mother to prevent future unwanted kittens

Hi , I’m sorry about your loss. It is very saddening to hear all the kittens have died. I think if your dog hasn’t been near the other two kittens and unwillingly caused their death by playing with them, it could be that mum has killed them as felt the environment was not safe for the kittens anymore. Cats can get really frightened and protective with their kittens and failure to be able to provide protection could have led to your cat’s frustration and sadly causing death of the other kittens. It is just a supposition, you could also have your cat checked over at your Vets for any signs of illness that could have been transmitted to the kittens but it seems a strange coincidence or them to pass away shortly after the first one has without any symptom.

She may need to eat or use the litter box, causing her to leave them for a bit. She may have been planning on coming back. It could be that Oya is rejecting her kittens, which can happen. Some cats are poor mothers and will reject their kittens, while others will reject a kitten because they know it's sick and not going to make it. It can take time for a mother kitten attend to their kitten, and I would leave her and her kittens alone for 30 minutes in a room. Come back and see if she has groomed them, and/or started to feed them. If she has started bonding with them, then it's fine. If there is no evidence that she has started taking care of them, then you will have to feed them yourself. This requires a kitten formula and bottles. You can get kitten formula from a pet store or a grocery store. I will put a link below on how to care for newborn kittens. Best of luck, I hope this helps! https://www.2ndchance.info/orphankitten.htm

I am so sorry. Unfortunately there is a reason for kittens being pushed away by mom, or being separated: They usually have some birth defect and nature is cruel. It would take away energy and strength from the other kittens if it was to be raised or needed extra care. So there is a very high possibility that this kitten had a serious defect and therefore did not make it. There is also a reason for cats having up to three litters a year: Kitten mortality is high, especially in "the wild", so they have up to 18 kittens/year to make sure some survive. Again, I am very sorry you lost this baby.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Animals are very good a 'cleaning up after themselves', so if there was a dead little kitten then it isn't that surprising that the mom would eat it. In the future, removing the dead kittens before the mother can eat it is a good idea. In the mean-time, please monitor Venica for signs of illness (vomiting, diarrhea, painful abdomen, weakness), and if she shows any signs please bring her to a vet. Best of luck with Venica.

I am so sorry you came home to two dead kittens! Newborn kittens are very fragile, and it could the one who was cold simply wasn't strong enough to make it. As for the one with the intestines out, it could be a birth defect causing the intestines to be outside the body. Without seeing them in person, I can't say for certain. I can say keep the father away from the kittens until they are older. Mother cats can be very protective of their kittens, and the father should not be around until the kittens are weaned. I hope this helps, and again I'm sorry for your loss.