A mom cat spends the primary few weeks of her kittens’ lives feeding and nurturing them. Nevertheless, as soon as these kittens begin to get a bit older, she could begin to get aggressive in the direction of them and really assault. That is typically a standard conduct and a part of a kitten’s studying course of. Simply make sure the mom isn’t getting overly viscous throughout these instances and really inflicting the kittens hurt. The explanations a mom cat could assault her older kittens are as follows.
The 7 Vet-Reviewed Causes Why Mom Cats Assault Their Older Kittens
1. She’s in Warmth Once more
Cats can return into warmth in a short time after giving beginning to their kittens. For some cats this implies as early as 8 weeks after giving beginning. This will likely sign to the mom that her present litter is able to be weaned in order that she will put together for being pregnant and a brand new batch of offspring.
2. The Kittens Have Reached Sexual Maturity
Cats generally attain sexual maturity round 6 months of age, however some cats could attain maturity as early as 4 months.
As soon as your kittens attain sexual maturity, their behaviors will start to vary due to their hormonal shifts. Feminine cats could go into warmth, whereas male cats could grow to be aggressive towards one another and start in search of a mate.
In case your mom cat remains to be along with her kittens after they attain sexual maturity, she is probably going attacking them as a result of she could start to view her kittens as competitors for replica or she could start to be harassed by the male kittens.
3. She’s Defending Her Territory
Many individuals know that male cats are territorial, however feminine cats will be equally so. Most cats will defend their territory by attacking or chasing different cats away. As your kittens age, the mom cat could start to see them extra as cats which can be encroaching on her territory somewhat than her infants. This could result in your cat attacking the kittens in an try and get them out of her house.
4. She’s Redirecting Aggression
There are a number of causes for redirected aggression in mom cats. This conduct happens when your cat is fearful or feeling aggressive towards somebody or one thing and as a substitute redirects the aggression towards somebody or one thing else. This could imply that your cat is upset a few canine being within the room, however unable to assault the canine, she could as a substitute assault the closest kitten.
5. She’s Weaning the Kittens
There comes a time in each kitten’s life after they have to be weaned from nursing their mom. Weaning is a course of that may happen over days or perhaps weeks, and will require some aggressive conduct from the mom to ensure that the kitten to get the purpose.
6. She’s Educating the Kittens
Kittens are born with a set of instincts intact, however there are plenty of social interactions and behavioral cues that cats should study from their mom. For this reason it’s vital for kittens to stick with their mom till they’re no less than 8-10 weeks of age. Staying collectively gives the entire kittens with the required socialization that helps them learn to work together with different cats, in addition to the world round them.
Generally, a mom cat will use aggression to indicate a kitten that they shouldn’t be doing one thing or that they’ve crossed a boundary. That is normally a delicate correction however could go so far as a mom cat lashing out and attacking her kitten if she feels their conduct is inappropriate.
7. They’re Enjoying
A typical reason for “aggression” between a mom cat and her older kittens is definitely play. When cats play, they are often very tough with one another, sometimes even making it look like they’re actually having a fight. Throughout play, cats could bunny kick one another with their again ft, chew, swat, chase, and sort out one another.
These are all regular components of play, in addition to integral components of socialization and studying on your kittens. In case your cats are strolling away from these conditions unhurt and never seeming to be nervous or upset, then they’re doubtless simply having playtime with their mom.
When Ought to You Intervene?
In case your mom cat is exhibiting aggression towards her older kittens, it may be troublesome to know when to intervene. That is very true in the event you’re unsure if what you’re witnessing is true aggression or one thing extra benign, like play or educating. If one of many cats concerned within the aggressive episode seems to be actively harm or overly careworn, then it’s time to take motion.
Attempt to decide what’s inflicting the mom cat’s aggression. Has one thing modified within the surroundings that’s causing her to feel stressed or unsafe? Have the kittens reached sexual maturity or has your cat gone again into warmth? If what you’re seeing is actually aggression, you have to discover a technique to treatment the trigger. In some circumstances, this will imply rehoming the kittens if weaned, spaying or neutering if sufficiently old, or safely separating all events.
If all of the cats are strolling away from these occasions seemingly with out accidents or stress and never exhibiting behavioral adjustments related to stress or concern, then there’s a superb likelihood that your mom cat is just taking part in with or educating her kittens.
Conclusion
It’s unsettling to see your cat attacking her kittens, however there are some positive reasons that this behavior may be occurring. True aggression must be addressed, although. This will likely imply a vet go to to rule out medical issues, in addition to to find out if behavioral help, like separation or coaching, is required.
Featured Picture Credit score: Elena Mitusova, Shutterstock
