I have a 1 year old cat who's never been a mother. She also isn't fixed and I just recently got a kitten from somebody online. The kitten is almost 3 months old. She's also not fixed and today she tried nursing on my older cat. My older cat's reaction was giving the kitten a light bite on the top of her ear which scared the kitten. Why is the kitten trying to nurse on my older cat and why did my older cat react like that?
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This sounds like your poor kitten was weaned to early from it's mom! Sometimes suggested time may be a little short. Your kitten may need to be fixed when old enough. That helps, if not, you may need to find away to keep them apart for a little while.
The kitten was with the mother until you adopted her. She is missing her mom and has tried to adopt your other cat as her new mom. The other cat does not want to be adopted and this was her way of saying to the new kitten I am not your mom.
So far this seems like healthy cat boundaries behavior. The young one, as stated, was probably weaned too soon and looking for a surrogate, and the older one told it "no, sorry...."
I think as long as the younger cat gets the memo, it will be OK. YOu might want to put a special snuggly toy or stuffed animal in the younger cat's bedding . it is surprising how effective this can be for young animals wanting affection.
This is a perfectly normal (and very common) behavior for young cats and kittens. "Comfort nursing" helps your new kitten adjust to her new life.
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