Reasons Why Cats Move Their Kittens?

If you have ever had cats with newborn kittens, you may have noticed at some point that cats hide their young on different sides of the house and change them from time to time. This is a postpartum behavior in cats that is normal because cats are distrustful animals and are very vigilant about the safety of their young. This attitude is an instinct that comes from nature and the wild state. Feral cats always give birth in a well sheltered and safe place, however, if they perceive any strange movement or anything that alerts them that their puppies are in danger, they move them to a place which they consider to be safer. insurance. This instinct is due to what is known as maternal instinct and instinct of survival and perpetuation of the species. In addition, cats are born deaf and blind, so until these senses develop, they will not be able to take care of themselves or defend themselves from predators.

Thus, even if there are no predators in your house, that instinct does not disappear, so when they see any suspicious movement or believe that their puppies are not entirely safe in that place, they will move them to another. Therefore, to prevent your kitten from moving the puppies around all the time, make sure that the place where the “nest” is located is a safe and quiet place for the puppies. If the mother leaves them in one place, do not move them, since your cat has placed them there because she likes the place and if you change them, your cat will probably not like this new place and will end up moving them again.

Another behavior that cats have when they give birth is to place their puppies near you. Cats change places with their young to make sure they are safe, so if the place where they are is not safe enough according to the cat’s criteria and she brings them to you, it is because you are her trusted human and know they will be safe with you.

A very strong affection between you and your cat can cause a relationship to be created. dependency relationshipso as she will always want to be with you, she will take her young by your side to be able to spend as much time as possible with you and because she knows they will be watched by you.

Now that we have answered your question about why your cat brings you her kittens, in the face of these behaviors described above, we recommend placing your cat’s nest in the place of the house where you spend the most time so that she does not have to be moving the kittens into your arms or by your side so many times.

Although not very common, it is sometimes the case where the cat rejects all or some of her kittens. The reasons why this can happen vary and can be the following:

• Stress: stress can also cause the mother cat to decide to abandon her puppies, so it is especially important not to overwhelm her during this period or touch the kittens, since a strange smell for the mother can make her abandon them too. Make sure that they are always in a quiet and safe place to avoid any type of stress for the mother.
• Puppy Health: when one or more puppies of the litter is born with some type of problem, the mother can detect it, so it is normal that she separates it as an instinct so that it is not a point in favor of predators or infects the other kittens and also does not will give her milk because she prefers to give it to the puppies that will survive. You can go to the vet so that he can diagnose the puppy and tell you what to do to save his life.
• mother’s health: if your cat is sick, she will probably stay away from her puppies both due to the discomfort she has and to prevent them from getting infected. Go to the vet to rule out or treat any type of pathology.
• They do not have the capacity to serve them: Although it is usually rare, there are cases where the mother does not know how to care for her young and therefore abandons them. Sometimes it is also possible that the litter is very large and the mother does not have enough milk for everyone, so she rejects the weakest to give her milk to those who have the best chance of surviving. You can bring the puppies closer to her belly and teach her how to clean and stimulate them to do their business, so she will see how it is done but it is not certain that she will do it since sometimes they do not understand it either.

if you wonder At what age do cats abandon their young? because they are already independent You should know that there is no common time when female cats abandon their kittens. In fact, if it happens that you have kept any of your cat’s babies, they will surely continue to be together and play for the rest of their lives, only that the mother will no longer be aware of him all the time because when he grows up he can fend for himself. himself and become independent.

If you want give the kittens up for adoption It is recommended that it be from 2 and a half months or 3 months of life, when they no longer need any breast milk and wake up better. After three or four weeks of life, you will notice that the mother begins to reject the baby kittens and will not want to give them more milk. You can offer them special feed for kittens with a little water to soften them or give them wet food, you will see how little by little they end up eating the hard feed or the food that you discuss with the veterinarian that is most suitable for them.

Now that you know why cats move their kittens and more details about their relationship, we encourage you to learn more about How to care for a baby cat and How to stop your baby cat from crying.

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