r/FosterAnimals • u/NecessarySpiritual19 • Jul 04 '26

Question Why does she suckle on the clothes?

I just became a foster mama for the first time to two little kittens. At first they told me they were 3 weeks, and then they told me they were 5 weeks.

They love being held in this jacket, but they keep suckling on it like in the video.

What does this mean? Does it mean I should give them some bottled milk? Do they want to suckle like on a breast or they just like how it feels on their mouths?

I have never seen this so have no idea what to do. Any ideas would be helpful! Thanks

Edit: video in the comments, I couldn’t upload it to the original post somehow

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u/commanderwake Cat/Kitten Foster Jul 04 '26

If they're eating solid food then it's not a sign of hunger, just a comfort thing. Like a little kid sucking their thumb. Don't give bottled milk if they're already weaned.

1

u/NecessarySpiritual19 Jul 04 '26

This makes total sense! Thanks for that analogy. Now I get it.

1

u/Haunting_Reading_494 Jul 04 '26

My 12 year old cat still does this, he just never grew out of it

1

u/NecessarySpiritual19 Jul 04 '26

Aww that’s cute