Why would my cat abandon her kittens?

Answer by  katrescuer (431)

Some cats abandon kittens if they are sick, other cats abandon them because, like some people, they are just not cut out to be mothers. If your cat abandons it's kittens, you would need to either find a surrogate mother to nurse them or buy a pet bottle and some KMR milk replacement formula or goats milk and feed them.

Answer by  dcnelson28 (38)

Some cats are young, wild, do not have a genetic predisposition to motherhood, or may have physical or medical problems that make her unable to nurse or care for them. Perhaps she preferred that the humans in her environment take dominance over them as she may have had territorial issues.

Answer by  jlwilson6 (1098)

Sometimes a mother cat will abandon her kittens if she feels that she will not be able to raise and care for them in the environment where they live. Maybe she feels unsafe or feels like she cannot keep her kittens safe. It is also possible that the mother cat is very sick.

Answer by  Nick25 (24)

A cat may abandon kittens if she feels they have been tampered with by outsiders. They may also leave because the kittens are sickly or she can't feed them.

Answer by  lpisowic (11)

She may not feel the environment is safe to raise them in (although it probably is safe). They also may be sick.