Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,

We just got two new kittens, about ten weeks old. They seem to have adapted to their new surroundings fine except one of them seems to try suckling the other. She doesn't suckle anything else, just her sister. I figure that they might have been weaned to early. The kitten being suckled puts up with it for a little then moves on, but sometimes is chased down for the process to start all over again. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do?
Thanks
Todd

I've heard of this problem before, it's not always that the kittens were weened to early, but some kittens just don't want to give it up. Alot like human babies!
Maybe you could give her just a tiny amount of kitten formula, a couple times a day, that might distract her from her sister. But I would think she'd outgrow it. You also could keep the kittens seperate until she does, but that might be hard on them and make the one kitten even more needy of the comfort.
But... if the sister doesn't mind, it could just be something that goes away on it's own once the kitten realizes that her sister has no milk. By the way, are you getting them spayed?

DestanyF

Many kitten suckle another kitten or older cat in the household. It is a calming behavior for them. My new kitten is still suckling my two older cats (when they let him!) at 18 weeks, even though they are all male!. I asked my vet about this behavior two weeks ago and he said some cats never outgrow this behavior, but most do. It just means they feel comfort and safety. It doesn't hurt either the one suckling or the one being suckled.

Thanks to both of you. It is good to know that this isn't really a problem. And yes we are going to have them spayed.

I have a question related to this topic. I have a 5 month old tonkinese. I got him at 4 months. He is an only pet and tries to suckle on my face or arms at night. It is obviously a comfort measure for him, so I don't want to rebuke or punish him for it. But it is very irritating, especially when he starts nibbling or biting- it hurts! I REALLY want to break him of this habit before its too late. He is really quite aggressive when he is doing it, he won't take no for an answer! The other day I even caught him trying to suckle on the raised/textured bumps on the wall! The breeder said she weaned this litter from their mom fairly early and the kittens all liked to suckle one another. Well, now that he has no brothers or sisters to play-nurse on, he suckles ME! This is so frustrating.

Try giving him a special blanket.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

I did that. I bought him a soft baby blanket that I put under the bed. He sleeps there when I am not home, when he is taking a nap, or when I toss him out of bed. Otherwise, he sleeps with me at night. Do you think one of the nipples used to feed premature kitties would work?

I think your reply to the other post showed some very good sense for dealing with the problem. Although it may seem cruel, putting the cat into a "time out" situation (no meaness, just moving it away) is a good way to discourage this behavior. Think about it - when mama kitty has enough of nursing she pushes the kittens away. They deal with it just fine.

A baby kitten bottle might work, but wouldn't break the suckling habit which is really where you want to go.
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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!

You're right. I decided not to get him a bottle/pacifier because that won't break the habit. I've been giving it time and patience and he is slowing down. I still wake up to him grooming or gently nibbling (I think he's learned to be more gentle!), but if I push him away or tell him no he will quit. However, he recently started grooming my boyfriend's sideburns, and that is his new passion. My boyfriend hates it, and lets him know it. Hopefully he will learn to stop this as well. It seems like he is maturing and learning that sleep time is for sleep ONLY. He doesn't try to play on the bed anymore and he rarely does the suckling. He is a very smart kitty and catches on quickly to what is and isn't acceptable.