Why Does My Kitten Try To Nurse On Me - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

DEAR JOAN: I hope you can help me with our new baby, Murphee, a rescue kitten.

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He is perfectly healthy and full of life, but has one irritating habit. He continually suckles when I am holding him and at night. He sleeps on our bed on his own blanket to cover our bedding and I have put a towel down for him to suckle.

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Will this go away by itself or do we have to manage a different strategy? I have been told that he was taken away from his mother too early, causing this behavior. He is about 10 weeks old and we have had him for two weeks.

Diana Diaz

Pleasanton

DEAR DIANA: Congratulations on your new kitten. Murphee sounds like he’s in for a good life.

Suckling — simulating nursing accompanied by rhythmic kneading — in kittens may be because they were weaned too early or were orphaned. It also can be a sign of stress.

Murphee is not even 3 months old yet, but he’s already had a pretty hard life, and even though he’s safe in his new home, he may find nursing comforting, reminding him of his mom.

Kittens and adult cats also may simulate nursing out of boredom, illness or even when they are relaxed and content. Although there’s little harm in this activity — it’s akin to a child sucking his thumb for comfort — it can become a habit or a compulsion, so it’s best to gently nip it in the bud now.

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The easiest way is to remove whatever he is nursing on when you see him doing it. Don’t jerk it away; just quietly remove it. If he is nuzzling you, set him down and walk away. You have to be consistent, however. Don’t let him do it sometimes and not others.

I had a cat who on occasion would nurse the end of his tail. The sound of it in the middle of the night drove me a little nuts. When he would start, I would just gently move his tail to the side, cover the end with my hand and say no. That worked well to stop it that night, and eventually he stopped doing it completely.

You also can distract him with play or him a treat, but don’t do this at night or you’ll never get a good night’s sleep again.

For those who have an older cat that suddenly starts suckling, take the cat to the veterinarian to be checked for hyperthyroidism, a common disorder in cats older than 10 years, or other problems.

DEAR JOAN: I am hopeful you will have a suggestion for me on how to rid my backyard of those aggressive yellow jackets. I have three traps hanging around my flowers and bird bath fountain but they love the fountain and totally ignore the traps, even with fresh attractant.

Is there anything else out there that is effective?

Marilynn

Bay Area

DEAR MARILYNN: You could get rid of the fountain, but that would mean the yellow jackets win.

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Readers have told me that putting sliced cucumbers around the areas where the hornets are hanging out will drive them away. They apparently don’t like the aroma.

You also can take some brown lunch bags, crumple them up and then blow into them to puff them up and make them resemble hornets’ nests. Tie the tops with string and hang them around the eaves. The yellow jackets may be fooled into thinking they’ve got a lot of competition, and will move on.

Contact Joan Morris at [email protected]. Read the Animal Life blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/pets.

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Category: WHY