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new cat, new owner, new questions

post #1 of 7
12/16/10 at 7:57am
Thread Starter 
background story:
we have strays cats in our neighborhood and there was one who had 4 (I believe) kittens. they were outside for sometime and then my neightbor caught 3 and then the next day or so caught the other one.. now she has the four of them in her home for sometime and my mother talked to her about getting one from her and then the neighbor suggestedd that she takes a second one because the first one would just be bored, so she did.. we got them on or about thanksgiving day and have had loads of fun enjoying their company... the two cats are brother and sister and the boy is more comfortable with you... the other was outside longer so she will be more hesatant..

my question/comment is,
the boy (we named them jack and jill, at least I have) will go to you and when you extend your hand or is close to your shirt, still tries to suckle as if next to the mother cat.. is this a problem or will it go away? is there anything I can do to help or try to stop him from doing this???

I appreciate any help or knowledge about this..
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post #2 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by EthanS View Post
background story:
my question/comment is,
the boy (we named them jack and jill, at least I have) will go to you and when you extend your hand or is close to your shirt, still tries to suckle as if next to the mother cat.. is this a problem or will it go away? is there anything I can do to help or try to stop him from doing this???

I appreciate any help or knowledge about this..
Jack and Jill that's cute!

Midnight is the first cat I've ever had that does the suckling thing. He was found by my mother's friend, and given to us at 3 weeks old, to young to be away from his mother. He's 4 months old now, and suckles his favorite blanket usually at night, but through out the day to. I never actually tried to stop him from doing that. Luna tries because she wants to play with him, she'll smack him on his head or his face with her paws, and it only makes him suck the blanket more. He never tried to suck on our clothes or anything. Just his blanket.
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post #3 of 7
12/16/10 at 10:11am
That is a very common issue with kittens who were seperated from their mothers before they were weaned properly. I am guessing that they were trapped too young, so there will be some minor instinctual things that may never go away, like suckling on things and "kneading" their paws into you, like they do to start milk flowing in their mother. Some cats grow out of this, others suckle for life, usually on a soft blanket or an article of your clothing
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post #4 of 7
12/16/10 at 8:32pm
Do you know how old they are? How old there were when they were caught?

Suckling behaviors are pretty common in kittens who are taken from their mother too young. Seems like more males than females do it (IME). Some outgrow it, some don't.

Just a reminder, since you have a brother/sister pair. . .females can get pregnant at 4 months, and occasionally a 4-month-old male will also be fertile. You wouldn't want to end up with a problem like that! So make sure to have her spayed and him neutered before she goes into heat.
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post #5 of 7
12/17/10 at 7:10am
Thread Starter 
Willowy: I want to say they are 12 weeks old.. and the male will suckle on my shirt or my pants and then I just push my finger in there and hes all good with that... I know that we are getting fixed but I really dopnt know when.

rad65: they both knead their claws into and onto the furniture or anywhere they seem comfortable doing it.. more jack than jill

I thought my mom said we were going to get them declawed but we are trimming their claws now and again, at least the tips, usually every weekend.. should I get a scratching board or something , will that help with the kneading and scratching of furniture?

thanks so much for your replies.
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post #6 of 7
12/17/10 at 10:49am
A good tall scratching post will deter lots of clawing and kneading behavior, as it is natural and instinctual for cats to claw. I have a couple posts around, and my cats never claw the furniture, and keep kneading to a minimum.
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post #7 of 7
12/17/10 at 6:44pm
Welcome to TCS! And congratulations to the new additions to the family! You can learn ALL about your kitties here, and ask any questions you want!

At 12 weeks old, they should definitely be spayed and neutered within the next month. They are not too young even now, though some vets like to wait until they start teething, which will be in about a month.

Also, PLEASE read up on declawing - I'll go find you some links if you want to learn more. But this site is anti-declaw, because in order to declaw a cat the vet has to chop off their toes at the knuckle because of the construction of the claw/toe. It is considered cruel by many, and is illegal in most countries around the world, so I'm really glad you're clipping their claws!

And yes, sturdy sisal scratching posts will help a LOT for appropriate scratching. We have scratchers that stand upright, we have cardboard scratchers that lie on the floor - they love them all. Cats LOVE to stretch and scratch when they wake up, so placing appropriate stuff for them to scratch on next to their favorite places to sleep REALLY helps with the appropriate scratching!
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