Cat Health Symptoms

Can my cat get any health problems by nursing when she is not the mother nor ever has been one?

My cat has been nursing our newest kitten for about the past 2 months (I'm pretty sure no milk is produced and he does perfectly fine with his food). She is not his mother nor has she ever had kittens (she thinks she is his mom though). The kitten was 9 weeks when we got him and he started nursing from her a few weeks later. I thought it would stop relatively quickly since he was getting way too old to nurse but he is about 4 months now and she is still letting him nurse. Can she get any health problems from this or start having false pregnancies? If so how can i stop this behavior?

Public Comments

1. She can have sore, irritated, lacerated teets,... besides it isn't normal at this stage or age. Fixed your female cat, spay,.. this should have been done, it may curb her abnormal maternal instinct. As far as the kitten, he should be on solid foods by now. He will have a weaning (sucking material, objects, etc.) afixation problem if he doesn't stop. So spay the surrogate mom and deter the kitten with playtime, etc.
2. There is a remote possibility that she could catch feline leukemia from him, if he was born with it. It is spread through blood and saliva. At age 4 months he is old enough to be tested for feline leukemia and FIV, an immune deficiency disease. Both diseases are tested from the same blood sample, it is done in the vet's office, the results are ready in about half an hour, and the test costs about $50.00. It's time for him to start his vaccinations, if he hasn't already, and having the test done at the same time would save you the cost of an office visit. I'd have the test done for peace of mine, especially if you don't know the kitten's background or the state of health of his mother. I don't think his nursing on your female cat will cause any problems if he is healthy. If he makes her nipples sore, she'll put a stop to it. As far as causing a false pregnancy goes, I doubt it. It seems that it's just a thing that gives both cats comfort and pleasure.