Why is my mother cat neglecting and burying her newborn kitten?

It is possible that the momma cat thinks there is something wrong with this kitten, that it doesn't smell right, or that she isn't a great momma cat. I would continue to watch and see if she will claim the kitten within 24 hours. If not, you may have to take away the kitten and bottle raise it. If you do, I would have the kitten examined by a vet for any possible congenital abnormalities that the momma cat may have picked up on. Here is an article for raising orphan kittens (if you need it!): http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A

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

There are a few possibilities: One, she is a new mother and is feeling a bit overwhelmed or doesn't know what to do with an entire litter, so she is just trying to move a single kitten with her. Two, there may be something wrong with the other kittens such as a deformity, etc, as some cats will try to push away or stop caring for these kittens if they sense something is wrong. Three, she will eventually move ALL the kittens, she is just trying to find a place that she feels safe and comfortable in before she does so. Making sure she has a nice cozy and private place to house her kittens may help her feel more comfortable. You may also need to start helping out and supplementing feeding for any kittens she is pushing away or is having trouble nursing. If any kitten or momma cat seems ill or aren't thriving, bringing them into your vet for an exam to rule out any illness or genetic issues is best.

Consider having it physically examined by your veterinarian. A mother's instinct is strong and the kitten may be sick or injured. If the exam is clear, it may be a case of abandonment and you will need to hand raise the kitten yourself. A kitten milk replacement, such as KMR, can be bottle fed for the next week or so and then you can begin weaning to solid food. This is done my mixing kitten food with KMR to make a gruel slurry. Gradually decrease the amount of liquid over the next several weeks until the kitten is eating canned food by 8-10 weeks of age.

This is a very concerning finding, if the mother is actively taking the kitten away from the others she may feel this kitten is unwell and may be putting the other kittens at risk. I wold recommend a vet check for the kitten and mother to rule out any signs of infection and it may be worthwhile trying to bottle feed the kitten if rejected by the mother but success rate is quite poor if the kitten is unwell

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.

Weaning is typically started by the mother cat at 4 weeks of age and will leave them more frequently to hunt and bring them food. It is CRUCIAL that you never move stray kittens unless you know that the mom is completely unable to get to them. If she cannot find them, she will call to them and eventually give up. All that being said, some mothers are just more nurturing than others so maybe she truly is neglecting her responsibility. In that case, discuss with your vet how to properly finish weaning the kittens and care for them. Best of luck!