Kitten Suckling — Is It a Bad Thing?
About a week into our kitten Norton’s life at our house, we noticed that he was suckling himself, using one of his own nipples. He’d go at it in a really focused way, and knead his paws at the same time, purring loudly. Having no experience with this, we took him to the vet, who reassured us that the behavior was nothing to worry about. She noted that the nipple was not inflamed or infected. The vet said that kittens may outgrow this kitten suckling behavior, and that sometimes kitten suckling happens when a kitten has been orphaned too young. The latter had been something I wondered about.
Still, I wanted to find out more. Would this kitten suckling behavior go away? Did it mean he was stressed or just contented? If I distracted him, would he stop? (When Norton suckles, which now seems to be occurring less and less, nothing can distract him.)
Kitten suckling — what is it?
Cats or kittens may suckle on things like blankets. Photography © zlyka2008 | Thinkstock.
Kitten suckling can occur when cats suck on their nipples, other areas of skin and other objects. Cats might suckle on rugs, your skin tags, your ears or your fingers. Jamie Bluebell came to us as a kitten and for a very brief time, she would suckle on a skin tag on my husband’s armpit. She also liked to suck on the frames of his glasses. But Jamie got over it fairly quickly, and from what we know, we think that Jamie was not orphaned as young as Norton.
The causes of cat or kitten suckling
The causes of kitten suckling can include being separated from mom too early. Ideally, kittens should not be weaned from mom earlier than six weeks. But according to ASPCA information online, cat or kitten suckling can also be a sign of stress, compulsive behavior, or even just happiness or contentment. It’s a hard behavior to nail down.
Is kitten suckling bad for kitties?
Sometimes kittens suckling is harmless. But sometimes, according to this Catster article, cats or kittens can do damage to each other or themselves if they suckle too hard or for too long. The article refers to what is probably a high-stress situation — kittens in a Humane Society who are motherless and suckling each other to the point of damage.
Should you do anything about kitten suckling?
My vet proposed no solution. She saw no reason to be concerned in Norton’s case.
If you’re not concerned about suckling and your cat continues, you can try to make the situation a little safer. For example, if your cat loves to suckle blankets, make sure that the blanket fabric doesn’t pill or have loose threads that your cat could swallow.
Obviously, trying to physically stop your cat from suckling (in the moment) or yelling at your cat when he’s suckling are not good solutions. If your cat is suckling from stress, this will only stress him more.
Here’s what I’m going to do about kitten suckling
Most of what I’ve read (and observed at home) say to me that kitten suckling is not a bad thing. It seems that Norton is getting comfort, and he’s not acting like he’s doing it from stress. The site is not infected, as my vet pointed out, and we’re keeping an eye on that. The frequency of suckling gradually seems to be diminishing. And if we’re playing with Norton, or snuggling, suckling seems to be far from his mind. So I’ll wait it out, and see what happens. In my situation, I’m not worried. Norton seems happy and not stressed or compulsive.
In short — and the ASPCA article worded this in a helpful way — if the kitten suckling is interfering with your cat’s quality of life, then it’s time to seek help. If your cat is damaging his skin, or the skin of another, or seems to be suckling as a kind of stress response, seek help. Get the help of a certified cat behaviorist or your veterinarian.
Tell us: Have you ever had a suckling cat or suckling kitten? What did you do about kitten suckling? Let us know in the comments!
Thumbnail: Photography ©ElenaBoronina | Thinkstock.
About the author
About Catherine Holm: Told that she is funny but doesn’t know it, accused of being an unintentional con artist by her husband, quiet, with frequent unannounced bursts into dancing liveliness, Cat Holm loves writing about, working for, and living with cats. She is the author of the cat-themed memoir Driving with Cats: Ours for a Short Time, the creator of Ann Catanzaro cat fantasy story gift books, and the author of a short story collection about people and place. She loves to dance, be outside whenever possible, read, play with cats, make music, do and teach yoga, and write. Cat lives in the woods, which she loves as much as really dark chocolate, and gets regular inspiration shots along with her double espresso shots from the city.
99 comments on “Kitten Suckling — Is It a Bad Thing?”
