# Massacre.



## Soleil (Jan 14, 2005)

All this happened yesterday. I care for five strays in our garden. Two females and three kittens. The three kittens are the first litter of one of the female cats.
She was pregnant and had just had her second litter a week ago. I didn't know she'd had the litter here. I didn't think she would because Ginger, Precious and Patch were already here (the 3 kittens).
But something was horribly wrong yesterday. She just wouldn't stop crying and she sounded so distressed....at around 8 in the morning. Then our watchman told us that early in the morning he'd seen her running with a kitten in her mouth. He'd looked for the kitten but couldn't find it.
We couldn't find anything....then we suddenly spotted it by the side of the front porch.
It was so small. Just as big as the palm of my hand. Okay, here I have to pause and say that the following details are very graphic and those who don't want to read any further, PLEASE DON'T. It's been hard enough for me to go through it without now having to relive it again by putting it into words.
The first kitten had been bitten and had red gashes on it's throat and was dead. Covered with ants. It had been bitten to death by something.
We buried him/her under a tree in the corner of our garden.
She was still really, really distressed. She kept searching for this kitten and wailing. 
The bouganvilla patch at the back of our house is a favourite haunt of the cats because it's really shady and they really like it there. We got the watchman to rake the leaves over very carefully and sure enough there was another one. He/she was black and white. This one had no marks on it. But was dead as well. We buried him next to the first one.
Then after an hour the watch man said she'd brought another kitten in her mouth and dropped him/her on the porch. This one too had been badly bitten and was dead. He buried it.
Then in the afternoon my sister was the mother cat was mewing really loudly. So I went to see. She was at one side of the garden very near the fence that seperates our house from the next one. She wouldn't budge from that spot. I just knew something was wrong. I looked everywhere. But couldn't find anything.
Then I leant over the fence and there was the fourth kitten. Or what remained of it. Just two tiny back legs and a tail. The rest had been eaten by something.
I felt so sick and nauseated and devastated at the same time. I called our watchman and immediately asked him to bury it.
She didn't realise that it had been taken. She just kept sitting there and wailing her heart out. Then afterwards she leant over and couldn't see it anymore and she went a bit quiet.
But it's been like that. She's been crying non-stop. Even today. She keeps goign to all the places and looking for them. I don't think she realises the concept of death. I think Ginger, Precious and Patch were her first litter and she'd never lost any before.
We thought burying them would give her some kind of closure instead of having to keep on looking at them like that in that state.
She can't be comforted. She's wild. She doesn't like being touched. And besides how do you comfort somebody who has lost four children in one night?
I don't know what did this. What on earth could it have been that massacred her kittens and she had to fight so hard and she herself is hurt so badly. Her back hind leg was bleeding.
Was it a giant rat? Was it one of those male cats? I started feeding a 6th cat recently believing it to be a female cat...but turned out it was male. I've given strict instructions to the watchman to chase away any other cat other than these five: I know male cats can kill kittens, but do they eat them? What did this? 
She's turned back to Ginger, Precious and Patch now. She tried to groom Ginger. But he didn't want her to and he just walked away. They're too old now. They don't need her anymore. It's so pathetic to see. Precious is the only one who lets her groom her now. Precious was always closest to her mother.
I can't even imagine the phsycological truama she must be going through. Poor little thing. Her nipples are so huge and swollen and we were talking about how painful it would be for her now. 
Is there anything I can do for her at all? Anything?


----------



## spittles (Oct 24, 2003)

You need to take her to the vet ASAP. She NEEDS to be spayed. It could have been a number of things that killed these kittens, but unless you want it to keep happening...she needs to be spayed.

Good Luck!
Abhay


----------



## Richo (Jul 4, 2003)

That's just awful.

I have heard that male toms will sometimes kill all the male kittens in a litter as to eliminate the "competition". I would think an actual predator would have gone after the mother as well.  Please get her fixed.

So sad.


----------



## vanillasugar (Nov 11, 2004)

I went through something similar a few years ago:
http://www.catforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=12034

Kittens are so innocent it just hurts so bad to see them like you had to, I understand completley. The mother does need to get to a vet, especially if she's bleeding, but also to get her spayed to prevent this from occuring again


----------



## Soleil (Jan 14, 2005)

Spittles and Richo - thankyou for replying. I think it was a predator of some kind because I had a chance to notice the mother cat's (I've decided to call her Princess) leg and it has a bite mark going around it. It doesn't seem to be bothering her though. She's walking and running normally.
It's when you look into her eyes...she just has this lost dazed look in them. Like she doesn't understand what went wrong. She's such an amazing mother...I observed all along how she raised Ginger, Patch and Precious. She was awesome.
vanillasugar - I went and read the link you sent me. It's terrible...it's just too ghastly...the same image just keeps playing over in my mind. Like what you'd said, if you'd only been there sometime earlier, you might've prevented it. It's questions like that that I keep asking.
But it the end, there's only so much we can do. We can't be in ten different places at the same time and we don't have unlimited resources. Right now I'm doing the best I can.
I'm determined to get her spayed. I can't bear the thought of her having to got through something like this again.


----------



## vanillasugar (Nov 11, 2004)

You're right, we can't be everywhere at once...

It's good that you're going to get her spayed. You really should see if you can get her to a vet to get that leg looked at too. Right now it's at risk of infection, which could lead to much much bigger problems...


----------



## Cameocat (Sep 8, 2004)

I am so sorry to hear what had happened to those poor kitties and the mommy cat. Thats so horrible that they all had to go through that!Like everyone said I would get the mommy cat to the vet ASAP! Get her spayed and have her injuries checked out. I am so glad you are looking out for what is best for them. The poor things never hurt anyone . It is just so sad. Please keep us informed. Take care and keep up your good and caring work. They need you !


----------



## ikari1222 (Sep 24, 2004)

I have a feeling this may be what happened to them. Perhaps not, but it's a possibility.

http://www.messybeast.com/kill_kit.htm


----------



## zoeae (Feb 21, 2005)

that is very sad. I am glad to see you are getting he spayed so she no longer has to go through this again. is there anyway you can take in the previous litter of kittens and take care of them?


----------

