Why does my 6-month-old kitten suckle his sister? Will it stop?

Question

We just got adopted by 6 month old kittens... brother and sister... He is constantly milk-treading and suckling on his poor sister... is this a habit that will go away or one I need to try to discourage... or just let her call the shots and stop being an over-protective mother??? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

Congratulations on your new babies! I adopted brother and sister kittens a few years ago. My male also displayed this behavior on his sister (as well as one of the dogs), but that behavior had improved by the time he was 6 months old. There isn't anything inherently abnormal about the behavior, and it's really only a problem if the female decides it's a problem, so I don't know that I would worry about it. I suspect that it will decrease quite a bit as he gets older and more settled in your house. The only other caveat that I will give you is that some cats will also do that on (especially wool) blankets and sweaters to the point that they chew/suck a hole in the fabric, so be on the lookout for that behavior. I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Why does my 6-month-old kitten suckle his sister? Will it stop?

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