Help! Brother li king/sucking brother nipple 4 month old kittens.

[cat lover 360]

My kittens were gave to me at 8 wks old which I now know is too early but didn't at the time. The seller was selling them at that age said they were litter trained but they were still having accidents until 1 month ago when they were 3 months old. That's all fine and good but now I'm living in a homeless unit and my kittens csnt come with so they are staying with my dad in his spare bedroom as the older cat who was originally mine and now is my dad's, doesn't get on with them.

They get let out to play for an hour or two each day and have their scratching post food bed and litter in the room with them.

They are amazing cats growing well and no issues except behaviour.

I feel so guilty for having to leave them here until I get a house but sadly I dont have a choice. They love me and are always so happy to see me when I come they are lively as kittens are and I'm glad they have each other to comfort. They are teething at the moment I've given them toys to help but they don't use them they just bite on my hand.

The other thing is a bit more worrying. Jasper sucks on his brother buddy's nipple. The nipple seems fine and I know it's probably from being weaned too early I had cats before that did that but they grew out of it. But jasper does it so hard and so often I don't know how often as I'm nit here all the time but it's worrying as I don't want buddy to get hurt I'm worried his fur being wet will cause him issues. I'm not sure if he is losing hair or if it just looks like it when it's wet but I worry it could hurt him or irritate his skin or something. I have a picture of the area where jasper sucks his nipple.

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• cat lover 360
• Oct 17, 2016

Could someone advise me what to do what's best what to look out for and how to stop jasper from doing this while I can I usually distract him but he always goes back

 

[cat lover 360]

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• cat lover 360
• Oct 17, 2016

 

[Kieka]

I am so sorry about your situation and I am glad you were able to find a way to keep the kitties safe until you can find a new housing situation. Most cats naturally use litter boxes so if they had accidents I wouldn't be surprised if they were younger than 8 weeks (my Link I was told was 8 weeks but when I saw him in person I figured he was closer to 5 weeks, but I've cared for as young as 3 weeks so I was okay and the guy I got him from wasn't going to let me leave him with his mom for a few more weeks).

Jasper is probably reacting to a stressful situation with a comforting behavior, the suckling. It's like someone smiling when they are nervous or a cat who purrs when they are scared (Link used to do that at the vet and it made checking his heartbeat a nightmare). You can try giving him a substitute like a stuffed animal or blanket to suckle on but most likely you need to separate them somehow because its unlikely he will transfer off on his own. I know given your situation that is likely to be an issue. Since they are young and, I assume, small you might be able to get away with a cat carrier or dog crate for the time being. Just put a small litter box (bottom of a milk jug or small show box might work) and some food and water in the carrier/crate and put Jasper or the other kitten inside. You can probably rig up something with boxes if needed too but make sure it has a top or is taller than you think needed, you will be amazed how high Jasper will climb to get to his brother. Probably still give Jasper something her can suckle and kneed on just make sure it doesn't have anything he can chew off and swallow and check it daily for wear. Also the other kitten will probably need a stuffed animal or blanket to curl up with for sleep.

The biggest thing is keep them apart when you can't be there to supervise. I've been there so I completely understand the challenge (I had two brothers taken away too young who suckled on each other and we had to separate too) but there really isn't a way to stop them otherwise. And you do need it to stop before Jasper hurts his brother (I read about kittens killing each other doing that if an infection sets in or by causing damage under the skin). Once they get a little older and the stress has passed Jasper should stop doing it all on his own.  

 

[cat lover 360]

Thank you so much I do have a cat carrier so I could try jasper in that. Buddy doesn't seem to mind but I'm still worried about the risks and about infection as well. Thanks for your advice.