Aa
confused kitty??
Hi Everyone,
I have 5 cats; Big Henry and Lucy are 2 years old. Brother and sister.
Lucy had 3 babies( Baby Henry-coz he looks so much like his uncle Henry, Patches, and Ceaser) who are 7 months old now. (Big Henry is not the daddy).
Anyways, heres the situation. We found Patches "trying"to nurse or at least it looked like it, on Big Henry. When we got closer, we realized he was sucking on a little patch of fur. Now we find him doing this almost daily. Big Henry doesnt seem to mind, as his favorite past time is sleeping anyways, so he sleeps right thru it. Patches is the only one doing this.
IS THIS NORMAL?? I have had cats my whole life, and have never heard of this.
Thanks!!
suzi
I have 5 cats; Big Henry and Lucy are 2 years old. Brother and sister.
Lucy had 3 babies( Baby Henry-coz he looks so much like his uncle Henry, Patches, and Ceaser) who are 7 months old now. (Big Henry is not the daddy).
Anyways, heres the situation. We found Patches "trying"to nurse or at least it looked like it, on Big Henry. When we got closer, we realized he was sucking on a little patch of fur. Now we find him doing this almost daily. Big Henry doesnt seem to mind, as his favorite past time is sleeping anyways, so he sleeps right thru it. Patches is the only one doing this.
IS THIS NORMAL?? I have had cats my whole life, and have never heard of this.
Thanks!!
suzi
Actually, Lucy distanced herself from all 3 babies right after they stopped nursing. She started getting annoyed even when they wanted to lay with her. So, now it makes perfect sense to me. Lucy is kinda the loner. The other 4 all play together and sleep close to each other. Ahhhhh, how I love my kitties.
That's perfect. I guess Henry isn't short hair kitty. Yep, matted fur is often a consequence of letting a kitten suck for too long. Is he grooming at all? If he were, then he would not have mats.
If you want to discourage Patches' behavior, every time you see her sucking, call her and play with her, or take her far from him and give her treats, or show her something which she finds interesting. Since she is a kitten, finding something she considers interesting should not be a problem. She'll grow out of it eventually. Is Lucy still close to Patches? Often times, when a kitten stops nursing at an early age, or if it gets separated from its siblings and mom at a very early age, that kitten will seek comfort and that ‘I’m still with mom’ feeling by sucking other cats’ bellies until they consider it is time to let go. It looks weird, but trust me, there is a reason they do this, and it is perfectly normal.
In the meantime, enjoy the show, and keep us posted :)
If you want to discourage Patches' behavior, every time you see her sucking, call her and play with her, or take her far from him and give her treats, or show her something which she finds interesting. Since she is a kitten, finding something she considers interesting should not be a problem. She'll grow out of it eventually. Is Lucy still close to Patches? Often times, when a kitten stops nursing at an early age, or if it gets separated from its siblings and mom at a very early age, that kitten will seek comfort and that ‘I’m still with mom’ feeling by sucking other cats’ bellies until they consider it is time to let go. It looks weird, but trust me, there is a reason they do this, and it is perfectly normal.
In the meantime, enjoy the show, and keep us posted :)
PrettyKitty1-
Henry isnt getting any red places, but he now has a bunch of little matted bits of fur.
I will definitely keep an eye on it.
I am gonna give Patches some extra attention so maybe she wont feel the need to do it anymore!
Thanks!
Henry isnt getting any red places, but he now has a bunch of little matted bits of fur.
I will definitely keep an eye on it.
I am gonna give Patches some extra attention so maybe she wont feel the need to do it anymore!
Thanks!
Oh, Suzi, and no, your question wasn't stupid. It was a very, very good question :)
Any other questions you let us know...k?
Any other questions you let us know...k?
Suzi, this behavior is normal. Some kittens will do it, some will not. As long as your big boy doesn't mind and the s u c k i n g isn't making him sore then you're good to go. Just keep an eye on that area where the kitten s u c k s as it sometimes becomes red and sore. You definitely don't want your big boy feeling uncomfortable even if he lets the kitten suck. Yes, some male cats will keep allowing kittens to suck even when they're experiencing red/sore skin. They know why the kittens are doing this.
