My new baby kitten is sucking on us!!?

Question

I know this may sound weird, BUT, I got a new baby kitten last week and the lady I got it from said it was 7weeks old and the kittens HAD TO GO THEN! So I took her, now she must miss her mommy alot because everytime my children or myself holds her she starts sucking on our arms or neck..We tell her NO and push away and take her to her food bowl but she just walks around and cries:( She even sucked a baby kitty hickie on my arm today! What can I do to make her stop? Also, when is the earliest I can get her spayed? I heard 12 weeks, is that right? And, should I declaw her at the same time or do the surgeries on different days? She will be kept inside, just in case your wondering. Any input would be great, thanks..

Ref: to SHELL.. I am not considering declawing for my furniture!! I am thinking about it because I babysit small children and worry about cat scratch fever, yes it's a real thing! When I was a teenager, I worked at an Animal Hospital, the Dr. there did a great job declawing and we never had any complaints about problems with the kitties...I just wanted everyone's opinion on it. PS I know the kitty is at least 6 weeks old, no younger..

Answer 1

Definitely better to declaw at the same time of spay: minimizes anesthesia exposure and risks associated with it. The most dangerous part of a routine surgery is induction, so you don't want to put her under anesthesia more than necesary. Kittens heal so much faster than adults, and the claw is so much easier to remove by the vet, which means there is less messing around and trauma to the area.

For sucking, as many people suggested, push her away when she starts doing it and ignore her. However, you should get her a plush toy or something for her to chew until she feels ready to be "weaned".

Answer 2

First of all, her being so young the sucking is normal. Most likely she wasn't weaned properly. That happened with me when I adopted my little baby Ashe about a year ago. What you do, is go to the grocery store and get a can of goats milk. Do NOT use regular cow milk that humans drink. It will upset the kittens stomach something nasty. Purchase a bottle feeding kit at the local pet store, I recommend PETsMART. Mix half water and half of the goats milk then warm it up in the microwave. Make sure it isn't too hot though, like you would a baby. You can then bottle feed the kitten. Make sure the kitten eats it's hard food as well. If you are having problems getting it to eat the hard food, soften the food with the warm goats milk. Just don't leave the softened food out for too long or it will mold.

Second, it's VERY important to get your baby spayed. They can develop cancerous lumps if they are not spayed, or they can become pregnant. If it is a male cat then it will likely spray all over the house and be eager to get outside where it can be hurt. A good time to spay is between four months and a year. I usually recommend six months of age.

Third, as far is declawing is concerned, that is something that some will do and others won't. I recommend waiting to see if you cat has a scratching problem. If the kitten scratches the furniture or picks at clothing and rugs then try a scratching post. If that doesn't work then get the cat declawed if you want. Otherwise, just clip the claws on a regular basis. If you do declaw, declaw only the front two paws. That way if for some reason the cat gets outside, it will be able to still climb to get away from danger.

Hope that helps. If you're still in doubt, call your vet.

Answer 3

First, take her to the vet. The vet will be able to tell you how old the kitten is. The kitten will need to have its "baby" shots, etc. at this time also. I have raised several kittens from 1-3 weeks old - bottlefed them. Some take longer than others to wean to regular food and water. I think some like to be babies. You can get a kitten bottle and formula from any pet store. Wrap the kitten gently in a little blanket or towel so its paws won't go everywhere and be pulling the bottle out of its mouth, then feed her. Add formula to a little hard food and offer this to her a few times a day (throw out the food after a few minutes, as the formula goes bad). Also have some water out for her and occasionally show it to her and put some on her mouth. She will eventually come to learn to eat the moistened food - gradually decrease the amount of formula in the food and decrease the bottles that she gets until she is just eating dry food in the bowl. It probably will only take a week or two at this age - but remember to double check with your vet about the kitten's age - you never know - someone could have sold you a really young one.

Oh - ask your vet about how old they spay - every vet is a little different. My cats are all front-paw declawed and have always done just fine. They don't actually use the bone removed for anything except storing that claw - no weight is put on it for walking. See this link for more information on declawing. http://www.geocities.com/declawing/

Answer 4

Your baby kitten was taken away from it's mom too early.

Eight weeks the earliest but ten weeks more appropriate for the kittens adjustment to another world apart from it's mom..

Just let her suck because if you don't she will be emotionally distressed as an adult, give her a few months to adjust and just put up with it for her sake.

