Rob, I'm sure the OLD archives have a lot of info on this, as we hashed this
over back in 1997 or so.  The general rule of thumb is to take kittens away
from their mom at 6 weeks, but if kittens are left with their mom they will
nurse for much longer.  There were reports of kittens growing up and having
their own litters, and still nursing from their own mother.  So --
grandmother/mother/grandkitten all nursing in a line.

Horses generally nurse for a year, til the next foal is born; but if the
mother doesn't have a new foal, then the previous one nurses for another
year.

Kathy Dettwyler

P.S.  I remember getting flamed for pointing out that in the wild, horses
nurse for a year -- on an email list for domestic horse owners.  I heard all
the SAME arguments about why it was disgusting/perverted/bad for the babies
for them to nurse the full length of time nature intended.

P.S.P.S.  We adopted two wild mustangs from the Bureau of Land Management.
They were both pregnant, foaled, and nursed their daughters for 3 years
(because they never got pregnant again).  Towards the end of their nursing
time, the "babies" were as big as their mothers -- not as filled-out/hefty,
but every inch as tall.



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