How to stop kittens from nursing

[pisces7386]

So our cat adopted us by having kittens on our patio... fast forward 11 weeks and we are getting ready to get her spayed and send the kittens to their forever homes...except they are all still nursing. We have done some research but can't come up with a good answer . I've seen that the mom can get spayed even if the babies are still nursing but I can't find anything about them leaving for their new homes if they are still nursing. The babies are all eating real food regularly so I am not worried about their nutrition; I am just worried that if we separate them before they are weaned that they will become 'suckers' (nurse on other things/pets) for the rest of their lives. I am also worried about the mom still making milk or getting infected after separation.  We have seen some posts that say you can intervene if it becomes necessary, but what exactly does 'intervene' mean? We can separate them every time we catch them nursing... but what about at night or when we are not home?

Thank you all for your help/advice!

 

[catapault]

Cut the foot off a tube sock and let her wear it - the tube part - over her body.

 

[maewkaew]

 It's fine for them to leave for their new homes at 11 or 12 weeks old if they're still nursing a bit for comfort but are getting the great majority of their nutrition from eating,  and seem to be psychologically ready to be independent of their mom  -- for example they run around and play separately from her ,  are OK exploring things without constantly running back to mom. 

To encourage weaning, you can start to keep her separate from them for an increasing amount of time  each day.   and as suggested , you can put some kind of clothing item on her to try to make it harder for them to nurse.   

 

[pisces7386]

Thank you both! they do play separately from her regularly so I suppose they are okay to leave. We are also going to attempt both the garlic and the tube sock...

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• pisces7386
• Oct 3, 2013

 

[mogfoster]

Has she had a post-baby season yet?  I noticed that my cat's milk completely dried up once the season peaked - even though the kittens would still suckle.  At that point I let them start going to their new homes, two together, then the singles - over the couse of three weeks for all five.  She was ready for them to go, and they were also ready - the last at almost 12 weeks, a week after her op.

 

[pisces7386]

MogFoster- What do you mean by 'post baby season'? If you mean 'heat' I think so... she got really vocal and lovey last week.... but that is the same time we started letting her into the whole house (instead of just the cat room). It doesn't seem to have made a difference.

The tube sock seems to be doing well... now that she has figured out that her hind legs still work 

We are going to let her nurse a few times a day and slowly decrease it ( take the sock off less and less) as the garlic powder builds up in her system. Fingers crossed!

Thank you again for your suggestions and help! 

 

[catpack]

What are you using the Garlic Powder for? Are you aware that Garlic is poisonous to cats?

"Onions, garlic, chives, and leeks are of the Allium family, and are poisonous to both dogs and cats. Garlic is considered to be about five times as potent as onions. Certain breeds and species seem to be more sensitive: Japanese breeds of dogs (e.g., Akita, Shiba Inu) and cats. Onion and garlic poisoning results in oxidative damage to the red blood cells (making the red blood cells more likely to rupture) and gastroenteritis (e.g., nausea, oral irritation, drooling, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea). Other clinical signs of anemia may be seen, and include lethargy, pale gums, an elevated heart rate, an increased respiratory rate, weakness, exercise intolerance, and collapse. Onion and garlic poisoning may have a delayed onset, and clinical signs may not be apparent for several days. While minute amounts of these foods in some pets, especially dogs, may be safe, large ingestions can be very toxic."

 

[sugarsandz]

Some casts suckle on stuff even if they are weaned, my Moki was 12 weeks when we brought her home and was weaned and still does it on occasion. Sometimes I think it's just the personality of the cat itself and not always being taken away to early. If they are eating real food and drinking water I'd separate them for a few hours at a time from mom and see how they do, they might try to nurse for as long as she'll allow it.

I'd stop giving the queen garlic as the above poster mentioned the side effects of it before issues arise. I don't know if it will effect being under to get fixed but I'd let them know when and how much you gave her if she will be spayed soon.

She looks very cute in her sock top lol, hopefully it does the job for you!

 

[pisces7386]

Just to wrap this up- We read the post about the garlic before we fed it to her... thank you ( I think the original reply about the garlic was removed or edited because I can't see it now) . The tube top was really  helpful, we got the kittens weaned before they went to their new homes. Interesting side note: now that she is fixed and we are no  longer putting the tube sock on her the kittens we kept have begun suckling again. She doesn't let them do it for long and sometimes not at all. We are fairly certain there is no milk left ( she didn't nurse for almost 2 weeks before the surgery) but they keep at it . Also, the vet loved the idea of the tube sock to protect the stitches ( as long as we kept it clean and checked it regularly).

 

[Willowy]

Sonja let Scotty nurse until he was nearly a year old. Not a problem if she doesn't mind and she's not having trouble with it (sore nipples, etc.). She'll cut them off when she's tired of it.