I recently was given a kitten that had been found in a box on the road side. I am not sure of its age but I am guessing around 6-7 weeks, it eats and drinks well on its own however at night when I try to sleep it suckles on my skin. I know he was seperated from his mom too early and Iam wondering if there is anything I can do to help this kitten, and to get some sleep. Please offer suggestions. Thanks
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Kitten suckling on me, Advice PLEASE?
- Thread starter littlestray
- Start Date
An idea.....give the kitten a suckle buddy. Usually a stuffed animal works (you may want to invest in a snuggle kitty):
http://www.squirrelstore.com/site/744999/product/snu06
As for his suckling on you...you could put some bitter apple on the area that he has been suckling.
Katie
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2006
- Messages
- 3,152
- Purraise
- 86
I wouldn't use bitter apple unless it was a last resort really; I mean, it makes sense for an older cat but it seems like the kitten is trying to get comfort and will just be confused when Comfort suddenly tastes bad.
Try alternatives first... the stuffed animal sounds good. 6-7 week old kittens are half weaned but probably still sucking a bit; maybe some KMR and a bottle would be a good comfort object? Anyway it can't hurt him; he's a growing kit, right?
Try alternatives first... the stuffed animal sounds good. 6-7 week old kittens are half weaned but probably still sucking a bit; maybe some KMR and a bottle would be a good comfort object? Anyway it can't hurt him; he's a growing kit, right?
It's simply to discourage suckling on her owner....and instead choose to suckle on the stuffed animal.
Katie
Bless you for rescuing the kitten
I agree with offering the suckle toy; also, try little strokes about the kitten's face and ears, to simulate a mama-kitty's cleansing the little one's face, while offering the cuddle toy, to make it more of a "mama-kitty" experience.
It's so awful the way that kittens are put in bags and boxes and dumped off; I also feel terrible thinking of the poor mother cat, meowing and calling for her babies who are snatched away from her like that - what terrible betrayal
Yes indeed, bless you for taking in this little one. May you have 100 times more blessings because of this little one. Sometimes this is a hard habit to break them of, they kind of consider you their mom, and they suckle because they feel the need for comfort and safety.
A substitute would be a very good idea, but please remember that the baby smells you, and you are it's mom. We had a black kitten at one time that used to suckle on our earlobes. It drove us nuts, but the purring and contentment of Nuggie, more than made up for it.
A substitute would be a very good idea, but please remember that the baby smells you, and you are it's mom. We had a black kitten at one time that used to suckle on our earlobes. It drove us nuts, but the purring and contentment of Nuggie, more than made up for it.
