I don't think it is particularly normal. Normally domestic cats are weaned at about 8 weeks of age. So 14 weeks is about twice the normal time. But apparently, free-living kittens often remain with their mother for 12 weeks or longer. And there has to be some flexibility in how long kittens are weaned. It seems to me that these sub-adult siblings are seeking comfort from being nursed by their mother. And that said, there must be a background reason why they are seeking this form of emotional comfort. Might it be fair to say that they are slightly stressed for whatever reason? I don't think that it is anything to get really concerned about. The prediction would be that the mother will eventually push them away but she appears to accept it. As all three of the cats accept what they're doing it should be regarded as acceptable by their human caregiver. It's just a question as to how long it goes on for. You wonder whether there will be any behavioural problems in the sub-a...

A picture of a grown kitten suckling milk from a bottle in his "arms" brings to mind quite a commonplace question about adult cats which is that sometimes they suckle on objects which are not their mother's breast. It's a form of compulsive suckling as if they are kittens i.e. permanent kittens. And this is for me, a part of the answer. I see this "problem" being to do with two issues, one of which is an overarching issue and the other is a more specific issue. Adult siblings suckling each other. Screenshot. See base of page for explanation. RELATED: Sibling suckling . Overarching issue I call this an overarching issue because it seems to me that cat owners a.k.a. cat caregivers (which is a better description), through their actions and their relationship between themselves and their domestic cat companion, keep their cats in a permanent state of kittenhood.  Because they constantly provide food, security and warmth to their cat companions, the cat's nor...

It's a cute little Twitter video but is it a good idea to allow a near-adult domestic cat companion suckle from a bottle like this? I mean it looks nice in many ways; it looks like this cat is a human baby with the presence of mind to hang onto a bottle of milk and drink from it as if they are suckling at their mother's breast.  But does it not perpetuate the thought in the mind of this cat that they are a kitten and might it not be a good idea to allow the cat to grow up and become more independent?  The truth is, as stated by Dr Desmond Morris, that human cat caregivers keep their companions in a near permanent state of kittenhood due to the relationship. It is an automatic byproduct of cat domestication. Near-adult cat likes to suckle from a 'hand-held' bottle. Screenshot. The person who has tweeted the video is a colleague of mine who is on a mission to try and stop cat declawing in the USA. I have tried myself through hundreds of posts. I won't go on but declaw...