Occasionally, a mother cat will push away individual kittens or even the whole litter after giving birth to her kittens.
Why does a cat push its young away
There are several possible reasons for this seemingly abnormal behaviour. For example, the litter may be too large so that there is not enough milk for all the kittens. The mother cat rejects the smallest or weakest of her kittens in order to have enough milk for the remaining kittens. The mother cat does not even allow the kitten to stay in the nest with the siblings.
A deformed or sick kitten is instinctively rejected by the mother cat, as she senses that a sick kitten has less chance of survival. Therefore, she saves the mother's milk for her healthy kittens.
A sick mother cat will reject her kittens when she is too weak or senses that she is dying.
In rare cases, it is a lack of maternal instinct that causes a mother cat to abandon her litter. Sometimes it helps to help the mother cat and show her what to do.
Behaviour
After the birth of the young cats, the mother should immediately let her kittens suckle. The mother's milk contains important antibodies to strengthen the kittens. If the mother does not let the babies get close to her, this is a sign that she is rejecting them. Another sign is when individual kittens are separated and isolated from the others. Often she hisses or bites at the kitten.
A mother cat may reject a kitten if it feels cold after birth. In this case, you can try putting the kitten under a red light lamp or wrapping it in a warmed towel and massaging its body to stimulate blood circulation. When it is warmed up, try to give it back to the mother.
As early as four weeks of age, the mother cat may start to push the kittens back when they want to suckle. This is normal behaviour, because between four and eight weeks the kittens are weaned.
What you should not do as a cat owner
Kittens under four weeks of age should not be held in the hand or only under the supervision of the mother cat and even then not for more than ten minutes. If you hold them for too long, the human smell can override the smell of the mother and the mother cat will no longer accept her kittens.
