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Cats/Siamese kitten "nursing off of male dog"

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Expert: - 7/16/2010


Question
We recently purchased a pure bred siamese kitten from a friend who has been breeding for years.  She comes from a very strong line, her sire is a champion.  She is everything we expected and has a lot of promise.

However she began latching on to our male dog's nipples and nursing.  To the point that she has actually removed two of his nipples.  At first we just chased her off but now we are at a loss as to what to do.  She is very persistent and he is just too mellow to stop her.

Answer
Danielle,

How old is this kitten?  It sounds to me that this kitten is going through some anxiety after being separated from its home and litter mates.

You can try putting a "sweater" on your dog so the kitten does not have access to the dog's teats.  You can go to your vet and see what they have in the way of bitter concoctions to smear on your dog's teats to discourage the kitten.  It is very hard to break the kitten of such a habit, and you just have to hope he outgrows it.

Cats do not respond well to negative reinforcement, so you may want to see if you can figure a way to reinforce behaviors that are not sucking on the dog. Usually, cats do respond well to lots of affection and special treats.

Please let me know how you make out.

Berst regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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