Spayed is 4 months old and not earlier

Please don't declaw. I have two kittens and they are learning just fine how to use the cat scratching post and not the couch.

Good question and hope most of the answers help you to get an insite on your new little kitty.

Answer 5

well if she truly was 7 weeks old she more than likely wouldn't be doing that. You can try get some kitten milk replacement powder from WalMart or some where and try to feed her that out of a pet nursing bottle. I had to do that with my cat too. I don't really know about the spaying thing I heard 6 months but I don't know. I think that declawing is mean but she's your cat. I would probably do both on the same day so you can get it all over and done with in one shot.

Answer 6

I reckon your cat will grow out of it. This is because one of my own cats was obtained when he was abandoned at about four weeks and for about a year would suck on all the people in my house, plus our dogs. However the cat is now three years old and no longer sucks on anyone (or any dog for that matter!)

Dogs and cats should be de-sexed between 6 and 12 months of age. Any younger or older then that and they face various complications. If you took your kitten to a vet at 12 weeks to get spayed the vet will not perform the operation, and if they are willing to perform the operation then I recommend you find a new vet because the one you are using obviously does not care for the welfare of your animal.

And DE-CLAWING CATS IS CRUEL.
It is the equivalent of removing your fingers down to their first knuckle. Why are you de-clawing your cat? So he does not scratch your precious furniture? Buy him a cat scratching post then. My cats have their claws and a post and do not touch my furniture. It seems disgusting that some people would cut off their cats fingers simply for the sake of some material goods. The country where I live has even outlawed the practice because its so horrible.

Answer 7

First of all never!!!!! get a baby kitten spayed because i nuetered my cat freckels 8 years ago and the operation didn't go well and he died 3 days later. And the lady who gave the kitten to u obisally wanted to get rid of the kitten ahed of time the kitten is not 7 weeks old it is probably 3 weeks old maybe. I think u should get the mother and keep her for a little bit till the kitten grows out of her sucking phase. i know alot about animals i have 2 cats, 1 dog, 2 parakeets, 2 goldfish and 7 other fish. You should probabley give her a bottle of milk for her to suck on and don't declaw her that will permantley damage the cats paw. Which mean she won't be able to walk correctly for a couple of months or not at all so don't declaw her its cruel.

Answer 8

I've owned a few cats that sucked on my neck, chin,
whatever it wanted to latch onto. Kittens will suckle and
knead because that is what comforts them. They are going through separation anxiety. Just cuddle it more and
let her suckle. Feed her Purina Kitten Chow. It is a balance cat food. Does you kitty walk on it's toes? If she does then she is younger than 6 weeks and has been removed from her mother too soon. You can try mixing some of her kitten food with milk that is for kittens. You
can spayed your cat after it is12-16 weeks. I personally
have never approved of declawing a cat. It is possible to train your kitten to claw on special items rather than
your furniture. What would your kitty do if she ever got outside? Without her claws she would not be able to
defend herself. Trust me when I tell you that a cat will find a way to scoot outside if she wants out bad enough.

Answer 9

It sounds like something happened to the mother and that's why she left the kittens. Perhaps she was injured or too sick to care for them. The fact the kittens all had their umbilical cords and placentas still attached sounds odd. Normally, mother cats deliver one kitten at a time and as each one emerges, she will tear off the amniotic sac and chew the umbilical cord. Then she'll eat the placenta and tend to the kitten until the next one arrives. Perhaps these kittens are a bit premature and that's why they are having problems latching on. I would say that your best bet is to try to find a new mother for the kittens. Check with animal rescues and vet clinics to see if anyone there knows of a cat that recently had kittens. If she accepts them, then she will look after them. Because I suspect the kittens are premature, they probably will need some extra help. See if you can find someone who is very experienced with caring for orphaned kittens. Even if they don't survive, don't feel bad. They probably were sick to begin with and at least you tried to help them. Good luck and I hope they make it.

Answer 10

well my cat did the same thing. she stopped after a week or two so just give her some time and she will stop and mabey to make her stop you should call the ladie you buyt her from and ask her if you can have play dates for your kitten and her mom. so then she won't miss her mom very much make it trice a week. Monday and Thursday should be good. that is what i thought of doing but when i called the ladie she said that she couldn't do it cause she was movieing out of town. but then i started having kitty play dates with my friends and neighbors we really enjoyed it and it gave my kitty new freinds. and it gave me time to get away from my cat lol. some alone time for me and my bf.