On Sun, 25 Aug 2013 07:56:12 -0400, Gary > wrote:

>Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>> > Yes. We had a cat who killed all but one kitten and it was only a matter
>> > of time before she got to the last one.
>>
>> A friend's cat once ate her kittens
>
>I don't think it's common (or natural) for any animal mother to kill
>her babies. I have read somewhere in the past that they will do this
>if there is a problem with the offspring. Like a genetic defect or
>something. Only humans will keep birth defective babies, but then we
>have hospitals and animals don't.

Exactly. When kittens are born blind and/or deaf the mother won't
nurse them and will kill them rather than allow them to struggle
trying to live a few more days... instead she will put her efforts
towards caring for the healthy ones... she's not going to jeapordize
the healthy ones and risk her own life caring for the sick in vain. To
humans nature seems very cruel but there are reasons for animal
behavior. Had I not gotten Newt to the Vet this week with his
abscessed tooth he would have died with great suffering... it would
have been a more merciful death had some preditor got him. Fortunately
with the tooth extracted and a bunch of antibiotics he is doing fine
now. In the wild there's no one to help sick critters.