Will a kitten nurse forever if allowed?

Question

I have a kitten who is hmmm, about 5 or 6 months by now. The day I got him he was 9 weeks old and took to my westie/poodle as a mother. He started trying to nurse immediately. She is spayed but with some time, started producing milk. She now actually has quite a bit in the two teats he focuses on. I gave her a bath the other day and I swear I could have filled a shot glass when I squeezed to test. He still nurses everyday all the time, she licks him and treats him as her son. He is pretty big now, i'm wondering if he will just keep doing it forever. I don't think that would be good for the dog, but I can't really do much to stop it as they love eachother and always want to be with one another. I crate train the dog, and if I don't let the cat in to be with her at night, he cries for her. It's really sweet........it's also kinda helpful lol, if I run out of wet food, she can always please him for me when he doesn't want the dry....

Wanted to add......yes the cat is already neutered and he is very interested in other food as well. He gobbles everything up, he will eat a whole can in one sitting and loves dry food too. He is a piggy, but is a lean type kitty, if he starts to get overweight I wont continue to free feed.

Thanks for the answers so far.....i dont have another place to keep him....not even a separate room really (studio apt). I am also poor (college student) and new to the area (no friends I could really ask to keep either of them for a period). I will just see how long it goes....and ask a vet.

Answer 1

Bizarre! Yes, any young animal will resist being weaned and of the "mom" does not want to wean the little critter, it can go on for ages. There are still instances of women nursing their kids until they are in school! (Gross! If they ask for it, they are too old!) But other than the fact that the dog will have limited capacity to produce quality milk, the cat and dog can have this twisted little relationship as long as both enjoy it. The dog can be over-milked but will respond by providing milk that is no longer very nutritious. It can reduce the calcium and fat available to the dog for its own systems over time. I would probably wean them and it will be har for both of them. Will the cat try to resume suckling once they are reunited with the dog? The older the cat gets and still suckles from the dog, the harder it will be to ever break it of the tendency to try. The dog is also pretty small, and may have trouble stopping the cat if the cat gets larger - so you should probably stop this now. You will need to separate them and they will both be unhappy for a while. You may just want to let one of them live somewhere else for a while - I expect the dog will not whine as long, but I could be mistaken. Either one could be a bear to deal with for whoever takes them in during the weaning process.

Answer 2

Separate them. Your cat should be developing a greater interest in big cat food. I have a 9 week old and a 14 year old. I was having problems weaning the kitten, tried every suggestion I got on here, and finally my vet had the answer when we went in for the 6 week checkup. Cats learn through mimicry. Your cat needs to see another cat eat.

We had been keeping our separated due to the size/age difference and we were also waiting on a clean bill of health for the kitten because she was a stray. I thought I was going to have to bottle feed forever. The vet said let her watch the big cat. We did, and she dove in. Two weeks afterwards, she won't tolerate a bottle. Go figure.

A mother cat will normally nip at a kitten that she's trying to wean. I don't know if the dog is going to do that in this situation so I would suggest crating one of them. Maybe crate the cat and not the dog? See how that works instead. Other than that, you could try the water squirt bottle to deter the cat from nursing, or you could pick the cat up and crate it when you see it begin to nurse so it associates being crated with the nursing.

Answer 3

the dogs body is telling it to produce milk because the kitten is nursing. The sucking is what stimulates the body. I have a rottie she is five and has taken the nursing job over 2 different times for kittens I have had. You should monitor this close, as the cat will suck forever or as long as the dog will let it. In my case they were almost a year old so had to put a stop to it. I really don't think it would hurt either animal but like kids a time comes when it is no longer appropriate

Answer 4

I wouldn't think so....but perhaps he's doing it for comfort and since the milk is there he's getting some. I have no idea when is a good time to remove kittens from their mother but perhaps yours thought it was too soon!

Poppy is 3 now and she still nurses on me for comfort. Hers, not mine. It doesn't bother me so long as I keep her nails clipped.

Answer 5

He will keep on nursing until he is separated from his surrogate "Mom". Usually the Mom will not allow them to keep on nursing but if you don't take them away after a couple of months, then they will just keep on nursing as long as the Mom lets them.

Answer 6

They both have bonded and it must be hard. A cat and a dog, they do lose interest. Have you spayed your cat yet? That will make a difference as he will go through a new stage of his life soon.

Answer 7

I have a 1yr3month old cat and he nurses his adopted mother cat who is spayed. It's funny cus she won't let any of the others nurse.

Answer 8

Yes, you need to wean this kitten ASAP. There is no excuse for it to be suckling off any creature, much less a dog, and sixth months.

Answer 9

well, nature can sure suprise us huh ? I think thats a sweet story, what a site to see huh ? I would however, try to seperate them and stop the nursing, its time. But how damn cute !

Answer 10

I think eventually, the kitten will stop, bu if it continues for a very long time, ask your vet.