10 Reasons Why Mother Cat Kicking Her Kittens
Maybe at this point you have a cat which he already has children. But there is something strange about the cat's behavior towards her children. The mother cat kicks her kittens every time she tries to suckle at her mother or come close to her mother.
In our eyes, this is not something that a mother should naturally do to her child because usually the figure of the mother herself is the embodiment of love. The mother should be kind to her child and take care of her with all her heart.
But apparently this doesn't seem to happen to our cats. Every time the child suckles at its mother, the mother cat often kicks her child and not infrequently the mother scolds her child who approaches her.
Even though we see the mother cat's behavior towards her child is bad behavior and the cat has done bad things to her child. But you should get rid of these bad prejudices first, because in reality cats do this for their own reasons.
And if you know the reason, then you certainly won't think negatively or get angry with him anymore. Then what is the reason the cat does this ? You can find out the answer by reading Anggora's article below. Read to the end, friend Angora.
10 Reasons Why Mother Cats Kick Her Kittens
The mother cat is not evil but she has her own reasons why she kicks her child as if she doesn't think that the child is her own child. The mother who scolds her child is usually caused by certain reasons. The reasons include :
1. The Kitten Wants To Suckle But The Mother Doesn't Allow It
Generally this often happens for cats that are more than 2 months old. If a cat that is 2 months old is more suckling on its mother, the one with the mother doesn't even allow it to suckle and kicks it with its feet.
Why is he not allowed to breastfeed ? This is because the cat's teeth have grown and the mother will feel pain when the kittens suckle her. In addition, cats don't have milk anymore because their breasts don't produce milk anymore.
2. The Kitten Is An Adult
Take a look at your kitten to see if he looks big and looks mature. If so, then maybe this is the reason. Mother cats will not hesitate to kick their kittens when they approach their mother and want to suckle.
This usually occurs in cats over the age of 2 months. At this age, the mother cat has considered the child to be an adult, that's why the cat will not hesitate to kick the kitten whenever he approaches it.
3. The Mother Cat No Longer Thinks That The Cat Is Her Child
Not only does the kitten assume that it is an adult, the mother cat will no longer think that the child is her child. The cat also feels that it has been released from the responsibility of caring for the kitten.
Cats that don't think the child is their child anymore are usually based on the smell of a kitten that has changed, this change in smell may be because the cat has often been held by humans, often interacts with other cats and the like.
This change in smell makes the mother think the kitten is not her child and makes the kitten foreign to the mother cat ( no longer recognized by the mother ). If a mother cat kicks her kittens, it could be because she doesn't think they are her child.
4. The Mother Is Amused
If we hold a cat's stomach, of course the cat will get angry, scratch or immediately walk away from us. This is caused by the large number of hair follicles in the cat's stomach which makes the cat very sensitive when its stomach is touched.
If we hold a cat's stomach, the cat will be very ticklish, this also applies to kittens touching their stomachs. A cat that is touched on its stomach by its child will surely kick its child spontaneously because it is amused.
5. Cats May Be Very Annoyed
Maybe the mother cat is just bothered by the kittens playing around her and that's why she kicks them. Oh yes, this only applies to kittens that are considered adults in the eyes of the mother.
If the mother still thinks the kitten is still a child, then when the child plays near her, the cat will not feel disturbed. Instead, the mother played with her child.
Not only that, the mother will sometimes catch her child playing around and then licking her stomach and buttocks. For those of you who see cats doing this, maybe you will think that this is a dirty and unhealthy act.
But what you think is wrong, this is dirty but it won't make the mother cat sick even if the mother accidentally eats her kittens' feces. Besides that, this is also very good for kittens, this action can help the child to be able to relieve himself immediately.
Even though this action won't make the cat sick, you still have to monitor the health condition of your cat. If the cat looks sick, you should immediately take the cat to the vet to get the right treatment.
6. The Mother Cat Is Stressed
You know, cats that are stressed tend to be more grumpy than cats that are in normal conditions. Cats also tend to be more aggressive ( like to attack ) when something bothers them and doesn't make them uncomfortable.
If your cat is angry and then kicks, hits or scratches the body of the kittens around it, there is a possibility that the cat is experiencing stress. It's best to deal with cat stress immediately.
You can try to deal with cat stress yourself at home, you can find the method on this site with the title "9 Ways To Get Rid of Cat Stress"
7. You Hold Or Stroke The Kitten Too Often
Don't touch kittens under 2 months too often. Even though you are excited about the cat, you should first undo your intention until the cat is really mature.
Why can't we touch kittens ? We must not touch it because this can make the cat feel that the child who is often touched by humans is not the child he gave birth to or makes him not know his child anymore.
Based on what Anggora had read, actions such as holding or petting a kitten too often could cause the kitten's odor to change.
It no longer smells like its child but is more likely to smell human, that's why the cat cannot recognize its child and makes it always kick the child whenever it wants to suckle its mother.
8. Cats Are Just Playing
Take a close look at what the cat is doing before jumping to conclusions because a cat kicking its kittens is not always because the cat is angry or doesn't like their kittens near it.
Because it could be that the cat kicking its kittens is purely because the two cats are just playing together. Cats that are playing together are usually marked by chasing each other, biting and catching each other like cats that are hunting.
9. Cats May Have Sickness Or Injuries In Certain Areas
It's not just stress that can make the cat's mother kick her child, but it can also be due to other causes, namely the cat has a disease or injury in a certain area. When a kitten accidentally touches this area, the mother will immediately kick it.
10. The Mother Cat Is Pregnant Again
The last reason why a mother cat bites and kicks her kittens is because the mother may be pregnant again. This makes cats more sensitive and irritable towards other cats that are nearby.
Not infrequently a cat who is pregnant will scratch, hit and also kick the cat around her when she is in a bad mood.
Now you know some of the reasons why a mother cat kicks her kittens. Hopefully this article is useful for you.