Question about little kittens

[Auntie Debbie]

Smokey's four little ones are just a little over two weeks and are getting bigger every day and doing more cat like things. The little whiner did something I thought was very interesting this morning. Mother cats lick the kittens butts for the first 3 weeks or so to get them to eliminate. That's okay. This morning I saw the whiner licking the butt of the gray and white.
Question...Do little kittens lick each other's butts for this purpose or was this just a fluke thing I saw. They do seems to be grooming themselves, and to a point each other already. Any ideas on this?

[Traci]

To my knowledge, not usually. If the eyes aren't open yet, it could have been an instinct to suckle, looking for mom,...some kittens, when older, will suckle on each other (usually the abdominal area or even genitals, kind of like a security issue)

[Auntie Debbie]

All their eyes are open, been open for days now and I believe they're even teething now. So they can see (I love the way they look around and even at me sometimes....the little bobble heads).
I was just wondering if the whiner was playing mommy or if it was just a fluke thing going on there, LOL! They are sort of play fighting now and trying to leave the nest and they're doing that bite (in their case, "gum" the hand while latching on with their paws and bunny kicking with the feet when I tickle their bellies...guess I need to stop that now!
They're really starting to be fun without being and handful right now. The whiner loves cuddling with me and I think she considers me a second mommy more so than the rest. I'll get around to posting more pics this weekend...geez they're sooo cute!

[Traci]

Just to make sure, she is getting enough nursing, milk, etc, yes? (if you have a gram or kitchen scale, might want to weigh them weekly) Alot of times, you will find at least one kitten who is more needy, loves attention, and that one kitten will usually attempt to get the attention from anyone who will give, like her siblings. I think she's too young to say she is a certain type (like the mother type or alpha type) yet. And, at this age, I really don't think they know to groom each other just yet. If you see her doing it again, divert her attention to mom in case she is hungry, or needing warmth, cuddling, etc, you don't want her ingesting bacteria.

Wait til they start climbing out of the nest, then your hands will be full, but these are the best times!

[Auntie Debbie]

She is the runt, but she is getting enough milk and is developing well. In fact I though the bigger one would be more adventerous, but it's the whiner. She usually gets her share of the grub when one moves away or when the rest are done, and lately has gotten pushy and is up and front. They are grooming now in some fashion and a little play fighting. I was just curious about the butt licking deal. I will keep an eye on that. She's just very affectionate and loves attention and I thought maybe she is exhibiting some maternal instincts in her quest for attention or companionship. She certainly is the most active of the lot. Guess what! Yep, she's my favorite! Hate to call favorites, but she's got me!