Monday, February 16, 2009

Would you breastfeed a kitten?

Further to my post about cross-nursing, it's been a topic of crazy hot discussion these days. In the typical way that these things go, some of the conversations are going to extremes. One such discussion went something like this:
T: "Well, if you'd breastfeed another woman's baby, what about another animal?"
Me: "Uh... well, most animals are pretty good at nursing their own babies and there are artificial formulas made up especially for various species." (feeling suddenly very protective of my nipples!)
T: "Ok, but you're stuck in a cabin with a litter of kittens whose mother just died. No formula, no cow's milk. Would you then?"
(I love these conversations, don't you?)
Me: Eye roll. " So basically, would I rather nurse these kittens or sit there while they died a painful, horrible death that I could easily prevent? That's your question? Do they have teeth?"
T: "Yes."
Me: "Hmmm....". I need to get out of the conversation without looking like murderous maniac or a nutjob who would have kittens suckling at her teat... it's not easy.
T: "So?"Me: "Ah-ha! Kittens that small would need very little milk and I could express it for them and let them lap in from a cup. So, ha! There, they don't die and I don't get scratch marks on the girls."
Necessity really is the mother of invention.

1 comment:

mezzaluna said...

i was at someone's house once in my pre-baby days and a new kitten came wandering over from the neighbor's backyard... mewling and mewling. the woman i was visiting was so moved, and knew the neighbors weren't taking good care of the cat... she expressed some milk into a dish for the kitten. i was impressed. i think i would have been a little horrified if she'd put it to breast, though!