Here is why a mother cat may eat her kitten’s poop:
Very young kittens cannot poop or pee. The mother cat has to lick their bottom to stimulate bowel movement.
In the process, she eats her kittens’ feces.
Eating her kittens’ poop reduces the smell and the chances of her babies being found by a predator.
She will not get sick from eating the poop.
Mother cats sometimes have interesting behaviors that we may never have noticed, such as eating her kittens’ poop.
As we know mama cats as tough creatures that would do anything to protect their children, it may be puzzling to see them eat their babies’ feces.
This article provides a detailed explanation of why a mother cat would eat her kittens’ feces, and if doing so can harm her.
1. She’s Stimulating Their Bowel Movements
Very young kittens cannot pee or poop on their own. Their mama has to stimulate them to go to the bathroom by licking their bum. This is called anogenital grooming.
Her tongue stimulates her kitten’s anus so that the kitten can poop more easily.
While doing so, the mother cat eats these feces. After the kitten poops, the mother cat will clean the area again.
At this stage, the mother cat is prone to diarrhea due to the ingested feces while cleaning her babies.
This can go on for the first 3 to 6 weeks of a kitten’s life. Keeping her nest clean and dry is a priority to a mother cat.
When the kittens grow, they start eating solid foods and poop little coils outside the nest, but the mother will still keep her nest clean regardless.
2. Eating Waste to Hide From Predators
Another reason why mother cats may eat their kittens’ poop is to protect them from predators.
Cat poop may smell the same to us, but cats can tell their waste apart from another using their unique chemical scent markers called pheromones.
These are present in their urine and feces. Wild cats hide their waste to avoid attracting unwanted attention from predators.
A domestic cat harbors the same strong self-protecting instincts. Since very young kittens cannot bury their waste, it is upon the mother cat to lick poop from their bum and eat it.
Eating her kittens’ poop reduces smells and the chances of the kittens being found by a predator when the mom is away.
Remember, too, that under normal circumstances, cats see themselves as subordinates of their human owners.
So, mama cat will ensure she eliminates all her kittens’ poop from your sight by licking it.
3. Nursing Takes a Toll on the Mother
At delivery, queens lose about 40% of the weight they have gained through pregnancy. The rest of the weight is lost through lactation due to the workload placed on her body.
She needs energy-dense food to sustain milk production, weight, and body condition.
Since nursing takes out a lot from the mother, eating the kittens’ waste gives her body some of those nutrients back.
A Mother Cat Can’t Get Sick by Eating Her Kittens’ Poop
Understandably, you might be worried if a mother cat will get sick from eating her babies’ poop.
The habit is normal, and she cannot get sick from it. It’s her job to keep them clean, and there is nothing harmful in her kittens’ pee or poop. It only contains the leftovers from her own milk.
As I mentioned earlier, she might get a mild stomach upset resulting in diarrhea, but this will normally go away.
A cat’s tongue is like a brush. When a mother cat licks her kitten’s bottom, it’s just like when a human changes her baby’s diaper and uses wipes to clean it. Her tongue works the same way.
The queen knows how to take care of her kittens and will not do anything that could harm her health.
When the kittens are a little older, she will teach them how to clean themselves, how to lap from a bowl of water, and how to use the litterbox.
Introduce the Kittens to a Litterbox at 4 Weeks
Once the kitten reaches four weeks of age, you can introduce the litterbox. The litter tray should be shallow with low walls and only an inch of two or litter.
Avoid clumping litter for your kitten. They are still young and like to put things in their mouth, just like human babies.
If your cat ingests large amounts of clumping litter, it might cause serious intestinal blockages.
The kitten will be an infant for a few short weeks. After that, the mother cat will no longer need to stimulate them to go to the bathroom.
Before long, the kitten will blossom into a very active, curious feline youngster.
Take Good Care of Mother Cat After Delivery
Like I said, giving birth takes a lot out of a mother cat. That’s why it’s important to take good care of your cat and her kittens.
The first two to three weeks are the most crucial for a mother and her kittens.
Of course, the mother cat does not need your constant attention. If she has been your cat, she will welcome your visits to the nest. A rescued stray cat may prefer that you stay away.
As long as the kittens are nursing frequently, they will be fine.
1. Keep Her in a Safe Room
Keep the mother cat in a quiet part of the house, in her own room. The room should be warm enough because kittens cannot regulate their body temperature.
The mother keeps them warm, but she can’t stay there throughout. Sometimes she will need to get out to use the litterbox, hunt, or eat.
Use a large box to comfortably hold the mother and her kittens. Stack it with towels or old clothes.
These towels might get soiled quickly as the kittens start to eat solid food and poop. It’s good to change them often to keep the nest dry and clean.
This also reduces the probability of the mother cat eating the poop when cleaning her nest.
Lay several layers of soft towels at a time. Remove a soiled one to reveal a new, clean layer beneath it. This makes the process easier and faster.
2. Feed Her With High-Quality Cat Food
Peak milk production and energy needs occur at 3 to 4 weeks of lactation. Make sure you are feeding your mother cat high-quality kitten canned food supplemented with Kitten Milk Replacement Therapy.
These specially formulated foods ensure a nursing, postpartum mother gets back the nutrients she lost. Kitten food is high in calories, calcium, and protein.
Cats nursing more than two kittens need twice as many calories than usual. Wet food is best since it may be higher in protein.
Free-choice feeding during the first four weeks of lactation has many advantages. The queen can eat on her schedule, and she can consume smaller amounts of food at intervals.
It also makes it easier for the kitten to start sampling foods once they can.
3. Let the Mother Move the Kittens Around
Sometimes your cat will get out of the comfortable nest you have prepared for her and start to move around.
Don’t be alarmed because this is perfectly normal behavior among felines. In the wild, mother cats may move their kittens around frequently as a way to protect them from predators.
As long as the new location is a safe one, allow her to pick up her kittens and move them.
4. Take Your Cat to the Vet
Even though a mother cat cannot be affected by ingesting a small amount of her kitten’s poop while stimulating them, you still want to make sure everything is ok.
Take your cat to the vet to have them checked. The vet can know if the cat is suffering from a nutritional deficiency or undergoing stress.
Due to weight loss and depletion of nutrients after giving birth, your cat can be susceptible to several diseases.
All the above are valid reasons why you need to visit the vet after your cat has given birth.
5. Deworm Your Cat
Nursing cats should be dewormed as they can pass intestinal worms to their kittens through their milk. The most common worms are tapeworms, roundworms, and hookworms.
As the mother is a constant source of infection, regular worming is essential until weaning is complete.
Kittens will also need to be vetted, dewormed, and vaccinated.
6. Give Her Probiotics for Her Digestive System
A mother cat normally gets diarrhea due to ingesting her kittens’ feces. It could also be because the flora in her intestines is always changing and trying to adjust.
The mother cat may also eat the placenta, which may upset her digestive system. You may try to give your cat a kitten-safe paste with probiotics to support her digestive system.
If diarrhea continues, visit a vet immediately. It can dehydrate her quickly, especially now that she is nursing. The vet can tell you if there are other underlying health issues causing diarrhea.
