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Why does an adult cat look for the mother cat's nipples? We instill in the kitten independence and good upbringing. Benefits of natural cat nutrition

All habits are formed in a pet from childhood, so if you do not immediately wean it from bad behavior, then it will be impossible to retrain an adult animal.

A kitten fills the house with comfort, because it’s so nice when a good-natured, gentle creature greets you on the doorstep. But not all pets are gentle; some love to bite and scratch their owners. This happens because the baby doesn’t know how to behave with people, so you shouldn’t blame him for bad character. Let's figure out how to stop a kitten from scratching.

    Perhaps the baby is just scared; you brought him to a new home, play with him and pet him, and such attention is not only unusual for him, but frightening. So he starts scratching and biting. What should you do? The cause of fear must be eliminated. The kitten should be left alone for a while so that it gets used to the new conditions. And when he realizes that there is no reason to be afraid, he will stop behaving badly.

    Some kittens bite too hard when they get angry. They don't want to hurt their owners, but they just don't understand that they shouldn't do that.

    Remember the main thing, kitten - Living being, and you are responsible for it. Therefore, do not offend or beat your pet, be patient and establish contact with him, this will be the key to your tender relationship with your pet.

    In this case, which can be thrown or dragged on a string. This will help satisfy the animal instinct, and your hands will remain unscratched.

    When a cat bites you, you should try not to jerk your hand away sharply, since this is what prey does when trying to escape. On the contrary, try to bring your hand closer to the cat, this will confuse it and it will let you go.

    A pet may exhibit an instinct associated with violating personal territory. Another animal may be to blame. For example, a bird cage may irritate your kitten, causing him to bite and scratch. In this case, you should not keep the irritant in the same room as the kitten.

    Many owners are touched when their furballs attack them. Time passes, and the adult pet repeats the same actions. Since previously such actions were not stopped, but, on the contrary, caused delight, the cat does not understand the reasons for the irritation on the part of the owner. If the cat attacks you, you can lightly spray it with water from a spray bottle. It is enough to repeat this attempt several times and this will wean the cat from rushing at you.

    Cats have a very sensitive sense of smell, so some smells can irritate them, and this can cause aggression.

    When a kitten scratches, you can clap your hands hard. Strong and unexpected sounds are a limiter for animals; they frighten them, and the pet understands that it is impossible to behave this way. For example, a cat may feel threatened by foreign odor on your clothes and start defending your territory. For this case, you can buy a special spray at a pet store and treat some areas. This scent will help make your cat calmer and more peaceful.

    Some cats become aggressive due to lack of exercise. When a cat sees nothing but the apartment, its owner can become an object for hunting. In this case they will help active games, or you can try to accustom her to a scratching post, so she will not only release excess energy, but also do a manicure.

    The kitten should have its own place in the house

Is it possible to wean kittens from sucking a cat and is this measure reasonable? The sucking reflex is the key to survival. Essentially, newborn kittens don’t know how to do anything other than look for their mother’s nipple and eat. What to do if the kitten is very attached to mother's milk, at what age to introduce complementary foods and what weaning methods can be used. We'll figure it all out below.

Kittens learn to suck while still in the womb. By the time of birth, babies have only one mission: determine the direction using scent and crawl to the food source. The first sips of colostrum help populate the intestines with microflora so that the kitten can digest food. Within 2-3 days, kittens receive colostrum, after which the cat begins to produce milk.

Cat's milk gives kittens everything they need nutrients and antibodies – temporary immunity. The duration of feeding is regulated by the cat; some mothers feed their babies until the 15th week. Most often, a cat begins to avoid kittens or not let them suckle at 8–12 weeks. Until 12 weeks of age, it is advisable not to interfere with the feeding process of kittens!

If the pet abandoned the kittens earlier, they need to be artificially adopted. Kittens are regularly weighed; if any baby is underweight, he is supplemented with formula. In a non-multiple litter, there should be enough milk for all the babies. If there are 6 or more kittens, usually 1-2 of the last born kittens will need supplementation.

At about 3 weeks of age, kittens begin to become interested in the smells of adult food. If the kittens are on artificial feeding, it is permissible to start complementary feeding from 2 weeks. By the way, at the 3rd week of life, the kitten starts teething, which can cause serious inconvenience to the cat. You need to think about this point in advance, gradually accustom the kittens to supplementary feeding, so that the main source of nutrition is not mother’s milk.