Suzi, kittens do this when they're looking for comfort. This behavior will go away eventually.
Good Luck with your precious cats!!
Suzi, kittens do this when they're looking for comfort. This behavior will go away eventually.
Good Luck with your precious cats!!
zodiacqueen- LOL I would love to see that on video! All of my kitties are pretty vocal, except Patches. Shes never meows. But, she sure can give some looks!
Mrs_Savas-
Thanks- that puts my mind at ease, and sorry you havent felt well. Hope you are feeling better!
Mrs_Savas-
Thanks- that puts my mind at ease, and sorry you havent felt well. Hope you are feeling better!
Hi Suzipen,
Actually, it is perfectly normal behavior. Cats, especially young cats will do that, it's just a "looking for comfort" behavior.
Even a happy, loved and cared for kitty will do it sometimes. Nothing to be concerned about. I wouldn't call it really common behavior, necessarily, but I have seen it more than once.
Sorry you didn't get a response right away. We do try, but I, for one, haven't been feeling well lately, so I do apologize if I didn't see your question right away.
It's certainly not a stupid question and I don't believe in those anway (not when one is concerned about their fuzzy babies!)
We are here for you, any time!!
Actually, it is perfectly normal behavior. Cats, especially young cats will do that, it's just a "looking for comfort" behavior.
Even a happy, loved and cared for kitty will do it sometimes. Nothing to be concerned about. I wouldn't call it really common behavior, necessarily, but I have seen it more than once.
Sorry you didn't get a response right away. We do try, but I, for one, haven't been feeling well lately, so I do apologize if I didn't see your question right away.
It's certainly not a stupid question and I don't believe in those anway (not when one is concerned about their fuzzy babies!)
We are here for you, any time!!
You didn't sound snotty....maybe, a little annoyed that your post wasn't answered. ALL the posts are usually answered. Sorry that yours wasn't answered sooner!
Yes, I love kitties. No 2 cats are alike, each of their personalities are so different! My mom's got 8 of them! I consider them mine, too since I live about 10 minutes away. My mom's got a huge solid white cat that weighs 23 lbs and "talks back" if he doesn't get his way. He'll hiss at my mom if she fusses at him! TOOOO funny. LOL That was the first time I'd ever seen that!
Yes, I love kitties. No 2 cats are alike, each of their personalities are so different! My mom's got 8 of them! I consider them mine, too since I live about 10 minutes away. My mom's got a huge solid white cat that weighs 23 lbs and "talks back" if he doesn't get his way. He'll hiss at my mom if she fusses at him! TOOOO funny. LOL That was the first time I'd ever seen that!
Thanks,
I also wouldnt have thought it weird if she was younger.
Sorry if I sounded snotty, I didnt mean too, I was just thinking maybe its really common, and I should have known that.
Anyway..........
Cats are such wonderful little animals. I love watching them! Especially 5 of them.
It certainly isnt boring in our house!
I will let you know if I hear anything!
I also wouldnt have thought it weird if she was younger.
Sorry if I sounded snotty, I didnt mean too, I was just thinking maybe its really common, and I should have known that.
Anyway..........
Cats are such wonderful little animals. I love watching them! Especially 5 of them.
It certainly isnt boring in our house!
I will let you know if I hear anything!
I'm sorry that no one has answered ya! This kitty forum has been pretty dead the past 2 days! Anyway, I have had cats my whole life, too (I'm in my 30's) and haven't ever seen that before either. Hopefully the kitten will grow out of it. Give it another month or two.
Ya know, if your kitten was a lot younger than 7 months I wouldn't think it was all that weird. Yeah, it is strange, but Uncle Henry is being a good sport about the whole thing.
If you wanted, you could go to the Ask A Vet forum that's on MedHelp, too. It's under the Pets heading!
Good luck! If you hear something interesting about this, please enlighten me! =D
Ya know, if your kitten was a lot younger than 7 months I wouldn't think it was all that weird. Yeah, it is strange, but Uncle Henry is being a good sport about the whole thing.
If you wanted, you could go to the Ask A Vet forum that's on MedHelp, too. It's under the Pets heading!
Good luck! If you hear something interesting about this, please enlighten me! =D
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