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I found 4 orphaned kitties when they were maybe a couple weeks old. They hadn’t eaten in at least 5 days, so I took them home and bottle fed them and miraculously they survived. They’re around 3 months old now and they constantly suckle on one another when they’re lounging around and napping on the porch. They make a kitty suckling train; backs, nipples, whatever’s available! My wife hates it, but I always figured it was completely harmless and was happening because they didn’t get to nurse like they should’ve.
I also brought home a couple kittens years ago and I went downstairs and caught my tomcat letting one of the kittens nurse on him! They broke it up immediately and looked so shame faced!!!
i found our kitten when he was 4 and a half weeks old he is now 10 weeks old he trys to suck on mine and my daughters fingers my mom also woke up to him sucking on her neck around her chin we simply pull out hands away and change the sitiuation if he starts to try to suck we will get up and leave for a moment or start to play with him with a toy he dose not seem stressed when he dose it im sure it is because he gets cozy and warm when snuggleing and it reminds him of his mom i do hope that he outgrows it though
A small kitten followed us home one day from a bike ride three weeks ago. We’ve since adopted him and called him Albus. We are thinking he’s about 9 weeks old now. Albus has started to sleep on my neck and now he suckles my eyes. I’m guessing I’ve become his surrogate mom. This article is very helpful. I was worried he was too young when he found us. Thanks for the insight!
I was visiting my visiting my fiance’s mother and knew we would be bringing a street kitten back with us. The little girl was just about 2 months old. We brought her in for the night for easier transportation in the morning. The night proved to be quite eventful. Having the little girl on the bed she was happy to be held. She suckled a bit on my eye and quite a bit on my neck. My fiance thought she might be hungry, which turns out was the case.
Our Oscar and his brother Charlie came to us at 8 weeks old, having been fostered after being rescued from VOKRA. Oscar suckles cotton fabrics suchk such as our sheets and clothes, but wool deters him. His brother does not suckle, so it is curious to me that littermates like them are different in this way. It leads me to wonder as they were both taken from their mother at the same time. When Oscar suckles, it is when he’s given calm and affection, usually in our bed and always with my contact/giving scritches and love. So after 6 years now I dont worry about it so much as I think it’s a sign of comfort. I was concerned when he was a kitten considering all of the stress he must have been through, and that his brother had never had the same behaviour, but now it’s just a thing we accept. He does do it when he’s stimulated by affection so I think its probably not that bad a thing as long as the fabric isn’t ingested and as i said he’s deterred by wool blankets. He’s a sweet cub. We’ve come to accept that it’s just his way.
Me here again. Just wanted to correct that Oscar and his brother were rescued BY VOKRA, not FROM
I have a Gray tabby called Tobias.. 3 months old .. who’s taken to suckling on my eye lids.. my neck my ears behind my ears .. purrs really loudly and paws too.. but doesn’t seen to be growing out of it.. anybody any suggestions?
I have a small black kitten that was abandoned by his mom at 3 weeks old. His name is SweetSweet and he answers to it. I bottle fed him then introduced cat food. Well he started suckling on my neck to fall asleep. He would just fall asleep and lay on my chest with a look of contentment, so I don’t think he’s stressed, he thinks I’m mom lol
He follows me everywhere and comes when I call him. He s such a sweetie and can suckle on my neck as long as he likes if it makes him content.
My kitten seems to like to suck on my 11 year old pitt bulls lip. My dog doesn’t mind this. She just lays there and let’s him. If she does tire of it, she just gets up and moves. My kitten is now 3 months old and is still continuing this behavior. Not sure how to stop him from doing this.
I took in a kitten whose mother had been hit by a car. No one around was sure of it’s age. There were 5 kittens. Nala looked to just have gotten her teeth so we estimated about 3.5 to 4 weeks old. She’s a crazy fun girl. Very smart. Very attached to me. Almost dog line in her devotion. Chases our other cat away anytime she gets too close to me. She has started “nursing” on me. She is determined and hard to push off. She prefers my tee shirt in the right corner near armpit. She doesn’t meow much instead coos like a pigeon. Lol and when she nurses it doesn’t seem stress related. She actually has a routine. Every morning after the alarm, midday and nighttime before bed. She purrs loud as a train. Lol. I’ve accepted it’s her thing and allow her. Yes she’s spoiled. But as I said very attached. She follows me everywhere room to room. Gets in the shower with me. Sits on my lap even when I go to the bathroom. I leave and she sits on Mack of couch by door until I return. Some have said I need to discourage her nursing and some of her attachments to me. Should I? Is it harming her to allow her to do what makes her happy? Or should I just allow her to do what she wants?
