Suckling Kitten

Our newest addition to our family is approximately 10 weeks old (born on April 1st) and when she's tired or hungry while we're holding her, she begins to suckle on our hand. We immediately take her to her food (methinks she's training us, her faithful servants to wait on her) and 90% of the time, she'll hunker down by her food and eat.

We think it's adorable, of course, but wanted to know if this is a behavior that we should try to stop. If it doesn't affect her mental well-being, then no harm no foul, and we'll continue to offer her food first and then just let her do it for self comfort if she wishes.

However, we weren't sure if this was not healthy mentally for her? Karl said he even woke up this morning to her suckling on his lip. I probably snorted half my soda up my nose when he told me this on the phone! LOL

Any feedback?

You're doing the right thing! Kitty will start to discern between different desires and pair them with the right actions with your help. One of my girls, Kitten, has sucked on the end of her tail since.. forever! At first it was my pinky, but she quickly adopted her tail instead. Nowadays she only indulges with me and only when going to sleep. Quite a few people actually told me to stop her from doing this as it could damage her tail, make her dependent and clingy, etc.. From personal experience, not a single warning came close to being. She is very well balanced and so loving. A true companion! Physically she is also perfectly fine. So far anyone I've ever met whose cats suckle fingers, blankets or tails hasn't had any cons to share on the subject. I think it to be just another way of bonding and communicating their affection for us - or communicating other things, like that they're hungry!

Bijou always needed to suckle on my neck before settling down to sleep. He did this (and I allowed and loved it ) for over 3 years. He now needs the odd "lick" but it is a quick lick and then he settles down to sleep. The funny part is he always had to suckle and still has to lick just the one side of my neck and one area. No other place will do. It's sort of like his way of saying "goodnight mommy".

Thanks guys - it's awfully endearing, and we enjoy it, but thought we should ask if we should discourage it or not. I sort of hope it's a habit she keeps up, as she is in kitty nirvana when she's doing it, and we love happy kitties!

Karl, the one so hesitant about adding a second kitty is completely whipped. He's moving houseplants out of the way of good sunning spots so that "the baby" can have them. He's always snuggling her and kissing the top of her head! And Sammy is having a ball with her too. She follows Sammy around adoringly!!!