Sometimes cats refuse their offspring. This article explains why this happens and what can be done about it.
Why does a cat refuse kittens
When she leaves the cubs, there may be several reasons: Physical weakness. Poor nutrition during pregnancy, diseases lead to the depletion of the animal. The cat turns on the instinct of self-preservation - to survive in order to still bear offspring.
Stress may well cause a cat to abandon its own children. For example, excessive attention to the cat during childbirth or constant visits of outsiders to the nest where the mother and newborn kittens are located cause excessive anxiety in the animal and can provoke atypical behavior.
An incorrect and untimely intervention of a person in the process of childbirth can lead to the rejection of offspring. When trying to move a cat and kittens, re-lay the litter in the nest, when a bright light is directed at a cat or its offspring, the balance of smells is disturbed, and the cat rejects kittens that have a human smell on them.
What to do so that the cat does not leave the kittens
How to reduce the risk of abandonment of offspring:
- the cat should have a warm and quiet place for childbirth and subsequent feeding of kittens;
- the cat should be fed a high-nutrient diet;
- it is not necessary to touch kittens in the first two weeks of their life unnecessarily.
