Older kittens "nursing" on cat bed

As a background, we rescued kittens which are now about 17 weeks old. They were around 9 to 10 weeks old when we got them from their mom. They lived in our backyard so we could observe often and could tell she was weaning them. They were already coming to the door with her to eat solid food. She was walking away from them more often or not putting herself in a lie down nursing position.

I bought a little cat bed and sometimes three out of four of them "suckle" it. It does sometimes help some to bring them food when I see them doing that but I am not sure that is the whole story. I do feed them as much as they want 3 - 4 times a day. So while it may be their way of wanting food, I am concerned it may also be emotional. We did go on vacation about a mo. after rescuing them (we never expected kittens just before our trip) but had good friends come and care for them 3x a day. (We'd already had our time away planned.) It seemed it started when we were gone but I am not sure?

But we are home now and give them lots of extra attention. I could see this behavior if they had been taken away very young but they were already on solid food and being weaned by their mom.

My husband said he fed them the other morning when one was doing this but the kitten was not hungry, just wanted to nurse the bed. They don't do this all the time. There are many times you go in the room and they are not nursing the cat bed.

Has anyone else experienced this with rescued older kittens? What can I do to help,the three that do this. There are two who do it the most.

Many cats will "make bisquits" pawing at soft blankets just like they would paw at mom's belly. It is a self-comforting behavior, much like a baby sucking its thumb. Some will continue to suckle at the blanket as well. Just be careful about the material the blankets are made of. Do not allow them to suckle something that they may be able to swallow.

I have ten, eight and six year old cats who still make bisquits but no longer suckle. I believe they will outgrow this. Again, just be careful of the type of blanket - nothing knitted or crocheted or anything that might unravel.

Ondine said:

Many cats will "make bisquits" pawing at soft blankets just like they would paw at mom's belly. It is a self-comforting behavior, much like a baby sucking its thumb. Some will continue to suckle at the blanket as well. Just be careful about the material the blankets are made of. Do not allow them to suckle something that they may be able to swallow.

I have ten, eight and six year old cats who still make bisquits but no longer suckle. I believe they will outgrow this. Again, just be careful of the type of blanket - nothing knitted or crocheted or anything that might unravel.

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All three of our other cats gave "massages" too but I have never had one suckle. I feel like the ones that are have something missing in their development. In an ideal world, I would have left them with their Mom till they were fully weaned. But when you rescue kittens, that option is not open if you want them to socialize.

All our other cats would give their massages sitting on their haunches rather absentmindedly. These kittens lie on their tummies like they would nurse with their mama lying on her side and they are really going at it looking like they expect milk. Should I buy some kitten milk from the store to give as a treat now and then? Would that help for them to have the taste at least?

Their object of affection is the cat basket. It is sold in all pet store. It has like a short fake fur on it.

You may be right. I don't think a kitten milk treat will hurt. They should outgrow this but I would watch that they don't ingest any of the fake fur.

Thank you for rescuing them. You are right about having to take them a little early. I'd favor that then having them end up being feral or semi-feral.

Ondine said:

You may be right. I don't think a kitten milk treat will hurt. They should outgrow this but I would watch that they don't ingest any of the fake fur.

Thank you for rescuing them. You are right about having to take them a little early. I'd favor that then having them end up being feral or semi-feral.

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Any suggestions on what kind of milk treat to get? We like to go as natural as possible.

I don' t know if they are getting any fur . It is possible they get a few fake tiny hairs of it like when they groom themselves. At least most of the day they are not doing this. I move them to something else when I see the behavior but cannot be in the room all day to monitor them.

I would worry more if it was a knitted or crocheted blanket. Yarn can get into their intestines and literally tie them in knots.

Goat's milk, if you can get it, might tempt them. Otherwise, kitten replacement milk. A little of either on a plate will appeal to them. Make sure they are eating a good wet kitten food too. They need all the nutrients they can get now.

They make kitten treats, too. Available at PetSmart or Petco and probably on Amazon.

BTW - do you have aFeliway diffuser going? That might also help calm them. And they have calming treats on Amazon, too. Some of our members swear by them.