The mother cat can take care of the kittens alone and teach the kittens all that they need to live on their own instincts. However, there are also some Rare cases show that the mother cat may neglect to take care of the kittens, even leaving when the kittens are not weaned. So what causes the mother cat to abandon her kittens? What should the owner do when the mother cat leaves her baby?
The reason why the mother cat abandoned her baby
1. The mother cat was lost while nursing
Giving birth is exhausting for the mother cat, and they may leave in search of food, or to hang out as part of their daily routine. Mother cats may also want to find quiet places to sleep… and they can have some accidents such as ingesting baits, poisons, or being caught right during this time, making them unable to return to their kittens anymore. .
2. Cats don't breastfeed
A mother cat may abandon her kittens and not breastfeed in the following cases:
Infected mother cat
The mother cat has a disease that prevents them from breastfeeding.
Kittens are deformed
Kittens born unhealthy (body deformities, anemia, underweight – ill) may be refused care by their mothers because they feel the kittens will not survive. In this case, the mother cat can remove the sick kitten from the nest and abandon it to avoid spreading it to other kittens in the herd. In this case you should remove any completely rejected kittens so that the mother cat does not reject other kittens of her litter.
If this is the case, you can separate the kitten from the pack, wrap the cat in a warm towel, and use a pacifier to feed it on its own. If he can get the cat to survive the suckling phase, it will be able to reintegrate into the pack when it grows up.
Or you can also go with nature, because kittens with birth defects or illnesses are difficult to survive. After a period of one or two days of close monitoring, if you feel that the mother is not taking care of the disabled kitten at all, remove it from the herd.
Injured mother cat
Some mother cats have mastitis, an infection that causes the nipples to become swollen, hard, and hot to the touch, causing pain while nursing, and may refuse to breastfeed.
This will only happen when the mother has been nursing for a long time and if the kitten is old enough to be able to suckle, wrap the cat in a warm towel and use a bottle to feed it. . This job is simple, so for each newborn cat that needs formula milk, it only takes you less than 10 minutes to finish.
And some mother cats will still try to lie down and breastfeed when the pain is relieved, you should monitor the mother cat's lactation schedule for additional feeding when the kittens are not enough milk, or influence to prioritize those The weaker kittens are fed the mother's milk.
The mother cat does not have enough milk to feed the kittens
Some cats give birth to too many kittens or the kittens are so large and gluttonous that their bodies don't produce enough milk for their cubs. In this case, the mother cat will instinctively breastfeed the stronger ones and reject some of the others. A careful cat owner will notice this condition within 24 hours.
In some cases, the mother cat is severely undernourished, underweight, or loses milk at birth, which can abandon the entire litter of newborn kittens.
Each mother cat can only care for a maximum of 8 newborn kittens at a time, if the number of newborn cats is more than the mother cat cannot take care of all. If the mother cat refuses to breastfeed, you can have the kittens paired with another mother cat so that the kittens can be suckled.
Pay attention to prioritize the weaker cats to be breastfed, while the largest, strongest suckling kittens should be separated and fed entirely with cat milk powder. You also need more nutrition for the mother cat when she gives birth to many kittens.
The mother cat has no experience of raising children
There are 2 possibilities for this cause to happen: the mother cat is too small or the mother cat gives birth to the first litter.
To ensure the complete benefit of the kittens, it is best not to let the cat become pregnant before the age of 1 and a half. If the cat "accidentally" becomes pregnant when it is underage, you should handle it as follows: Convince the mother cat to lie still to breastfeed, caress and pat her head to make the mother feel more secure. At the same time, stabilize the cat's psychology such as avoiding people or other pets from approaching the cat's nest or touching the cat, supplementing vitamins, discreetly covering the cat's lying area, ensuring the cat's nest is in a discreet area, no noise.
If the mother cat shows a too indifferent attitude when taking care of the kittens, you can either the mother cat or the mother dog are breastfeeding so that the young can be fed, or you can feed the kitten formula yourself, but make sure to make sure. Feeding kittens every 2 hours should not be misleading. With these indifferent mother cats, you should consider neutering as the best solution.
Here is some information about The reason why the mother cat abandoned her baby and how to handle it that we want to share with you. Wish you have healthy and lovely cats. If you need to know more about other ways to take care of cats, contact http://vanchuyenchomeo.com/ for advice.
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