Nursing Kitten |
| Q: Alaska, our 3 month old kitten has been "nursing" on our 1 year 4 month old cat Maui. Maui has never had kittens and is fixed. Is this OK that the kitten is sucking on the nipples or could it cause infection? I think it is cute that Maui has taken the kitten under her wings, but I want to make sure this is OK and harmless. A: It is likely that Alaska was taken from her mother too early causing this type of behavior. Typically, if a kitten is taken from its mother before eight weeks of age, sucking and kneading type behavior can continue throughout the pet's life. Alaska probably thinks Maui makes a great surrogate mother and it is very sweet that Maui has taken to the behavior so nicely. To answer your question, I think it is probably fine that the sucking continues as long as it does not irritate Maui too much. I would regularly check Maui's nipples to look for irritation. If this occurs you may have to separate the two. Most likely Alaska will grow out of this as she gets older. Good luck and good pet parenting. |
