My 10-week-old kitten suckles my dog's nipples. Should I stop it?

It's very common for kittens to continue to try to nurse on other animals in the house. This behavior usually lessens as the kittens mature, so I would not worry about it unless she is causing sores on the other animals or if they are snapping at her when she nurses. If not, then I would just let her grow out of the behavior. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.

16 week old kittens should be weaned and not nursing, and it is unlikely your female dog is actually lactating. Kittens can knead and look as if they are nursing as a sort of comfort behavior, so that may be what you are seeing instead. If neither is bothered by this, I wouldn't be worried, but if there is discharge coming from your dog it is best to seek veterinary care to make sure there isn't an infection or something else going on. Making sure both your dog and kitten are on a balanced diet (kitten formula) is best to ensure they're getting proper nutrition.

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!

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.

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 not likely a sign that the cat needs more nutrition but is probably simply a preference. Some kittens want to suckle longer than others for comfort, and some adult cats will continue to try to suckle themselves or other things like blankets. I would think that the momma would put a stop to this pretty quickly, but if you see the cat trying to suckle I would try to intervene so that things between them don’t get out of hand.