Why Does A Mum Eat A Dead 8 Week Kitten

[Angelstar2]

Hi,
My cat gave birth to 4 kittens, 1 was dead. The dead kitten disappeared so I'm guessing she ate it. The other 3 kittens were doing really well, taking milk from mum, drinking water and had started eating dry food for kittens. I noticed that 1 of them had stopped thriving and was not has big as his brothers, all he wanted to do was sit on my lap. Today I found him dead, he would have been 8 weeks old in a days time. Kitty mum saw him and started licking him. I was going to bury him, but when I went back to the room later, he was nowhere to be seen, I am guessing that mum ate him. Is this normal behaviour for a mum to eat a dead kitten so old. She is a first time mum and not 1 yet.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Kieka]

It is not uncommon for moms to eat dead newborns. It's a safety mechanic as the smell of the dead baby would draw predators and risk their other babies. The older one would be a little odd but she may have just hid it away from the babies for the same reason. That same instinct to minimize scent is why cats bury their poop too.

 

[Willowy]

At that size she probably would not have been able to eat the entire body. A kitten that age should be 2 pounds and a skull that size would not be easily consumed. When my cats have killed and eaten rabbits that size they leave the skull and feet. So look around the room VERY carefully. That's not something you want to find later.