Mum chewed off kitten's whiskers!

One of our kittens, Bruce, has short whiskers, only about 1cm long, because his mum chewed them off! This happened when he was between 11 and 13 weeks old, shortly before we brought Bruce and Sheila home from the breeder.

The breeder said that his mum had chewed them off, and that it's not an uncommon punishment for naughty kittens (Sheila has her full whiskers!).

I just wondered how common this was, and how long they will take to grow back.

They should grow back fairly soon.

i have never heard of this in my life maybe it is common but i dont think it is.

I dont understand why she would do that.

Yes whiskers do grow back, though I am not suer how long it will take them.

I've never heard of that either ??........

I wondered whether it might be a stress reaction by the mother? She had seven kittens, and did continue to feed them almost up to 13 weeks. She was probably ready to see the back of them!

The mother was well in herself though, and all had been very well cared for and brought up with lots of human contact in a family home.

The breeder said she previously had a cat who often chewed her kittens' whiskers - and when the new owners came to collect them, the mother cat would actually push the kittens into the baskets as if to say 'clear off and get on with your own life'!

I guess in the wild there would come a time when the mother would push her kittens away to force them to fend for themselves.

This may all be known facts but it still does not make any sense to me.

I have had kittens all my life,I grew up on a farm,and i never seen anything like that.

Even have friends that have had litters.

Im so baffled.

i agree i have never heard of this being a normal thing for a mum cat to do to their kittens?

I've never heard of this either but I suspect they won't come in full until they fall out and re-grow.

Not to sound like miss know-it-all here hehe but this does happen fairly often. Sometimes it may just be a wisker or two, sometimes all of them. I have seen this happen a lot working in rescue for so long. Mom will do it when the kittens are misbehaving or when it is time for them to leave her.

Oh dear sounds like Bruce was a naughty boy! lol

Hope his whiskers grow back!

find something new every day on this site hehe. thanx jen , and no you dont sound like a miss know it all , its good you know so much.

They say you learn something new everyday!It is sooo true.

Hopefully they grow back soon,I cannot imagine a cat with no whiskers!