Is it necessary for the cat to eat the placenta?

Hi Everyone..Patty might be giving birth this coming week I'm keeping a close eye on her and also trying to get as informed as possible about the whole process. I've been reading articles online about the whole birthing process and in one it said that having the cat eat the placenta doesn't have any special benefit so that you could, if you wanted throw it away instead of allowing her to eat it. What do you guys think? Thanks for reading and any feedback too By the way, a little off topic but as many of you may remember I have a puppy that I haven't bought home yet. I think its a strong possibility that we might bring him home tomorrow(the people that have the puppies want the owners to take them already)-he's 5 weeks old. I'm thinking of placing him in the 2nd b/r so that he and Patty can smell each other through the door. Then over the weekend, place him in the cage so that he can be with us in the living room and Patty can get used to him..does that sound ok? Thanks again

With the puppy, poor thing; that's very early. I'd do my best to talk them into keeping him AT LEAST a week or two more... 8 weeks old would be sooo much better, I'm sure!
But I know very little about dogs, I just figure if kittens need their mothers for 8 or more weeks, then why would it be different for dogs.

With the placenta: Personally I would strongly encourage the mother cat to eat the placenta. I don't know why that article would suggest that it doesn't matter, cause the placenta is very rich in nutrients; vitamins, minerals, iron... It would really help the cat out so that she can heal up quicker + have the extra nurishment for the kittens she's going to feed for several weeks.
Did you know that many animals eat their placentas? Even COWS!!!!! And farmers encourage them to do it. It may sound yucky if you're not used to the thought of it, but it's actually one of nature's best medicines for new mothers of all kinds!

Keep in mind that you'll always be able to find articles on all kinds of stuff. Doesn't mean it's true. Doesn't mean the writer did any research at all to find out if it holds any water.

Just get used to the thought. There's a good and valid reason why animals have developed such an instinct as to eat the placenta. Maybe humans should have, too???? (Ok, NOW it's getting gross! LOL)

lol..thanks Viking..you're right..it does make sense..I just thought I'd ask just in case people had differing opinions on it About the puppy, I agree he should stay with the mom at least another couple of weeks...but they people seem very anxious to get rid of all of them...so we might have to bring him home tommorow..My main worry is the conflict b/w patty and Lobo(the pup)...I just hope it all works out Thanks again

Regarding the puppy, I understand that approximately 7 - 8 weeks is best. We got our puppy at 7 weeks, and it's the perfect time for them to imprint on their new Alpha dog (you). We had a cat when we got our puppy and I didn't know a lot about introductions, and she whacked him with her claws before I could stop her. It wasn't horrible, but he does give the cats a lot of respect now. He's six years old. Hope the birth goes ok!

Originally Posted by Katgrl81

lol..thanks Viking..you're right..it does make sense..I just thought I'd ask just in case people had differing opinions on it

About the puppy, I agree he should stay with the mom at least another couple of weeks...but they people seem very anxious to get rid of all of them...so we might have to bring him home tommorow..My main worry is the conflict b/w patty and Lobo(the pup)...I just hope it all works out

Thanks again

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Yeah, some times it's good to get a check, hear what others have to say, and get those thoughts out.

I sure wish you the best for that little puppy! Some times people have just made up their minds and it can be hard to change that. That's too bad, but there might be ways to help him along too. And I'm sure you'll figure it out, what to do with the puppy and your cats etc. I really can't help you with any of that, I have no experience with dogs, at all. I do like them, though...
Please share a picture of him, when you get him home, if you could! It would be so fun to see him! I'm just thinking AWWWW......LOL He must be soooo cute!!

aww...poor puppy Yea I hope Patty doesn't smack Lobo up although I wouldn't be too surprised if she tries and even manages one smack Will def try and keep them separate even if just for a day or two so they could slowly get used to one another..by the way how do your dog & cat get along now? Take Care

Thanks Viking..heres a pic from Monday when I last saw him


he kinda reminds me of this cartoon dog from this well known children's book named Poky..LOL

and not to leave my little mamacita out..heres a pic of her last week napping in the big cage..that may be a problem when the pup starts to stay in it..she seems to like it a lot

I think it's real different with dogs and cats because dogs are pack animals, and they look to you as the leader of their pack. Whereas cats, well, I guess only their Mama can tell them what to do, so they have to stay as long as possible! LOL! For that reason, you're really not supposed to get 2 puppies together, but you should get 2 kittens together if you're not going to be around a lot.