Read also: Why cats yawn: understanding the essence of the reflex

Under no circumstances should you wean kittens from sucking using rough methods! You can’t punish kids, don’t feed them, or don’t feed them. It is strictly forbidden to rub anything on your cat’s nipples or limit its contact with kittens. It is strictly forbidden to spray kittens with water... this method is discussed on many forums.

Important! All actions must be natural, since at the “milk” age the psyche of kittens is very vulnerable.

Correct Methods

To wean a kitten from cat sucking without psychological trauma, you need to act gradually and slowly. Believe me, your pet will help you, because she will not allow kittens with teeth to bite her nipples. Babies will be hungry, so they will be more willing to switch to complementary foods.

Sucking is not only a way to eat, but also tactile contact. Most kittens older than 3 weeks suckle their mother only because they lack communication, like the smell, etc. Simply put, kittens are childishly attached to their mother and do not want to change this. If you carefully observe adult kittens, many of them suck not the nipple, but the mother’s fur, trample it with their paws, purr - this is communication that the mother cat will not object to.

What are the consequences of delaying the issue of weaning off sucking? Unfortunately, childhood cannot be prolonged; the kitten will have to grow up and learn to communicate with others differently. If a kitten, separated from its mother, continues to suck... the owner’s hands, clothes, blanket, it becomes morally attached to the “object of addiction”. There is nothing catastrophic in this, but such behavior cannot be called normal either.

There are several methods for weaning a kitten from sucking:

  • Games– at 3-4 weeks of age, babies are very playful, their attention can be attracted by noise, rustling or squeaking of a toy. Introduce feeding on a schedule, and the rest of the time, as soon as the kids rush to the cat, distract them.
  • Time– most kittens stop suckling their mother without intervention. This happens after the kittens gain self-confidence and a sense of “own self.” The baby may retain the habit of stomping, but this behavior is also characteristic of many adult cats.
  • Pacifier– the kitten is first accustomed to the bottle and the mixture, and then the mixture is poured into a saucer and the baby is taught to lap it. In this method, the transition occurs gradually, since sucking is very important role the smell of food plays. That is, you change familiar things in stages, first the smell, then the method.

Read also: What is better to feed a kitten: food or natural food?

Some forums recommend a very strange method - removing a cat's nest. From the point of view of raising physically and mentally healthy kittens, this is wrong. Nest - This is not only a place to eat, but also a home.

Important! If the cat does not enter the nest, it doesn’t matter, you can place a heating pad, pillow, soft toy. It is unreasonable to deprive children of their usual, calm refuge.

What to do if an adult kitten sucks on a cat or things

What should you do if an adult kitten continues to suck the cat, its body parts, your hands, clothes, bedding? A rough method recommended by many owners is separation. That is, the kitten and the object of its adoration should be in different rooms for 3-5 days. Perhaps the pet will come to terms with the loss...or perhaps it will choose a new object to suck on. If the object of predilection is a cat, its nipples can be protected with ordinary postoperative bandage. This way, the kitten will be able to communicate with its mother, but will not bite her.

However, to truly solve the problem effectively, you need to eliminate its cause. Kittens suck on everything for only one reason - stress. People also have strange habits, for example, many people bite their nails, pull or chew their hair, children can suck their fingers in their sleep - all these are methods of self-soothing.

The problem is that calming therapy for a pet often ends with bites... the pet sucks a finger, and then begins to chew it, and if you try to twitch, it will “affectionately” hold your hand with its claws. Particularly lucky are those owners whose pets sneak up on them in their sleep and suck not their hand, but their nose or ear.

In this article I will tell you why a cat may still have a sucking reflex. I'll describe it possible techniques and I will give recommendations on how to wean an animal from the sucking reflex. I will dwell in detail on what not to do during the weaning process.

Why can a cat still have a sucking reflex?

