Kittens suckling (and claws!)

[duckling]

One of our 10 week old kittens can be very persistent in suckling clothes when he sits on your lap. Does anyone have any experience of this? He purrs very loudly then starts kneading and sucks on whatever piece of clothing that he can (usually pyjama bottoms or t shirts - thinner material that he can get his mouth round rather than jeans or jumpers).

They were both separated from mum too young as dumped at a rescue without her, so no doubt this is a comfort thing for him and I don't really feel I should stop him doing it. If you shift slightly he stops and looks at you and gives a really pitiful miaow before starting again!

The main problem is that when he kneads, he really digs his claws in to the point where he breaks the skin. I have so many holes in my thigh and stomach and it's actually getting quite painful. I've tried putting him on a blanket on my lap to save my skin but he won't suckle that and tries to bury underneath it to get to your clothes. Short of buying him reinforced sole kitten boots (now there's an idea!) what can I do?!

His brother doesn't suckle but kneads your leg a lot, but never really digs his claws in. Help!

 

[NellRosk]

Aww! Yes our kittens did this when we first got them, they were only about 5 or 6 weeks old when we got them bless them. I think your only option is the reinforced kitten boots I'm afraid Or just persist in putting him on a towel or blanket until he gets the idea that he can't claw your leg. Our cats stopped doing it when they grew up a bit however our old cat had a 'blankie' which he would still suckle and drool over when he was 17 so maybe he was just a bit special I hope you realise that photos of them are compulsory!!

 

[duckling]

Haha, now where can I purchase these boots..?

Aw bless. It's so sad when people separate kittens from their mothers too young glad that yours grew out of it, I hope Reggie does too as he looks so sad when he can't suckle but I can't sit with him all day! Might try and find a thinner blanket and see if I can convince him to try that but will have to have some padding between it and my leg!

Photos on a thread in here called meet the kittens that I made a few days ago enjoy!

 

[budley95]

Flo the cat did this as a kitten. Unfortunately she also went one step further and suckled off the dog (but nothing came out as she 1 at the time and has never had puppies!). We ended up buying her a fluffy cushion and just put her on that whenever she got on our laps and was put on the floor if we didn't have it. She's learnt that the cushions her and she sits on it all the time. they do grown out of it eventually. Somewhere must do kitten booties with the amount of things you can dress them up in! If not dolly shoes haha

 

[apachediamond]

Mine does this, she is 18 weeks (stayed with mum until 13 weeks) i tend to let her get on with it, but i do put a blanket over my clothes for her to suckle on.

 

[LittleBlackMule]

Not a kitten, but I used to know a border collie who did this. She would pummel her bedding until she got something vaguely teat-shaped, then lie there sucking on it and kneading with her paws. She was in her teens!

 

[duckling]

LOL Budley, bet that was a shock for the dog! Cushion is a good idea, might try and get one at the supermarket later and see if he'll go for that.

Aww AD, wonder if she'll grow out of it too or if its just a comfort thing for her. Interesting that she wasn't weaned early as from my googling this afternoon that seems to be a theme.

LBM, how funny! Reggie will paw at your clothes (claws out!) til he can get a fold to suck on, he's really noisy whilst he's doing it too!

He does seem to be quite claw-y in general, a lot more so than his brother. He's never deliberately scratched but if he runs across your legs on the sofa he does tend to stick his claws in... Should I start clipping their claws this young? Might make it slightly more bearable for me!

 

[*Whinney*]

Your kittens are very beautiful.

I have used human nail clippers on my own, friends cats and yard cats for years. I find them much easier to handle along with a not too keen cat. I have 3 different sizes. My smallest pair was from a cheap travel manicure set and I would use those on small kittens.

It would be a good idea to get your little ones used to it now. As they are on your lap gently stroke the paw with your left hand, massage the foot and toes and pop out the claw, use your thumb on that hand to steady the claw and cover the quick, then simply snip off the pointy end.

I only started this on my cats as adults and after a few times wrapped in a towel they then accepted me doing it while they were settled on my lap. Once you are practiced it will only take a few seconds for each paw. Back ones are a bit harder but thankfully they seem to round themselves off a bit more so rarely need the ends off.

I actually started doing this because they were velcro cats! As they walked across the carpet they would slightly stick to it and rip off with each step. It drove me mad but I wasn't going to spend £10 on clippers that were pretty bulky and more of a hindrance than a help. But I do have tiny hands so nail clippers are much better for me.

 

[duckling]

Thanks Whinney, I concur with the Velcro cats - Reg sticks to everything!
I clipped his front claws this week and he didn't seem remotely bothered so that was a good start I haven't done Hugo's yet as he doesn't seem to have the same problem but will try handling his paws later to get him used to it.

Reggie is starting to suckle on me a bit less frequently now and I've got a quilt that he sits on to save my legs! He also suckles the edge of his bed (wondered why it was always a bit damp) and caught Hugo doing the same thing the other day too, both purring loudly