Kitten licks and nibbles when picked up. Is this normal? What to do?

Yes, this sounds like normal behaviors, especially given their young age. While I can’t see them to be sure, your kittens are likely soothing themselves and performing behaviors similar to what they would do while nursing from their mother.

This is a form of affection that cats typically display. This is a common area for cats to be affectionate towards and there is nothing wrong with that unless it bothers you. If you want to stop this behavior, you will need to let Kirishima know that this is an undesired behavior by saying "off!" and rewarding him when he stops the behavior. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hello Adora! Congrats on your new kitten! Latte is licking you because she is showing affection to you. She's letting you know that she likes you, it has nothing to do with mistaking you for her mother. This is a normal behavior, and not something that I would be concerned about with her. At this age, I would be sure to be feeding her a high quality kitten food. Brands I recommend include Royal Canin, Hill's Science diet, Purina ProPlan, or Iams. Make sure she gets lots of love and attention from you, and play with her on a daily basis. Also make sure she is up to date on her vaccines, and put her on flea treatment and deworming treatment. I would recommend having her seen by a vet for a health check. I hope this helps!

It sounds like this may be a soothing technique that he continued from kitten hood. The comfort he obtains may be similar to nursing. If you don’t want this behavior to continue then every time he starts I would remove yourself from the situation. Overtime it will become less and less. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Yes, this is very normal - kittens this age will try to play with just about anything within reach, and hair is very tempting for them when they are cuddling with you :) They will grow out of this as they get older, so as long as it isn't hurting you or bothering you, I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Because Ginger is a young kitten this may just be a type of play behavior or even a behavior related to nursing for her. As Ginger gets older we don't want to have her continue this habit because it could lead to biting behavior. The best thing to do is to walk away from her when she does this. She will soon learn that she doesn't get attention by biting. You should ensure you set aside plenty of time to play with her with toys, but avoid using your hands for any rough play in the future. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and good luck to you and Ginger!

I would not allow this behavior and I would not consider it "normal". It is surely due to her being weaned too early. She would do this to any nipple she finds - male or female or even a different species. Please don't allow her to do this. If you stop the behavior now she will likely stop doing it. Best wishes.