After giving birth, many mammalian mothers will consume the afterbirth, known as the placenta. This behavior, called placentophagy, is common in animals like rats, hamsters, and guinea pigs. But what about cats – do felines eat their placentas too?
The short answer is yes, mother cats often do eat their placentas after giving birth. Consuming the placenta provides nutrition and allows the mother to keep the nest clean. However, the behavior varies between individual cats, with some mothers devouring the placentas immediately while others ignore them entirely.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the topic of cats eating placentas. We’ll explore why they do it, how common the behavior is, risks and benefits, and what it means for cat owners. Read on to learn more about this fascinating feline phenomenon.
Why Do Cats Eat Their Placentas?
There are a few key reasons why cats may consume their placentas after giving birth:
Nutrition
The placenta contains nutrients and hormones that may help the mother cat. Eating the placenta allows the mother to regain calories and protein she lost during pregnancy and birth. The placenta contains iron, vitamins, and prostaglandins. Consuming these nutrients may help the mother’s uterus contract back to normal size and boost milk production so she can nurse her kittens.
Instinct
Eating the placenta may simply be an innate instinct for mother cats. Many mammalian species consume the afterbirth immediately after giving birth. This instinct likely evolved to provide nutrition and also to eliminate any scent that could attract predators. For cats, devouring the placenta right away helps hide evidence that vulnerable newborn kittens are present.
Removing Waste
Discarding the placenta keeps the nest clean and hygienic. In the wild, the smell of blood and bodily fluids could lure predators or infect both mother and kittens. By consuming the placentas, cats ensure the nest remains sanitary and free of parasites, bacteria, or viruses from the afterbirth.
Hormones
The placenta contains hormones like oxytocin and prostaglandins that play key roles in milk production. Eating the placenta delivers these hormones directly to the mother cat, which may stimulate milk ejection and milk production. More milk means the mother can better nourish her new litter of kittens.
Is Placentophagy Common in Cats?
Mother cats eating their placentas is a common but not universal behavior. Estimates range, but research suggests around 65-90% of cat mothers will eat the placentas after giving birth.
However, it varies between individual cats. Some mothers immediately turn around and devour the placentas as soon as they are expelled. Other cats may ignore the afterbirth entirely and not consume any part of it.
Placentophagy also seems more common in single kitten litters. The behavior may be rarer when there are multiple kittens, as the mother is distracted caring for and nursing the larger litter.
Here is a quick overview of how common placentophagy is in mother cats:
- Around 65-90% of cat mothers will eat the placentas
- More common when single kitten is born
- Some cats always eat the placentas, others never do
- Behavior varies between individual cats
So while not an absolute rule, placentophagy is frequent enough cat behavior that owners should be aware of it as a possibility after their cat gives birth.
Do All Cats Eat the Entire Placenta?
Cats who eat their placentas do not necessarily consume the entire thing. Some mothers may eat only parts of the placenta. Others may eat the entire placenta immediately after birth.
According to surveys of cat owners and breeders, here are some common scenarios:
- Mother eats only a few bites of placenta then leaves the rest
- Mother consumes everything except the umbilical cord
- Mother eats the entire placenta including membranes and umbilical cord
The size of the placental membranes relative to the mother’s size may also influence how much she can reasonably eat. A larger placenta from a single, big kitten may be too much for the mother to eat all of.
So while some cats do eat the whole afterbirth, it’s also normal for them to only consume part of the placenta after giving birth. Even just eating a portion may provide some nutritional and hormonal benefits.
Do Mother Cats Always Eat the Placenta Right Away?
Mother cats generally eat the placenta immediately or within minutes after expelling it. Their instinct is to consume it as quickly as possible.
However, some situations may lead a mother cat to delay eating the afterbirth or leave it uneaten:
- If the kitten needs urgent attention, she may neglect the placenta
- If there are multiple kittens, she may be too busy to eat it immediately
- The placenta may be expelled before the final kitten, so she cannot eat it right away
- She may wait to eat it until all kittens are born and nursed
- If the placenta is abnormal, she may ignore it
But in most normal births, the mother cat eats the placenta as soon as she can after delivering the kitten and severing the umbilical cord. Her instinct drives her to consume it quickly before returning to care for her kitten. Delayed placentophagy or ignoring the placenta altogether is less common.
At What Age Do Kittens Start Eating Food Other Than Milk?
Kittens are entirely dependent on their mother’s milk for the first several weeks of life. But they start the transition to solid food at around 3-4 weeks old. Here is an overview of the weaning process:
- 0-2 weeks: Kittens only consume mother’s milk
- 3-4 weeks: Kittens start eating solid food, but still nurse frequently
- 5-6 weeks: Kittens eat more solid food and nurse less often
- 7-8 weeks: Kittens fully weaned off mother’s milk, eating complete solid diet
Kittens should stay with the mother cat until at least 8 weeks old for full weaning and proper socialization. The mother will help introduce solid food by bringing prey like small mice for the kittens to practice eating around 4-5 weeks old. Kittens also imitate the mother eating and learn from her.
