Dead Kittens

[ShereKhanDickon]

(On TV, when someone says "someone I know," it is usually the individual himself. This is not myself. My kittens were born and raised inside the house and they are still with me.)

Someone I know experienced a walk-on kitten last fall. They made for her a boot or something with a blanket and she lived outside all winter. They did not act quickly enough and this spring she became pregnant.

I don't know any details; I have never seen this queen. They believe that a stray tom happened upon the new litter and killed them. I suppose they saw the tom in the area.

Is this even a thing? I have read that lions will kill young that are not "their own." How they know this without a 23andMe DNA test is beyond me.

 

[Furballsmom]

It will happen sometimes, that toms will kill kittens.

 

[fionasmom]

I saw this almost happen once with a feral litter born on my property. The "almost" is that I noticed two cats I recognized, both male, run into the place where the litter was and attempt to attack them....I got there in time. I have also seen feral males hang out harmlessly with kittens, or express absolutely no interest in their existence.

 

[StefanZ]

(On TV, when someone says "someone I know," it is usually the individual himself. This is not myself. My kittens were born and raised inside the house and they are still with me.)

Someone I know experienced a walk-on kitten last fall. They made for her a boot or something with a blanket and she lived outside all winter. They did not act quickly enough and this spring she became pregnant.

I don't know any details; I have never seen this queen. They believe that a stray tom happened upon the new litter and killed them. I suppose they saw the tom in the area.

Is this even a thing? I have read that lions will kill young that are not "their own." How they know this without a 23andMe DNA test is beyond me.

Cats know. It seems toms whom knows (or mated) the momma, arent attacking kittens. So it seems its essentially is new toms to the revire, as you yourself say, whom may do so.

I once read in a book about cats by an british animal behaviorist something hinting this; the reason free living females are mating multiple toms, is; to decrease the risk they will attack the kittens... Which must mean, once mated, the tom wont attack the kittens, even if someone else become the father...