Research overview: den selection and early maternal care in felids

Female cats select sheltered den sites to give birth and protect altricial young during their most vulnerable weeks. This overview surveys how felid mothers choose dens that provide concealment and thermal protection, how often they move litters between sites to reduce predation and parasite risk, and how they balance time at the den against hunting. It reviews species differences from solitary cheetahs and leopards to communally denning lions. The review connects den selection and maternal vigilance to cub survival and to the energetic constraints mothers face. Understanding early maternal care illuminates the determinants of reproductive success and informs management of breeding females in captivity, where appropriate denning conditions improve cub survival.