missing kitten

Question
Last week, my cat, Sadie, had a stillborn kitten.  Her labor stopped, but I suspected she still had kittens in her so I took her to the vet who ended up having to do a c-section.  Two more kittens were delivered, one also stillborn.  The other kitten seemed to be doing well - very feisty and meowing.  This morning, when I woke up, the kitten was gone. Sadie has been searching for him and calling him.  I have another cat who is spayed and has never had kittens.  She has been very curious about this kitten, although her behavior towards Sadie has turned a little hostile (hissing at her).  Would she have done something to the kitten?  I have searched all over the house.  I cannot hear any meowing.  He was only five days old, so I know he could not have crawled off.  I've thought of the possibility that Sadie or the other cat have eaten it, but would Sadie be calling it if she had done that?  Both cats ate their normal breakfast this morning.  Help!  What could have happened?

Answer
Hello Lois,

Please don't panic - I am absolutely certain that neither of your cats has eaten the kitten, as it just isn't in cats' nature to kill one another, and if there had been any violence towards the kitten, you would almost certainly see some evidence of it.  It is fairly common for mother cats to hide their kittens if they feel that they may be in danger.  It is quite possible that with the hostility between Sadie and your other cat, Sadie may feel that her kitten is in danger and has decided to hide him somewhere safe.  Obviously at only five days old, it is concerning that if the kitten is too far from his mum as he needs to feed from her.  Is there any possibility that she may have been able to take him outside the house?  Otherwise, look again inside the house and shut your other cat inside another room while you do so, as this might make Sadie feel it is safe to bring him back out.

Please let me know how this goes - I'm crossing my fingers!

Take care
Annie