About that kitty - I used to let my cats outside wherever, whenever, because that's how I grew up. But in this area, we have coyotes. And she got out one night and didn't come back. But they got along quite well when she was here. She just had to let him know who's boss. Interestingly, the dog is afraid of the female cats, but likes to play with the males.

Oh, the puppy is so cute. What breed is he? How many kittens do you think the mama will have?

aww sorry to hear about your cat Hearing about how she and your dog learned to get along gives me hope Sorry for all the questions, just really curious Did it take them a while to get along? Thanks again Take Care

Thanks hes actually a pit bull..I know they have a bad rep but I def plan on raising him with a lot of love As to how many kittens Patty will have..I have no idea..lol Me and the bf started placing bets...he says it will be 4 or less..I say 5 or more..we have 5 dollars pending on it..so I guess we shall see I'm about 95% sure shes pregnant and will be giving birth anytime from this weekend to next week..hopefully I'm right..otherwise she's just been getting really fat around the mid-section If by late next week, I don't see any kittens will take her to vet ...her due date should be on the 20th give or take a day or so Thanks again..Take Care

Thank's for sharing that picture! He is so sweeeet looking!!! What a little lovebug!
You know, my uncle always had dogs and cats together. Always one big dog and one cat. The cat was definitely the boss, the dog wanted to be with the cat which the cat accepted if she felt like it. If not, she would just smack him alittle on the nose and the dog would get the message. But they were best of friends, no matter if one dog passed away and they got another.
I have seen a case where a couple of big dogs ran growling after the cat from the same household, and the cat had to run the best she had for protection. The owners didn't seem to care to do anything about it. Maybe it has something to do with how they run things in their home, and that the animals never got a proper introduction?

Hmmm...it was a few years ago. She was a full grown cat, maybe 2 years old, so she just avoided him for several months basically. I think they ended up playing together sometimes, but I get a little confused. That was 3 or 4 kitties ago. Fortunately we've got a backyard cat containment system now, so they don't get gotten by the coyotes anymore.

I think about a week or two before she has the kittens you should be able to feel them move. My cat had 8 kittens in April. She was so huge she could only lie on her back!

def..I'm pretty sure though that Patty will have the upperhand...shes bigger than him, at least for the moment ...My only fear is I know she doesn't like dogs from previous encounters..she used to be the cat at my job and she would hiss and even try and attack dogs that came into the store..I will def try and introduce them slowly and shower her with love and affection so that she doesn't feel too jealous Thanks again for the compliment I'm excited to get the pup

oh ok..I have tried to feel her belly, when she lets me that is..she seems very protective of it..well not so much with me..more so my bf..lol I haven't actually felt them move yet...but her belly has grown and shes eating a lot more and napping more so..I guess we shall see
By the way, glad to hear your other kitties are safe from the coyotes Take Care

correction..I think I felt the kittens moving..and boy were they moving a lot

Ooh, ooh, how exciting! I remember when Elsa was pregnant, it was like little fingers poking back at me!

yea..i think she may be very close..shes been grooming A LOT lately and even grooming us..lol my bf woke up this morning to her licking his whole face...its around 11:45pm here ans her stomach was moving and shes been licking herself and her bottom area a lot..I noticed her nipples are pink and seem to look different than b4...However, shes still eating so maybe shes not going into labor just yet?