very strange kitten behaviour

[Ljt09863]

ok...we have a kitten. we found him in a dumpster so i think he got taken from his mommy too soon. hes done pretty well so far. now he has developed this really bizarre habit. we have a shag rug. just a small one. this kitten has taken the habit of trying to nurse on this rug. he will lay there on the rug, clawing softly at it, trying to nurse. he will do this for about an hour. i think it is kind of cute, but at the same time, its kinda sad. anybody know why he does this, and what,if anything, we should do about it?

[jayel]

Hi, I have a six month old kitten that was found on his own at three and a half weeks, and he does the exact same thing. I bottle fed him for a week, then weaned him to drinking from a saucer, to eating wet cat food, and finally dry food. He does this nursing thing on my shirt, or with his own paw, and he kneads at the same time. It is about the only time he ever purrs. Yes it is sad, they must miss their mothers. I don't think it' a problem behavior, from what I've heard it's pretty common from those weaned early. Please keep in mind that (I have heard) that kittens seperated from their mothers too early often don't have great personalities toward humans. 'Little Bit' is already displaying this behavior; although he is not excessiviely aggresive, he has a bit of a wild streak and is not very affectionate, unless he is trying to nurse. Please keep this in mind and have patience with your new baby kitty. Just because he is stand-offish doesn't mean he doesn't need love! If you don't feel you can handle a kitty that doesn't love you back, it might be best to find him another home if necessary. Of course, he may turn out to be an angel as well. Feel free to PM me if you want too. Good luck, and God bless you for having a heart big enough to take in the little guy! SPAY AND NEUTER, PEOPLE!!!

[Mr. Rager!]

Harley did it for a while too.

My friend's cat sucks on his tail and does the kneading thing... it's cute!

I wouldn't worry about it, it's not going to hurt him or her...

[LadyMage]

The kitten was separated from its mama too young - he'll probably keep doing athat till he's a few months old.

Give lots of pettings and lots of love - kittens react very well to body heat of whoever's closest tot hem, feline or human.

A suggestion, not sure if it's an affordable one, but...call a few shelters in your area about nursing mother cats and see if you can take one in and place the little one with the nursing cat until he weans himself. That and young kittens always do well when not on their own but with another animal of any breed.

[Slave to the Phone]

ok...we have a kitten. we found him in a dumpster...

That's all I wanted to say, but now that I've had a minute longer to think about it...I don't think its a good idea to let your kitten nurse on anything with loose strings. Your kitten could swallow a long string and get blocked or have its intestines tied pooped out with the string :eek:

[Retail's Bitch]

My sister had a kitten that was taken at the appropriate time, and used to nurse on the bathmat. Then when you'd get out of the shower, chase you and lick your wet feet. He was just weird. And I'm saying was, not that he grew out of it, he didn't... He was hit by a car a few years back.

[Dreamstalker]

I don't think its a good idea to let your kitten nurse on anything with loose strings. Your kitten could swallow a long string and get blocked or have its intestines tied pooped out with the string :eek:
Kittens and anything with long, loose strings is a Bad Idea.

[Ljt09863]

thanks everybody. yeah, i didn't really think about the strings. guess the rug has to go up now. maybe he will find something else to keep him calm. he is a crazy cat, and when he is trying to nurse off that rug, it calms him down alot. i think it is a really cute thing, the way he kneads the rug, but the strings can hurt him, so its gotta stop.