The second cat I have adopted constantly wants to dry nurse.Well, first she comes to me, and then I redirect her to a white towel ( for some reason it has to be white ). I've done a lot of research on the Web, and the reason is apparently she was removed from her mother too early. Solutions I have found online are time( just let it fix itself ), distraction(toys,play, etc ), milk, and redirection ( like the towel ). The redirection works to keep her from sucking on me, but I feel her pain( almost like making a smoker quit ), so want to wean her off the need to dry nurse. Milk does nothing, and toys do not distract her when in nursing mode. Time will sort itself out, but I am wonder if there is something else I can do ( nutriotionally, behaviorally, or other ) to help her kick the habit?
2006-12-25 11:03:24 · 8 answers · asked by TheGooch 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
If this cat is still a young kitten (less than 4 months old) you can wean her by bottle feeding her, but if not, you're kind of out of luck I'm sorry to say. There is nothing you can do but to continue to discourage the behavior and offer a distraction. It's an unfortunate result of being removed from her mama too early. Do exactly what you're doing because it's not good for your cat to suckle on you, but don't offer a substitute towel because that will just train your cat to suckle on clothing, sheets, blankets, and other things you may not like. If this is a kitten under 4 months old you cannot go wrong with the bottle. If you were to observe a mother cat weaning her kittens, you will notice that she begins the process with "avoidance". She begins to ignore them when they come to her and will simply get up and walk away. While tiresome for the mother cat, she is very consistent in this behavior. She will only nurse them maybe once a day when she's completely exhausted by the end of the day. Over time she will nurse them less and less and at some point, instead of walking away she will scold them. She will growl, swat them away and even give them a warning bite on the back of the neck if they do not obey her. They learn very quickly not to mess around with mama! At about 12 weeks old, they are almost completely weaned. By 16 weeks, the mother cat wants nothing to do with them and the kittens find they get a much better meal from their food dish! In the wild, they find they get a much better meal from their kills that they mother has taught them. ;-)
2006-12-25 11:30:50 · answer #1 · answered by Alleycat 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As soon as the kittens stop nursing, nature will take over. She will dry up eventually. No worries. If she's still nursing, she won't go out and get pregnant with another litter, but the vet may want to delay surgery since she gave birth not long ago.
2016-05-23 06:27:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a cat that is two and still does this and he WAS NOT taken away from his mother too early. He was with her and his 2 brothers until he was 13 weeks....so it has to be other factors that are at play.
He was doing it all the time for the first few months after we got him, but then it slowed down. He only does it ever so often now, and it seems to be limited to one certain blanket.
I think they enjoy it and it is no cause for concern. There is no side effect from it.
2006-12-25 11:56:48 · answer #3 · answered by ARE YOUR NEWFS GELLIN'? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If I were you, I'd just allow the kitten to dry nurse for now when she likes... cats who do this are trying to recapture those good kitten feelings of security and comfort they felt when nursing at their momma cat's belly. The need to do so will gradually dissipate as the cat matures, although some cats will do it occassioanlly way into their adult years. What you need to watch out for is the dry nursing to develop into "pica" (pronounced "pie-ka") - a disorder wherein the cat actually ingests non-palatable materials like cloth, plastic, etc.). Some vets think that cats with pica have certain hormonal or blood imbalances that make them want to eat non-food things. Eating non-food things like plastic and cloths could cause intestinal blockages, so you need to watch for that.
2006-12-25 13:30:57 · answer #4 · answered by Phoebhart 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Adult Dry Nursing
2017-02-27 08:34:43 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Some cats will do that their entire lives. Others will outgrow it. It's just a strong instinct to nurse. It's not harmful to her, and it's comforting to her (like a little kid who sucks their thumb). It's not emotionally traumatic to her to want to nurse.
2006-12-25 11:25:23 · answer #6 · answered by Katasha 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
just enjoy! the cat has bonded with you, it will slow down as it gets older, but my bottle fed cat is 4 and he still does that to my neck, he just feels safe and comfy doing that
2006-12-25 11:06:58 · answer #7 · answered by kat_luvr2003 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
From this site http://mynursinghelp.com you can find the necessary information
2014-01-29 06:09:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