Female cat no longer pregnant, I cannot find the kittens, could my male neutered cat have eaten them?

Question

Female cat no longer pregnant, I cannot find the kittens, could my male neutered cat have eaten them?

Answer 1

I doubt that the mother let anything bad happen. I bet they're all snug someplace. After you feed her follow her and she'll lead you to them.  

Answer 2

Sadly, it is a very distinct possibility. Sometimes male cats will eat them, sometimes just kill them, and sometimes they will not be bothered by them at all.

Since you know for sure she is no longer pregnant, check to see if she is nursing. If her teats are more pointed, and do not seem engorged, that means she is feeding her babies and they are somewhere. If however she seems very engorged with milk, chances are her kittens were aborted (if way before her due date), stillborn, or killed.

Good luck, and I hope you find them.

Answer 3

More likely then not she has hidden them. When my cat had her kittens she was missing for a whole two days before we found her and the babies. I haven't ever seen or heard of cats eating their kittens. Even in the wild. Don't stress, just watch and wait.  

Answer 4

Here is some information about how male cats act around kittens:

Here we come to what is perhaps the one male behavior that is markedly different than feminine felines -- the way Toms act toward kittens.

As we stated in the beginning, there are exceptions to every rule, and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence about male cats that are gentle and seemingly nurturing with kittens. However, this truly is the exception rather than the rule.

Bottom line, cats are hunters and this behavior is almost impossible to eliminate. Young kittens can draw a Tom's interest, but that initial curiosity often brings those hunting instincts to the surface. After a few moments, that squirming little kitten begins to look remarkably similar to other prey animals like mice and chipmunks. It doesn't take long before what began as innocent interest and a little play behavior turns into something ugly, and without intervention, kittens sometime fall victim to adult males.

There are degrees to the dangers kitten face from adult Toms. Some male cats are willing to tolerate kittens they sense to be their own offspring, but most attempt to kill or drive off kittens that belong to another Tom. However, papa cat's tolerance is usually limited to the next time the queen comes into heat. At this point, the Tom wants those kittens out of the way so he can breed the female again.

Now, you said your male cat was neutered, so he might of thought the kittens were a rat, squirrel, ect.

Also, the mother could of hidden the kittens. The mother will do this if she thinks they are in danger. Sometimes, they will move several times a day. Maybe you could try getting the mom's favorite treat and try to lure her out so you can find the kittens. You could also try following her after you feed her.

Sorry you cant find your kittens and good luck!

Answer 5

if she was going outdoors then chances are she had her kittens outside.

if she was indoors then look evey where or follow her around to see if she goes to the kittens.

if i where you i would go to the vet or call your vet to make she she is no longer pregnant.

I HOPE THIS HELPS!!!

:)

Answer 6

If a female cat feels that her kittens are in danger, they will hide them. They even will move them numerous times a day, so as not to keep them in one place for to long. My cat did this, and it drove me crazy cause i couldn't find the kittens, and if i did find them, she would just hide them again. Just let her be, if the kittens are around, she will tend to them. Good Luck :-)

Answer 7

possibly, but probably not. She probably has them hidden pretty good. And if you find them, she'll hide them better. Is she out and about a lot? She's most likely spending time with her babies.  

Answer 8

Um, to the answer above me...cats don't "abort" their kittens...only heartless humans abort their babies.

Chances are she had them in a hidden place so no one could find them.

Answer 9

absolutely. Or she may have aborted them... There's no telling. Is she indoors all the time?

Answer 10

i think it is a really good chance he did but if they were outside... anything is possible but sorry i'm not really all that sure!

Answer 11

A tom cat is an unaltered male, so the male in question is not a tom.  Yes, tom's will kill tiny kittens to get mom to come back into heat but it's not that common and if the male was neutered early enough then he probably has no sexual interest at all.  All my males are very nice with kittens, even tiny ones.

I agree that the kittens are probably hidden.  If the mother isn't going back to them then she probably rejected them either out of poor health on their part or confusion on her part.  Or some actual tom cat could have killed them or a dog or some other animal.  

Answer 12

I would think that she hid them somewhere really good. lol But I was just reading about it on the internet and it says sometimes the males will eat the kittens so the mama cat will go into heat again faster since she doesnt go into heat while nursing....

I would just say keep looking and hopefully he didnt get to them.

Answer 13

She would have hidden them!  We returned home one day and my cat was also not pregnant anymore.  We spent hours looking for the kittens, so in the end we followed her.  She wouldn't go far when we were following her so then we pretended we weren't around or following her and when she thought all was safe she went into the garage and jumped in the car (one of the windows was open) and on the backseat was five brand new gorgeous kittens!!

Please just make sure you find them and don't give up!  They will not be safe if she has had them outside somewhere.  Good luck!!!  Please let us know what happens!