What’s the harm in it if you don’t plan to abandon her? It’d be a problem if you planned on giving her up because she wouldn’t know how to handle the detachment, but I say it’s fine.
If you’re worried, you can try to gently push her to being independent by setting a few boundaries and slowly increasing them over time.
So we had a cat that just showed up and left us her litter of 5 kittens, then disappeared. Our own “granny” cat had to give them suck instead. Now 3 months later, one of the cats is almost obsessed with sucking on one specific sister. They both get enough food (maybe even a little too much sometimes), and I’m worried that she might her sister. She looks very weary after these, and I think I’ve once even seen her shaking while staring at her sister from afar. I have no idea what to do.
We have a three week old kitten that we began fostering at one week old at that point we had five four were males but they didn’t make it due too medical issues my little miracle is her name suck on her paws I just want to know is that harmless I know she was separated from mama cat two early but I love her so much
I’m sitting here with a three-week-old foster kitten suckling on my finger. I’ve been Mom since he was a week old. The suckling is normal and soothing to him. My only worry is that any potential adopter or there other animals will not appreciate being suckled and that he’ll have a hard time finding the right home.
My husband was walking home from a friends and our now “Prince” was “talking” to my husband. So he said well, come on.. Prince followed him home. Well, I’m a cuddler.. so I got him used to cuddling and out of the blue he starred to suckle on our blankets on our bed. He kneads, purrs like crazy and very LOUD. I love our Prince. He can be our baby 4ever !!!
My almost 5 month old (1/2 Siamese) kitten has been suckling on me since about 9-10 weeks old. He loves the crease of my armpit and inside of the elbow. I got him @ 7 weeks so perhaps a little too young. I am torn between trying to discourage it (gently) and not worrying about it (cause he too seems happy & content, purring and kneading)
He gets pretty persistent though and likes to do it at bedtime and first thing in the morning (4am) This morning he was nudging hard to get under my covers. Kinda hoping he outgrows it, or at least scales it back. Mama needs her sleep!
My little black kitty, Pepper is almost a year old. He saunters up to me to snuggle, knead, and suckle on my robe when he is feeling relaxed or tired. It is absolutely precious and I hope he never outgrows it. He usually does this several times a day and often falls asleep on me after. It melts my heart. ♡
My cat Jamie, a little female, suckles on her inner thigh whenever she is next to me. My interpretation: she has adopted me as her mother. When she is in contact with me her suckling indicates affection, need, and contentment. She also purrs when she does this. Very loudly. I sometimes find it annoying, but since, when I move, she immediately leaves, I just shrug it off. I am told by a fine animal behaviorist that she will not outgrow this; it will continue for the rest of her life. I rescued her from a good animal shelter north of where I live.
I have 3 male kittens, Salvador, 2 Spots and Wendigo.
Salvador is the one that gets suckled on by 2 Spots and Wendigo.
The funny thing is, Salvador suckles on himself while the other 2 are going to town on him.
Hi I have a 11 month old Siamese cat (beast) I got him when he was about 3 months old but he started suckling on my other cats (Oreo) stomach as soon as we brought him home and still does it to this day 8 months later but has moved to his neck and Oreo is loosing fur. I noticed that Oreo has been very down and stressed since beast started doing this. is there any way I can stop this.
Hi there, we got a cat (Miles) who’s now 7 months old he was only six weeks old when we got him, he was very playful and seem to fit in quite nicely but when he was around 2 months old he started to suckle on our clothes sometimes he will do on soft fluffy blankets or dressing gowns but he seems pretty happy not stressed at all and he does it more in the morning, my guess is because he missed us as he doesn’t sleep in our rooms, during the day is a monkey and we will choose when he wants cuddles.