Early weaning before 4 weeks can cause health issues for kittens. So mother cats play an important role in gradually transitioning kittens to solid food starting around 3-4 weeks old.
Can a Mother Cat’s Diet Affect Her Kittens?
Yes, the mother cat’s diet during pregnancy and nursing can significantly impact her kittens’ health and development. Here are some ways a mother’s nutrition affects kittens:
- Malnutrition in the mother can stunt kittens’ growth
- Obesity in the mother raises kittens’ obesity risk
- Poor diet causes nutritional deficits in kittens
- Toxins and parasites can pass to kittens through milk
- Diets high in nutrients benefit kittens
Mother cats need high quality nutrition with adequate protein, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. This provides the best composition of milk for kittens and supports their healthy growth.
Poor or inappropriate diets during pregnancy and nursing can have lifetime effects on kitten health. So proper nutrition for the mother is crucial for raising healthy, thriving kittens.
Do Mother Cats Clean Up Their Kittens’ Waste?
Yes, mother cats will lick their newborn kittens’ genital areas to stimulate urination and defecation. Then she will eat the waste to keep the nest clean.
This instinctive behavior serves several purposes:
- Stimulates the kittens’ bodily functions
- Disposes of waste so nest stays clean
- Hides scent that could attract predators
- Prevents bacterial infection of kittens
Mother cats will eat both urine and feces from the kittens during their first few weeks of life. But this behavior starts declining as kittens get older and begin eliminating on their own.
By around 3-4 weeks old, kittens gain control of their bladder and bowels, so the mother stops cleaning up after them. Their waste also becomes more solid and foul-smelling, so she is less willing to consume it.
But for newborns, the mother cat plays an important role in removing their waste to protect the vulnerable kittens in their initial weeks of life outside the womb.
Can a Mother Cat Recognize Her Own Kittens?
Yes, mother cats can recognize their own kittens from other kittens and adult cats. They rely on all five senses:
Sight
A mother cat will know her kittens by their appearance. Kittens have very distinct features including size, fur color patterns, face shape, eye color and distinctive markings.
Smell
Scientists believe a mother cat’s ability to identify her kittens by scent is exceptional. She knows their unique smell from exposure during pregnancy and birth.
Sound
Mother cats learn the distinctive voices and meows of their kittens. Kittens develop defined tones and call patterns to communicate their needs to mom.
Touch
By frequently grooming and nursing her kittens, a mother cat learns to recognize the feel of their coat, paws and body.
Taste
Since mother cats lick and groom their kittens, they can recognize the taste as well. Taste likely helps reinforce scent signals.
So while human owners may struggle to tell kittens apart initially, cats readily recognize their own offspring. But very young kittens do risk abandonment if they become covered in an unfamiliar scent. So it’s important not to transfer kittens between mothers.
Do Mother Cats Nurse Kittens That Aren’t Theirs?
In some cases, yes – mother cats may accept and nurse kittens from another litter. However, this usually only happens if:
- She recently gave birth so is lactating
- She does not currently have her own kittens
- The adopted kittens are a similar age to her own
- Introductions are done carefully to bond scent
Mother cats are driven to nurse any hungry kitten crying near them after giving birth. But fostering kittens can fail since she doesn’t recognize their scent. It helps to rub a blanket on the mother’s own kittens then transfer that scent to the adopted kittens.
However, mother cats are less likely to accept:
- Older juvenile cats rather than young kittens
- Kittens of vastly different ages than her litter
- More kittens than she can reasonably feed
With patience and scent bonding, some mother cats can successfully nurse adopted kittens. But it is complex and should always be supervised by an experienced professional.
Do Mother Cats Get Sad When Kittens Leave?
When kittens leave between 8-12 weeks old, mother cats do exhibit signs of missing them and grieving the separation. However, sadness and depression are complex emotions that cat owners may inaccurately project onto their pet.
More objectively, here is how cat mothers often behave after kittens leave:
- Searching – She may search for the kittens around the house.
- Crying – She may meow more frequently while searching.
- Restlessness – She can seem unsettled and have difficulty sleeping.
- Loss of appetite – She may eat less than normal at first.
- Lethargy – She may appear depressed and less energetic.
- Attention seeking – She may try to get attention from the owner.
These behaviors suggest the mother cat notices her kittens’ absence. Allowing her to interact with people or other pets can help provide comfort and distraction.
But cats live firmly in the present moment. With time, nurturing, and routine, mother cats soon return to their normal selves and do not dwell on the past.
Conclusion
While placentophagy is common in cats, mothers exhibit significant individual differences in this behavior. Some eat the entire placenta immediately, while others ignore it or only consume a small portion. Various factors can drive her instinct to eat the afterbirth, especially providing nutrition and keeping the nest sanitary.
Understanding natural mothering behaviors in cats like placentophagy, nursing, and cleaning kittens can help owners support the mother cat after birth. With attentive care and affection from the owner, cats thrive through the transition from pregnancy to raising the kittens. Then despite some initial searching behaviors, cats are quite resilient in moving forward after their kittens leave for new homes.