Expert: Jessica - 6/5/2010

Question
I have an older cat and then just got a new born that is now 12 weeks.. no relations at all and the baby keeps nursing on my other cat..her nipples look soo sore..and shes not his mother..i was told to keep them seprated but i cant open living area..then vasaline and the baby licks it off what can i do to help my older cat wean the baby??

Answer
Hi Cassy.  Unfortunately, none of the answers will be enjoyable for you or the cats.  You can try placing a soft e-collar on the kitten.  These are the "lampshade" type collars that are sometimes sent home on a cat after surgery.  This might take the fun out of suckling for him.  E-collars are available at most pet stores.

Or, you can try having your older cat wear a shirt that would cover her teats.  Some people use Onesies (for human babies) with a hole cut out for the tail and bathrooming.  Others make a tube that will fit just on the belly by cutting up a pair of tights or leggings.  These will prevent the kitten from having any access to her nipples, but as you can imagine, most cats aren't very thrilled to wear them.

I actually have a male cat that used to let the kittens suckle his belly.  A cat will take so much from a kitten but will eventually put him in his place when they've had enough.  If she hasn't reached her boiling point yet, I would let the two continue to work it out.  If you see her becoming exasperated with him, kicking him away, swatting at him, hissing at him, and making other sounds of disapproval at him, then I would wisk him away to a bathroom for 10 minutes or so to give her some breathing room.  

Ultimately, this is a situation where one of two things has to happen - either the baby grows out of it, or your older kitty gets so annoyed by it she puts a complete stop to it.  We just have to sit on the sidelines and do a little bit of damage control (Vaseline, separations) in the meantime.

Good luck!

Jessica