Question:
I just rescued a 13 week old from the local shelter. needless to say she is adorable, and loving (of course) ...I am sort of a new kitten owner (have had adult cats before) so I am not familiar with this behavior - but I think my kitty is sucking herself...she starts by cleaning herself and then she goes to her little nipple and and goes to town. I am not sure if it's normal (I think we was weaned too early from Mama), ... should I try to stop this behavior? Can she get sore or infected? Any advise would be helpful, thank you!
Answer:
I don't think this is normal but I have only lived with a kitten that a friend raised from birth b/c was an orphan. He would suckle on hands, but never on a nipple of his own. What are you feeding the kitty? I don't know how long they are supposed to be nursed, but may be to young to be off mother. I would advise to look online for weaning age and if it is to young, then do the kitten formula that you can find in a Petsmart. Sorry I am not much more help! Good luck!
Answer:
Thanks for you reply... The people at the shelter said to feed her partial wet and partial dry Kitten food (recommended Iams to us). They never mentioned anything about weaning her early from her mother, but I am starting to suspect. ... but my partner did see her very red nipple at he shelter and asked the shelter staff what it was. They said it was probably nothing... but we now can clearly see what it is. Hmm... I will call a Vet tomorrow and see what he /she says. I am assuming it can't be too big of an issue...Thanks anyway!
Answer:
by the way - I should add the fact that she doesn't seem to want to get anything out of the nipple. It seems to be more of a passive thing - where she puts herself to sleep by doing the act. She curls up in this ball, wraps her little legs around her head and suckles... falling asleep in this ball of fur. She is in that position right now. I don't know if it is even harmful to her...
Answer:
There have been a lot of posts here about kittens suckling. It normal kitten behavior and they usually grow out of it, but I've never heard of one suckling on his own nipple!
I've attached a thread I found on the topic. Hope this is helpful.
Special thanks to HEYHWA for the sig!!
Answer:
It certainly sounds as if she was separated from Mother cat too soon. She will nurse on anything that seems remotely like Mother cat. She might like a pet nurser, which you can pick up at any pet store. I would also consider Snuggle Kitty, which provides warmth, a heart beat and a place for a bottle. If she doesn't get enough nursing time now, she might always try to suck on anything soft, your arm, your ear, blankets. I'll get you a link. They're a bit pricey, but I think they're worth it.
Jeanie
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/
A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem. ~JB
Answer:
Here you go. This is just one place in many that it's available. You could check google for better prices. Good luck!
Snuggle Kitty:
http://www.squirrelstore.com/site/744999/product/snu06
Jeanie
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/
A dog, I have always said, is prose; a cat is a poem. ~JB
Answer:
It's completely normal (although her own nipple is a new one on me!)Kittens that are weaned too early will tend to suck on just about anything they can think of. Mine used to want to suck on my ear lobe another on my T shirts and another on my elbow! But they grew out of it (except the T shirt one). I wouldn't worry or try to distract her as long as it's not causing a problem
Answer:
My two do this as well, Max on my ear and Alfie on my neck! They just do it for comfort I think, then happily fall alseep in a big bundle.
Slave to Alfie and Max
Answer:
A long time ago we got a kitten who was separated from his mom too early, I think he was around 1 month when we got him. He was all grown up and would still suckle. It was cute, yes, but also a sign of malnourishment, as I've come to find out later. I guess it's too late now to do anything about it, but you shouldn't worry...