AboutDear Tabbi Expertise I try to help people understand their cats and their cat's behavior.
I do not answer questions about pedigreed cats as mine are, and always have been, from questionable parentage. Please remember I am NOT a veterinarian.
Experience At the current time I have 13 cats. All are spayed and neutered!
Since I was a child I have been owned by lots of cats and kittens of almost every temperment, behavior, and personality. I have experience with neurotic, disabled, stray, feral, and 'problem child' cats and kittens. (A few normal cats too!) Plus all the things a lifetime of owning cats has taught me that I want to share.
Question Through a mishap, we have become nursemaid to newborn kittens--bottle feeding them and helping them to defecate. Ack! But...here's our aggravation. One is a male and one is a female. The male is a very aggressive kitten and from about 3 weeks on he has been exhibiting a strange behavior we can't figure out. He goes after the bottom of the female, licking and stimulating her till she messes herself up completely. She doesn't do that to him. We almost have to keep them separate to keep this from happening. They are now about a month old, but we hate to keep them apart all the time. What is the deal here?
Answer Karen,
It is common to have uncommon behavior from kittens that were weaned too early. They miss out on learning correct kitty behavior from their mom. Plus they miss out on the frequent lickings that mom gives them which gives them comfort and security.
Two kittens, even from the same litter may be completely different personality, behavior, and temperment wise. Kittens can have different fathers even though they are from the same litter. A mother cat can have a kitten from each tom that bred her during her cycle.
Try to keep them together as much as possible. It will help them feel comforted if they have each other. It is not abnormal (though disgusting) what the male is doing. He is getting the comfort from the female that he should have gotten from mom, and she is also getting comfort from him doing it. It is not sexual. Just a little unorthadox but not uncommon. If it doesn't make too much of a mess, and the female kitten doesn't mind, I would turn my back and let nature guide them. They will grow out of it when they get older. The messing on herself is just a stimulation reaction.
It sounds as if they have had a rough start so I wouldn't deprive them of the little comfort they can get from each other by keeping them apart. Have you tried putting some soft, plush stuffed animals in with them? That may help.
It's a very nice thing you are doing for the babies caring for them like that. They are lucky kitties!