I found this article really useful, thank you very much.
I have 2x 8 week old siblings, 1 girl and 1 boy. The boy (Sebastian) seems to like to suckle when he’s ready for a nap, he’ll go to my 5 year old cat and start suckling on a mouth full of fur. I’m glad to hear that it’s not that uncommon for cats/kittens to suckle and that it’s nothing to stress about unless inflammation starts to happen to the other cats
I have lumiere from feb.2019 she was 2months right now i saw so many times she is sucking her blanket and she is happy but i have so many concern about this matter so i always cover her blanket with an other fabrik to keep her away and its worked
My cat, Selah is 5 years old and was found in the wild at 3 weeks old. She is now an indoor cat and suckles on my blankets before she goes to sleep a lot and this article helps me understand it better so thanks for the help
I adopted two sibling kittens at 8 weeks old about a month ago. (Brother Moss and Sister Minnie ) They both tested positive for FIV at birth and at 7 weeks, but have been very healthy, energetic and eating their wet and dry food on a kitten schedule. They are gaining weight and look great!
They are extremely close with each other and loving, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have them in my life. But I noticed about a week or so ago that Moss (the brother) is now burrowing his face into his sister’s “nether regions” and suckling voraciously. He also suckles in her nipple area, but of course since she was still healing from being spayed , I worried he was hurting her. Though I must admit , she doesn’t seem to mind it AT ALL. And if she does want him to stop, he does so without a problem. But he will be back for more within seconds. She never suckles on him, or me or on blankets or anything… it’s just him suckling on her. And mostly on her rear end. And I’ve noticed he really only does this when the 3 of us settle in at night to watch “our show” (Animal Planet) when they have finished their dinner, had a treat and are ready to chill after their nightly kitty play session ( they play “catch the baby snake” with my black elastic ponytail holders, and prance these black bands around in their mouths very proudly, as if to show off to me their big catch!! It’s hysterical and super duper cute) But Moss HAS started to lick my nose and he sometimes burrows under my neck and tries to suckle.. Minnie is not a biter at all, and Moss seems to only baby bite like he’s teething, but he will suckle so voraciously on his sister’s rear end, actually pinning her down—that I’ve nicknamed him “Chester “ ( and what rhymes with Chester ?? )
He is always purring loudly when suckling, and I know my kittens are in the perfect caring home for their needs. They are not left alone for more than a few hours at a time, as I’m retired and almost always home. My concern is that I’ve read articles on suckling ( mostly kittens suckling their owners or a blanket, not many on sibling suckling) the articles seem to say two completely different things.: 1-that this behavior is because kitten is stressed and miserable OR 2- POSSIBLY because they are just happy and content.
Though Mossy seems and acts happy and healthy , I do worry he misses his mommy and he may get depressed or something. Their mother was very sick when
they were born,. She was a feral FIV positive mother who had developed other health issues as a feral cat with no home or medical care. And since both kittens are still testing positive for FIV, and may well test positive for life.
Why do so many articles say that this behavior shows stress , when all I see is contentment? My kittens need that extra TLC and an educated owner , so that I can make the right decisions for their health, happiness, longevity and comfort.
I just want to know : is this behavior from being STRESSED or just being BLESSED?
I LOVE it when my kitty suckles on me. He is definitely showing contentment and affection. I hope he never outgrows this behavior. Pepper only does this when I’m wearing my robe because be likes the softness. If it’s not on when he comes to suckle, he’ll sniff around, confused, and the either leave or settle for a nearby blanket, lol.
I adore this kitty and I would tell you there’s nothing wrong with it. Suckling reminds babies of their mama. Therefore, when they engage in this behavior, they are content. Suckling equals happy baby!
True. My little, sprightly rescue cat Jamie, suckles on her inner thigh when she lies next to me or my husband. I figure we become her “mothers” and since she purrs loudly while doing this, we also figure she’s happy. We also have a Bengal who was properly weaned and doesn’t do any suckling. Her name is Bella. Jamie and Bella are besties and play with each other all day (and night) long, except during their inactive
period from around 11 AM to around 9 PM.
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