Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

[cottun]

I have a gorgeous new kitten that I got from the pound last week. She's about 14 weeks old, and she is a real joy. But she's doing something that just freaks me out! When DS or I hold or cuddle her, she tries to suckle! She starts kneading with her paws and will find any patch of bare skin on us and try to suck on it! Last night she wanted to be cuddled so I put her in bed with me, and she found a spot on my nightshirt and started kneading and sucking on it! Imagine DS's shock when she jumped in bed with him a few nights ago, and he sleeps with no shirt on! Is this normal? Will she grow out of it? Anything I can do to break her from doing this?

[Cindy]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

I found this:

My Cat Suckles Me!

Why do some cats suckle objects?

The first instinctive action that kittens perform is suckling the queen’s nipples to obtain food. Guided by her purr, hours old, sightless kittens make their way up to the milk bar to find their place. Once they are suckling on the nipple, their tiny paws come up and begin kneading the queen’s belly. They answer her purr with one of their own, in hours old kittens, this purr is underdeveloped and not able to be heard by humans.

The kneading releases the kitten’s own scent “marking” the nipple for later. This marking is why you see a lot of jostling and wrestling within a litter of kittens while nursing. Taking one kitten off a nipple will result in an indignant meow, and if the kitten is placed on another nipple where his scent cannot be found, he quickly finds his way back to “his” chosen nipple.

Kittens removed from the queen earlier than before they are weaned (no earlier than 6 weeks old) will revert back to instinctively needing to suckle. Bottle feeding doesn’t compare to replacing a soft nipple on a milk-filled belly. Kittens will begin to find other objects to suckle; a blanket, a bathrobe, a sock, a stuffed animal or even your arm.

[Ginger]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

It sounds as though she was weaned too early. Most cats will knead. It seems to soothe them. In fact, I don't think I have every had a cat that didn't knead. My Flash used to try to suckle. I know that he and his litter mates were weaned very early because their mother was very young and quite small. Probably didn't have enough milk for 4 babies. Whenever Flash tried to suckle, I would just push him away. That's what Mama cats do. Flash still likes to head butt my hand when I pet him and then tries to lick my hand. That, I can put up with.

[cottun]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

Thanks Cindy! When I got the kitten, they told me that she was born there in the pound, so I assumed that she was with her mother until she was weaned. Maybe something happened and she had to be bottle-fed and just still hasnt overcome that need to suckle!

[Rubelishous]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

I agree with all of the above. My cats have always kneaded and sometimes the suckling goes with it. As Ginger says - just push them away from the suckling but they are always going to knead. My little boy Trembley used to knead my hair just after I'd washed it. He loved the smell of the shampoo.

[beatlebette]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

It's perfectly normal for cats that were taken from Mom too soon. Both my cat and Rick's do this. Malibu even has a teddy bear that she kneads and "talks" to.

[AllieK]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

The kitty I found at O'Reily's auto parts when she was about 3 weeks old, did that and still does. She is now over a year old. She doesn't actually suckle, but puts her mouth up to something and kneads.

[MaryJo]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

Yep, my cat does the same. She was only 5 weeks when we found her and "nursed" her with an eye dropper. The first year when she would knead, she also drooled something awful. But now she just nestles her head in and kneads. I actually enjoy when she jumps up for a cuddle and knead session.

[Rubelishous]

Re: Rube? Or any other cat owners...question

I asked my vet about the drooling cause one of mine did that when she cuddled. He said it shows they are very contented and feel safe. And so she should