How do cats take care of their offspring?

If a pregnant cat has become restless, meowing loudly and looking for a secluded place, then childbirth will begin very soon. How to prepare for this?

Instinctively, before giving birth, the animal chooses the quietest and warmest places. After all, kittens are born blind and wet, and they should not be cold or scared. To help the cat with the search, you can put her a large box in a dark room, putting inside, for example, towels. It is important to prepare the place in advance so that the cat has time to get used to it. 

Immediately after childbirth

In the very first minutes after giving birth, you can see how the cat takes care of the kittens. When the baby is born, the cat begins to lick it. So she clears the cub of mucus, stimulates his breathing and blood circulation. The tongue also acts as a massager and helps to improve the digestion of the crumbs. 

After a thorough “bathing”, the cat pushes the kitten to the nipple, because in the first days of life, it is very important for the baby to eat well. If there are more kittens born than the cat has nipples, the owner can help by swapping already fed kittens with hungry ones. You should not make sudden movements, because immediately after giving birth, the pet can react aggressively even to her beloved household members, although this usually goes away quite quickly. 

The first weeks of a kitten’s life

Some time after the birth, when the kittens are already full and a little stronger, the cat may decide to change the place. There may be several reasons:

• too hot,
• too cold,
• drafts,
• too bright lighting
• bad smells around
• if the kittens squeak, the cat may decide that they are uncomfortable,
• postpartum anxiety or a hormonal imbalance in a cat can also cause a change in location,
• harsh sounds nearby
• too many movements around, someone is constantly walking.

Frequent dragging kittens from place to place can be unsafe for them – a cat in a hurry or from excitement can drop the kitten or grab it by the stomach instead of the scruff. That is why it is important even before giving birth to choose a suitable place for the cat family, where it will be quiet, dark and warm. If for some reason the cat abandoned the kittens, it is important to know how to properly care for them. You can learn more about caring for newborn kittens from this article.

Teaching cat tricks

As soon as the kittens get a little stronger and open their eyes, the cat begins their training. She teaches them to move, to wash, to distinguish their own from others.

By about the fifth week of life, the cat will teach the cubs to eat and lick themselves carefully. At the age of about a month, kittens go for the first walks under the supervision of their mother. She will teach them to jump and hunt. By the age of three months, babies are already fully trained in hygiene, they know how to go to the tray and even hunt.

A cat brings up kittens up to about 2-3 months, so it is at this age that kittens can be taken away from their mother. If you do this earlier, the development of the kitten will be less complete.

What about adult children

When a kitten turns into a mature cat, the mother cat ceases to perceive him as her child. This happens about six months after birth. 

If a cat continues to live under the same roof with her adult cub, she can get along quite peacefully with him. But for her, an adult kitten will be just another pet in the house, which can become both a rival and a mating partner. It sounds terrible to people. But cats in caring for their offspring are guided by maternal instinct, and it disappears as the kitten grows up.

When keeping one of the kittens, it is important to provide both him and the mother cat with enough food, affection and other resources, otherwise the animals will compete with each other. Satisfied and satisfied, pets are more likely to be able to make friends.

See also: 

• Two families and their kittens
• How to distribute kittens
• Safe toys and games for kittens
• Kitten training for beginners