My newborn kitten was dead this morning :(

Question

Yesterday at around 5pm my cat had her kittens, (she must have already been pregnant when i took her in, she is a rescue cat & will be neutered asap!!)

She had 4 healthy strong kittens, there is no other cats or any predators (other animals in my house) and she has a perfect quiet suitable area that she chose herself to have them and nurse them.

everything was fine and i looked in on them from a distance, she is nursing them all beautifully.

she is around 9 months old herself which is quite young.

Anyway this morning i looked in and one of the kittens (the first born) was dead. It looked a bit squashed, is it possible the mother cat accidentally did this? i thought the mother cats only do this if there is something wrong with the kitten but the kitten was just a bright and healthy as the other ones if not more so.

I am really stumped as to what happened and sad about it too.

Is it possible for the mother cat to accidentally lay down or sit on a kitten causing smothering?

Answer 1

I'm not sure about that- maybe he's just a bit shrivelled up and had some health issues at birth.

Answer 2

Because she is so young herself, she probably did not know what to do with these four creatures that sprang out of her body.  I have had many litters and it is common to lose one during the first couple of days...sad but common.  It could have not been getting enough nourishment that is extremely vital those first couple of hours.  It probably would have been a good idea for you to have been close with the mother, not staying a distance away since she is so young and inexperienced.  It is possible that the kitten died because it wasn't getting enough of her body heat to keep it warm.  When it died she probably tried to bury it which is animal instinct.  This would explain why it was squashed.

Answer 3

I've never known a momma kitty to have such an accident but I suppose it's possible. Sometimes sad things happen when you try to rescue an animal. Just keep thinking about how much worse it would have been if you hadn't intervened. Maybe none of the kittens would have survived. They certainly will get better nutrition and be safer with you than without.  

Answer 4

I guess its possible but unlikely she squashed it. Its possible something was wrong with the kitten and you couldnt tell just by looking at it...Its great that you have taken in this cat and good luck with the other kittens.

Answer 5

I don't think this is possible. with the mom being so young it's surprising that any of the kittens survived. The kitten was probably just not strong enough to survive. Why it looks flat is because rigamortis probably set in, this gives the "flat" look. I have a mama cat and her first litter this happened to all of them.

Answer 6

i doubt she did tht i think it was just not strong enough, but focus on the other kittnes and give them all the love they need :)

x*x