I got a new kitten two days ago. He's supposedly been wormed and weaned. He'll only eat dry food so we've been making sure he has plenty of water to drink too.

He pretty much instantly bonded with two of my cats (it's been the quickest I've ever seen cats meet) and he's already really close with one of them (the one who went missing for 5 days recently). They run around and play, snuggle and lick each other.

I've noticed today he has been trying to suckle on the other boy cat. He gets really desperate to do it and purrs his head off whilst he is doing it. Is it just a comfort thing or is he hungry and not getting enough nutrients from his food?

Any ideas people?

It is really really really cute though. awwww

It's probably just a comfort thing. My cat used to suckle on my armpits in bed at night when I was asleep until she was six months old. Very cute indeed but, damn, were my armpits sore!

Ahh another armpit fetish cat? My Bob is about 9 months old now and still loves to lay like a baby with his head in my armpit. He doesn't suckle though, just sniffs lots. He always seems disapointed when I'm fresh out of the shower haha.

How lovely that your cats have taken to your new kitten so well & vice versa. I don't want to jeopardise things but just watch out that when the kitten starts to reach sexual maturity, the character of the relationship may change, & this may happen again as the kitten heads towards social maturity. Hopefully all the cats will be very well boded to each other then & the new kitten will be able to remain on good terms with your other cats.

As regards the suckling, this is almost certainly "leftover" behaviour from when the kitten was with its mother ~ it gives the kitten comfort, security & helps to establish a bond with your other cat. He should grow out of it & as long as your older cat doesn't mind, then I wouldn't worry too much.

I would try to introduce some other types of food though as a dry food only diet may lead to lower urinary tract problems later on. Even if it's just small pices of fish or chicken, or a particular wet food every now & again as a treat would help just in case there are problems with dry food later.

Happy kitten watching

One my cats did this when he was a kitten it is a comfort thing he's 3 now and if he gets scared he will still try

my kitten does it too, with a knitted blanket - she purrs like a wee motor bike and her claws go, and she makes a slurpy-sucky sound, its too cute! she's only 6 weeks, but our first cat did it too, until she ran off aged 3

One of my cats still does this sometimes, and he's 3 years old. He doesn't suckle my other cats, god forbid, they'd rip his arms off He suckles buttons or the edges of my specs frames ....yes, he is insane.... but with the OP's cat I agree with the others who say it is comfort behaviour. He will probably stop when he grows up a bit - if not voluntarily, then the other cat will give him a smack round the ears and change his mind

Agree with the comfort thing. One of ours did it last year.
We got 2 new kitties within 2 weeks of each other & they took to each other straight away, it was another 2 months later when we got the 3rd kitty & at first they didn't want to know him, a week later they were all the best of friends & it was so cute to see them all snuggled up to each other especially when Charlie (the youngest) used to suckle on that little paddy bit on Ginger's paw. He did it for a few weeks & Ginger was quite happy to play 'mother'.

I took a photo so I can look back on it now

Mine still tries to do that!!....every night!! She's learnt not to keep padding my lady lumps (v painful) and instead I have bruises now on my ribs.

Don't know what the armpit thing is..guess it's to do with scent glands.

Weirdo!

My cat used to try suckling from my dog. I only noticed when the dog suddenly started growling at him when he went close to her belly. Her belly was red raw. (she did not like her belly being rubbed and we rarely got to see it). (Cats have a furry belly, so it does not hurt them, but my poor dog had a baldy belly, yowch). My dog was such a good mother cat to all of my kittens. The cats all wag their tails when they are happy, and bark at the door too, and play fetch, just like dogs.

Cat is now 5 years old and he still kneads my chest with the same suckling look, and it really hurts. But I have grown used to it now, and try to hold both his paws, one day he may understand why.

My cat is 15 and she still does it first thing every morning when she comes up for her morning cuddle. We call it soggy shirt syndrome because your clothes get soaked.

My 11 year old still does it - mainly at night in bed. She has to have her suckles! One of my other cats (many years ago) would suck on a towel and do the 'pussy paddling' motion at the same time. Neutered cats never really grow up, it is definitely a comfort thing and nothing to worry about.