Inapproriate kitten suckling

by Kris Brackin
(Texas)

We have bottled raised 6 kittens and they are now 10 weeks. One of our girl kittens is inappropriately suckling on her brothers private parts. Please help me figure out the best course of action to take with this.


Dear Kris,

In the absence of a mother cat’s nipple to suckle, it is not uncommon for kittens to nurse on the body parts of other kittens in their litter, especially the penis of males in the litter. The best thing for both of the kittens would be to separate them from one another. Not only is it a bad habit for your little girl kitten, but the suckling behavior also puts your little boy kitten at risk for swelling, urinary problems, and infections, as evidenced by this question and answer from another reader. For your boy kitten's health, you should try to keep the area clean and lubricate with a bit of Vaseline or other lubricant to help prevent these issues from arising while the area heals.

Best wishes,
Dr. Neely