kitten issue...

hi

i rescued a kitten a few months ago...when he was given to me i was told he was at least 2 months old...this was not true...he was the tinyist thing i had ever seen and when he went to drink the water from his bowl he sucked instead of lapped...his eyes were open but they were still blue (now they are brown) i also have an 11 month old female cat who he instantly tried to nurse from...i don't think she understands what he's doing and now that he's over 3 months old he still tries to nurse for the comfort of it...and she is not making him stop....i guess what i'm wondering is if she will ever stop him or if he will ever stop on his own...i also believe he is part feral...and am not sure how to get him to stop playing so rough...he uses his claws for everything...we have tried a can with coins in it...and a water bottle...he just keeps coming back for more....can anyone relate and offer come advice...i'm at my wits end....but will deal with whatever he does cause i still love him!

hi

As for the suckling, some cats just suckle. That's just my opinion. Others might know why.

My Spunky just plays rough, too and he's nto feral. He was abandoned in a bird store. I never encouraged him to play rough but about two months after I rescued him, he started biting and nipping. He also uses his claws to play with me and he has nice, long claws. Sams, the other cat, plays also, but keeps his claws sheathed. It's a personal decision on the cat and I don't know how to change it. I wish I did.

Like your kitty, I was told even by the vet that he was 6 weeks old. The vet saw him 2 days (Monday) after I got him (Saturday). He fit in my hand, only the tail hung over, and he weighed 9.6 ounces or 0.6 pounds. He doubled his weight in the first week. I'm stil not sure whether he was 6 weeks. He sure was a mess for a few weeks.

Anne

I agree that some cats just suckle. I've had one so far who does - well, she kind of nuzzles, now that she's six years old. As for the claws, if a cat grabs something with its claws and that something starts to struggle and squeak, the cat gets more excited and hangs on tighter and claws more vigorously. If you stop moving and keep quiet, the cat will most likely loosen up, and then you can stop the play session for that moment. I mean, if I am using my hand to pet a cat and they decide to use it for play, or even if they get annoyed for some reason, that's what I do.

My cat was kind of aggressive when I got him. I had to train him to be a gentle boy. If he was aggressive when he's on my lap or bed, I stop petting or playing and pick him up and place it him on the floor. If he was really bad, I put him in the bedroom where his litter box is and closed the door, and let him have a "time out". By being consistant, he did it less and rarely is aggressive anymore.

When cats suckle, it's because they were taken from their mama too early.