My kitten sucks her brother's private area. Is his health at risk?

Hello. There is no immediate danger with this behavior & the male kitten will eventually kick everyone off him as he matures. Because of the self-grooming cats do I do not recommend placing a bitter spray on him. Just anytime you see one of the kittens doing this, just gently remove her & try to distract with a treat. This behavior often gets outgrown. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

What cute kitties! I would discourage this behavior by removing the kitten each time this occurs and trying to distract him with something else- a fun toy or treat. Also giving him some time alone so he develops some independent from his sibling can be helpful. A feliway pheromone diffuser may also be helpful if the suckling is a nervous response. You can also put a little shirt/sweater on the kitten getting suckled to make it tougher for the suckler to get to him!

Unfortunately its hard to tell in the pictures if the skin looks abnormal. It may be that they have some irritation that is making Shiuli very interested in the back end. Are their stools formed or is there some diarrhea? Make sure they are eating a high quality kitten food. Ideally take them both to the vet so that your vet can determine if there is a physical health issue or is this a behavioral issue. Best of luck with them!

Congratulations on your new babies! I adopted brother and sister kittens a few years ago. My male also displayed this behavior on his sister (as well as one of the dogs), but that behavior had improved by the time he was 6 months old. There isn't anything inherently abnormal about the behavior, and it's really only a problem if the female decides it's a problem, so I don't know that I would worry about it. I suspect that it will decrease quite a bit as he gets older and more settled in your house. The only other caveat that I will give you is that some cats will also do that on (especially wool) blankets and sweaters to the point that they chew/suck a hole in the fabric, so be on the lookout for that behavior. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

He will stop doing it as he will be able to see and hear properly soon. Urine would be eliminated through gastrointestinal system anyway (so it is unlikely it will cause major toxicity). In few weeks he will definitively grow out of it. Check his weight constantly to monitor weight gain. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

I would not worry about him hurting her. If this actually would hurt her, she would swat him and not let him suckle. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to get him to stop the suckling as it is a comfort behavior. It makes him feel happy and safe. The only way to get him to stop possibly, is to put a baby body on your female so he cannot access the nipples and really, I would not do this to her. Trust her to tell him it is not ok when it hurts her.

This is usually not a hunger-driven activity in a 10 week old kitten. It can indicate that the kitten was weaned or taken away from its mother too early. I would definitely continue to prevent this behavior, as it can continue into adulthood and could cause problems like an infection in the mammary gland of your dog. You may have your dog wear a shirt to cover the nipples, or keep them separated unless you can monitor them. Since it can be brought on by stress, you can try supplements for stress such as Zylkene or Feliway/Comfort Zone Feline Pheromones. Here is some more information: https://www.petplace.com/article/cats/pet-behavior-training/wool-sucking/