# Woman volunteers to breastfeed tiger cubs. You heard right. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 10, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716 "2005-04-10T23:34:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/1 "2005-04-10T23:34:04Z")
Well, these little 'uns need milk and she’s lactating, so she figured, what the hell: [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-04/04/content\_430915.htm](http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-04/04/content_430915.htm) What the hell? Aren’t those little teeth kind of sharp? And, um, ewww. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/2 "2005-04-11T00:27:33Z")
Why eww? They’re creatures, as we all are. She has productive mammary glands and is willing to nourish the little kitties. I see no problem. ---
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/3 "2005-04-11T00:33:06Z")
They have no teeth during the time they’re breastfeeding, just like babies. Where’s the oww in gumming? ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/4 "2005-04-11T00:52:35Z")
It’s pretty well-known that cow’s milk isn’t good for a human newborn - is human milk going to be harmful for a tiger newborn? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/5 "2005-04-11T03:46:55Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Why eww? They’re creatures, as we all are. She has productive mammary glands and is willing to nourish the little kitties. I see no problem. _snerk_ There’s my favorite username/post combo of the night! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/6 "2005-04-11T03:50:12Z")
Oops - dang Submit button! It doesn’t say that she’s actually nursing them, just that she’s providing breast milk - it could be that she’s pumping the milk and bringing it to the zoo for bottle feeding. Once they get their teeth in, they can eat pureed meat. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go pump milk for my little one in the hospital. _sigh_ ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/7 "2005-04-11T05:03:13Z")
The article calls it a breast-feeding session. I had a brief _eeww_ moment, but now I think it’s a good thing. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/8 "2005-04-11T05:50:15Z")
I found pictures of it. She wasn’t pumping. No way in hell am I going to link to it. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/9 "2005-04-11T11:00:11Z")
Even with no teeth, cats have tongues like sandpaper. ---
**Author:** ![MisterThyristor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@MisterThyristor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MisterThyristor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/10 "2005-04-11T11:03:08Z")
Oops, hit “enter” before I meant to. I was going to say that I bottle-fed a kitten until it was weaned. When it tried to nurse on my arm, it would draw blood just from the tongue action. And that was a house-cat. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/11 "2005-04-11T12:37:38Z")
I thought I remembered reading somewhere that in the way-long ago pre-missionary times, a Polynesian delicacy was human breast-fed pig. Human perversity and ingenuity amazes me. That said, my first response to the tiger thing is “Ow!”, as others here have said. Biting and rough tonguing would make this a real trial, especially since, IIRC, cats can’t _suck_. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/12 "2005-04-11T13:02:05Z")
I also remember reading that in ancient China, women would breastfeed the nobles’ Pekingnese pups. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/13 "2005-04-11T16:48:32Z")
Another vote for “Ow!” ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/14 "2005-04-11T16:56:05Z")
…and for the rest of the tigers’ lives, everytime they saw a pair of breasts they reared up on their hind legs and roared, " They’re grrreat!" _shakes head at self_ ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/15 "2005-04-11T16:59:54Z")
_has to laugh with **Daithi Lacha** _ 😛 How about another vote for ‘ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW’? ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/16 "2005-04-11T17:36:59Z")
**Cal** , cats can suck. Kittens suckle, just like any other baby mammal. And their tongues aren’t nearly so rough at that stage, so mamma cats’ nipples aren’t all traumatized. Adult cats usually _don’t_ suck, but that doesn’t mean that they _can’t_. Cats with weaning or security issues often suck on stuff, a behavior known as woolsucking. Although I would think that kitten formula would be more nutritionally complete for a cub’s needs, I don’t see anything eeeewww-inducing about it. Now, that client we used to have that nursed her adult housecat as a comfort mechanism, that was icky. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/17 "2005-04-11T18:41:14Z")
“So I told Gladys that they’d love some catnip, but I never thought she’d…” _rimshot_ ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/18 "2005-04-11T18:45:01Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Now, that client we used to have that nursed her adult housecat as a comfort mechanism, that was icky. :eek: :eek: :eek: _Her_ comfort mechanism, or the cat’s? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/19 "2005-04-11T18:48:53Z")
> [@Daithi Lacha](#): > > …and for the rest of the tigers’ lives, everytime they saw a pair of breasts they reared up on their hind legs and roared, " They’re grrreat!" > _shakes head at self_ You have my blessing, young Padawan. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716/20 "2005-04-11T18:57:30Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > You have my blessing, young Padawan. 🆒 Thank you, thank you - I’m here all week. Try the veal! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/woman-volunteers-to-breastfeed-tiger-cubs-you-heard-right/298716.md?page=2)