4 month old kitten nursing

I have a mother cat and her 4 month old kitten. He still tries to nurse and I've noticed the back 2 teats are swollen and a little hard. Should I make him stop nursing, the mother doesn't seem to mind it, but is this hard on her? She weighs plenty so that's not a problem, or will it cause her to be overweight by eating a lot due to the nursing? I kept thinking she would put an end to it but it doesn't look like she will and I'm concerned about her being swollen. I'd rather she dried up completely and he quit nursing but I don't know if it's the right thing to do to interfere.

Any experience out there on this?

If her baby is 4 months old I would take her in to be spayed. She will be a lot more comfortable and during the time she takes to rest from the spay her kitten will stop seeking her out. Not to mention spaying her will extend her life and stop the misery she goes through when she goes into heat.

That's a good suggestion to have her spayed, however she already is. I didn't get them at the same time, I got him a week after her and during that time is when she was spayed.

That is so good to hear! Ok do you have a feed store near you? If you do, you are looking for a product called Bitter Apple. It is a spray and about $3.95 for a bottle. Take a little bit of this Bitter Apple and with a cotton ball swab it on mom's teats. Little one will take one taste and back away in a hurry. Won't hurt mom or baby- all it is is the sourest apples nature has ever grown! Good luck and thank you for being a responsible pet owner!

She will stop him when she gets fed up of him. Alf fed off Kali for ages - but eventually she would just get up and move off or biff him. He kept on trying for a feed until he was about 4 or 5 months old.

He may just be nursing as a comfort thing. Several of my kitties nurse on my comforters. they are all over a year old. Your mom cat sounds like she has milk and that is why her teats are swollen and hard. She gets a hormonal (sp?) that relaxes her and makes her feel good. I don't think it will harm either of them in the least. I think I would just wait it out, unless your vet gives you a reason to seperate them.
If you just can't stand them to continue this bonding behavior, you could get the bitter apple.
Make sure that he has enough food and water available at all times. I guess it's up to you and the kitties.

I had trapped a feral 3 month-old kitten who 'suckled' on my spayed female for awhile. It was always at night. My vet also told me it was a comfort thing...like a pacifier. The female will 'wean' him when it is time. In the meantime, it is a nice bonding 'mother-son' moment. I'd let them handle it. :-)