The main reasons why a cat retains the sucking reflex include:

  1. If the kitten weaned early from mother cat.
  2. If a pet little attention and affection from the owner. This desire especially appears in the animal during the period of adaptation and socialization. At this moment he needs to create optimal conditions for the development and acceptance of new circumstances, to get rid of possible stressful situations. Recommended to purchase interactive toys, allowing you to entertain your pet in the absence of the owner.
  3. Sometimes animals are simply bored and, from banal idleness, begin to exhibit a sucking reflex.
  4. May appear genetic or breed predisposition cat for such an activity. In this case, we consider Siamese and Persian breeds cats, including their mixtures. It is these pets that often chew and suck various things and objects.
  5. Severe stress or constant anxiety, emotional stress also affects the expression of the sucking reflex.
  6. Veterinarians often state behavioral disorders , leading to the cat’s desire to suck things or other objects.
  7. If the kitten is bottle-fed and underfed. The animal tries to get food on its own. Can suck on woolen things that remind him of his mother. This activity is harmful, since hairballs clog his stomach and can cause gastrointestinal problems.
  8. As an option systemic functional disruptions in the body animal.

No matter how important it is to find the real reason appearance of the sucking reflex pet. Otherwise, it is impossible to wean him from this destructive activity.

How to wean a cat

The mother's discomfort will be immediately noticeable.

To distract kittens older than three months from their mother, you can:

  • distract interesting games . Buy noisy toys, or those that have the smell of some kind of delicacy;
  • during weaning kittens cannot be rehomed, it is better to buy a new nest for the cat. The kids will already be nervous, and you will also take away their shelter;
  • If the cat has become accustomed to sucking your things, you should not leave them in a visible place. Always hide them in a closet or other place inaccessible to your pet. After some time of absence of the object of desire, the animal must forget about its idea;
  • If the cat prefers to suck parts of the human body: his ears and fingers, it is recommended to proceed gradually. If these are fingers, it is better to let the animal suck only one of your fingers. Others cannot be given. Then put it on leather glove, which you don’t feel sorry for.
  • You can also try coat the item with citrus juice or black pepper. But if this does not help, it is better to choose another option. Such actions do not have a positive effect on the pet. And in our case, a peaceful solution to problems is the best option.

Zoopsychologists say that kittens who received moral trauma in childhood can continue the sucking reflex for up to three years. And it is almost impossible to get rid of this.

The animal must recover on its own.

When you accustom him to the glove and arrange your pet’s own shelter, be sure to put that same glove inside. Moreover, washing it is strictly prohibited. Over time, the problem will resolve itself.

What not to do during the weaning process

There are things you shouldn't do to avoid harming your cat:

  1. It is often advised to splash water on your pet in the process of weaning off the sucking reflex. This cannot be done, because in this case you create an association in the animal with unpleasant sensations, but also provoke the emergence of fears. The cat may get scared and get severe stress. In addition, against the background of what is happening, real psychological trauma may appear that will accompany the animal throughout its life. It is even possible to have a phobia of water.
  2. You cannot scold the cat or make physical comments.. There is a possibility that the animal will misunderstand you and will simply be afraid. And against the backdrop of stress, the desire to suck on things or objects will only increase.
  3. If the kitten is weaned from the mother's breast, Don't put pepper or anything else on your nipples. This can have a detrimental effect on the female. It is better to consider other options for weaning. For example, gradually separate animals in different rooms for a while. Moreover, it is better to play with the little fidget at this time. You shouldn't leave it alone. Nothing good will come of this.

In any case, the owner should try to solve the problem of the sucking reflex peacefully.


Sometimes cats' sucking reflex does not disappear as they grow older. There could be many reasons for this.

To wean your pet from the desire to suck and chew objects and things, it is recommended to follow some rules. For the most part, they relate to gradual work with the animal, complete absence aggression and swearing. In this case, it is extremely important to avoid stress, otherwise the efforts will not be successful.

Ginger cat Published 03/25/2013 admin 09.03.2019

The cat is marking its territory, what to do?, if this territory is an apartment? Having got a cat in the house, many are faced with the problem that these animals begin to mark the territory in the house or apartment, but Why do cats mark territory? The answer is simple: in this way they demonstrate their rights to this territory.

And no matter how much you wash all these “marks”, your beloved pet will mark the territory again and again, since such behavior is inherent in nature at the genetic level. Poking the cat's nose into the marks formed is pointless, because... The mark is a source of pride for him and he will understand for himself that you understood it too. But there is still a solution to this problem. You need to play according to nature's rules.

How we rejoiced and were touched by the kitten - a fluffy little ball that amusingly lifted its tail and moved its paws, taking its first steps. Each of his new achievements - jumping on the sofa, playing with a ball, eating a piece of meat - as if these were the achievements of his own child. But the cat grew up and... That's where it all began!

