Yes, little Shiloh was the runt and the only female in the litter. Yes, she had a rough time scrambling into a nipple with three larger brothers brawling each other into a small mother's belly. But little Shiloh (aka Sweet Babycakes) always got dragged aside once the male kittens were full of cat milk and asleep so that her mother could love and nurse her as a solo.
Hello! Sweet Babycakes is an adult cat at 18 months but now and again will go to nurse. The momcat Mister Mittens is as dry as the Sahara in August and kicks and nips at her daughter to get her away from her belly but most of the time will let her in to nurse on a dry nipple after a time.
I don't understand the thoughts of a cat and never will just like any other human. Dr. Wallach, our DVM, explained to me that a female cat in the street (a feral cat) will lay out milk for just so many weeks before her instincts tell her that her kittens should go on their own and she takes off for food with thoughts of maybe mating again. Her part in reproducing is done until the cycle kicks off again if she's game enough and sturdy enough to mate again - survival of the fittest.
The kittens can go die or survive if they can make a living on the street.
OK - the three I kept are house cats. The tomcat is huge but doesn't ever want to nurse. He's just a nice big guy. The girls are strange though in their relationship.
