Why is my cat biting her 3 week old kitten?

Question

I've noticed that my cat bites her baby when she cleans her but it's a bit rough, like keeping the head between her jaws and just holding there. She also does that when the baby is playing so I thought she was doing it to play along, but she doesn't seem so playful, and she just bites and stays in that position until the baby starts crying and I move her a bit because I'm a bit scared she might harm the baby. The baby bites her a lot too, but of course her jaws are not compared to the mom.

Is it normal? and how tough can the mother be before she really hurts the kitten??

Answer 1

Yes your cat is the Charles Mansen of cats. Its perfectly normal

Answer 2

You should have your cat fixed after this is over, too many animals need a home and not enough good homes around.. I think your story is pretty normal.  I have seen moms be rough too.. good luck and please think about getting your momma cat fixed soon as you can!  

Answer 3

because she is the mom and she said so, that is why.

mom will get rough if kitten does not sit still for the bath. or, biting her head usually means kitty tried to challenge mom for the leader of the pride position, and mom showed her who is in charge.

it is also the start of weaning. if it happens when the kitten tries to nurse, mom is just saying "no!"

as long as no blood is drawn, it is ok.

Answer 4

my cat did that to her babies too!

i was so scared

its normal the mother isnt hurting the babies.

Answer 5

I see you have a few answers already stating that this is "normal" cat behavior.  And, yes I suppose in some ways it can be viewed as "normal" but there are a few things to watch out for.

For instance:

Most animals in the animal kingdom go by scent.  Therefore if their baby has the scent of another animal or even a human that could have touched the baby - the parent will often abandon or kill the infant.  So, if you've been handling the little kitten you may want to watch that the mom isn't reacting to your scent.  Even though the mom cat may be tamed and she may be used to you petting HER... Petting/touching the kitten may be a different story as animal instincts usually always win out.  And her instinct is to get rid of the other scent.

Also, animals have a great keen of sense.  Almost like a 6th sense they can determine if their baby is sick to the point where it'll impede their lives.  Thus, if the mother cat senses that the baby has something wrong with it..  The kitten may be abandoned or killed on spot.

So, it may be totally "normal" as stated by the others.  But, do be careful and watch.

Good luck.

Answer 6

It's normal.. all cats do it.. don't worry about it. I wouldn't go on separating them sounds like they are getting along fine. Neck bites, l*****g and rough play are all signs of a normal cat relationship..  

Answer 7

it is normal. idk why they do it but my cats have always done it to there kittens. only one kitten has died and it was not due to the mother. we were really poor at the time and we couldn't even afford to get our cats fixed and cat food was over priced so she didn't get fed and as a result she didn't produce enough milk for all the kittens.