The cat began to mark his territory! Why does he do this if he is litter trained? It's all about the instinct of protecting one's territory. And even if there are no other cats nearby, they will not appear in the marked territory. Every cat thinks so. Therefore, no matter how strange it may sound, the owner himself must “mark” the territory and show the cat that he is not in charge here at all.

It’s worth saying right away that screaming and poking the cat’s nose into a puddle is useless. He will understand that this is his scent, and will continue to mark this place. You need to follow the pet and catch it at the moment of the “crime” and take it by the collar so that it assumes the pose of a kitten in its mother’s teeth.

Now you need to “become a cat” yourself. Firstly, the owner should make the sound of a hissing cat, then hit the cat on the nose several times with your fingertips, as cats do in a fight. All this must be done in a state of anger so that the cat feels it. Of course, you need to balance your strength and hit the cat lightly. The cat will definitely squeak, now you can let him out of your hands.

You need to prove to the cat that the most important cat in the house is you! You are the most important, strongest, strict, but fair Cat in this territory and he will have to obey and play by your rules.

Now the most important thing is to re-mark the territory. Don't be afraid, don't the cat way. You just need to take an item of clothing that was on your body, preferably socks. After wiping the puddle, place a mark on this place. You can repeat the procedure until the cat understands who is in charge in the house.

or so...

Since only the leader has the right to mark the territory under his control, the cat needs to be shown that you are in charge. Therefore, after seeing how cat marks territory, what do you need to do first?

You need to lift him by the scruff of the neck and look menacingly into his eyes, while you need to growl angrily and lightly slap him in the face. At the same time, the cat should look away and meow pitifully. This is a sign that he has recognized you as the owner of the territory. And you, as the owner, must wash away the old marks and put your own in their place, using, for example, perfume or eau de toilette.

If you punish a prankish cat in the old-fashioned way - by simply spanking him with a slipper, then the little kitty may not understand you, simply be offended and not come to you anymore to sing her cat songs, delight you with sweet purrs, and make a foul-smelling puddle in the slippers, then in this way everything will be according to cat justice.

Understanding a cat can be difficult, but with some effort you can still do it!

Read also articles on this topic:

The cat often walks and marks its territory, what should I do?

How to stop a cat from marking territory in the house?

We teach the cat not to mark its territory.

How to get rid of the smell of cat urine?

The kitten walks past the litter box, what should I do?

What types of cat litter are there?

How to stop a cat from walking past the litter box?

Look what original way This lady suggests wean the cat from shitting anywhere:

How to toilet train your pet!

Place a bowl of food in a place where the kitten is not allowed to go to the toilet, you can spray it with a strong smell so that the kitten does not go there again to go to the toilet.

How to stop a cat from stealing food?

The same should be done when it is necessary to wean a cat from stealing food from the table.

For some, stopping a cat from stealing food from the table is as easy as identifying tits and pr, but for others this can be a real problem. When your pet understands that all the food on the table is the owner’s “prey”, he will be afraid to take it from the table. After all, you are the boss in the house, its owner!

You should also accustom your cat to the concept of “no”. To do this, you can use the words: “damn”, “you can’t” or “fu”. The main thing is not the word itself, but the intonation in which this word is pronounced. Therefore, these words should be pronounced in a strict and prohibitive tone. Here it should be taken into account that a ban on something should always be a ban without exception. It makes no sense to scold your pet for an unraveled and torn ball if you previously gave him the same ball to play with.

Whenever you find a cat doing something forbidden and unacceptable, scare it, because... they really don't like harsh and loud sounds. Let the cat always associate every inappropriate activity with this frightening sound.

And she will be afraid to do dirty tricks, even in your absence.

Now that the cat is marking its territory, you know what to do and how to do it right. Certainly, Whiskered cat - best friend , but order in the house is also important and you need to teach your furry pet to play according to the necessary rules.

If you have just brought a nice kitten into your home and are wondering what is the best name for it, then the article “What to name a ginger kitten?” will be useful to you.

Tell us what you do when a cat begins to mark its territory, how you raise it and find it purring mutual language so that everyone has a good time and everyone is happy.

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Look how the red king of beasts, His Majesty the Lion, marks his territory!

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