babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
Women Breastfeeding Animals? Really?
Breastfeeding a Monkey
I support a woman’s right to breastfeed in a safe, clean space for as long as she’d like. But I’m not so sure about a woman’s right to breastfeed a pet baby monkey or a guinea pig. Is this for real?
Over at her blog Medelabreastpumpreview.net, Amy Leigh writes about 15 women around the world over the years who have breastfeed all sorts of creatures big and small including cats, dogs, monkey, deer, and even baby tigers.
“Here’s food for thought: why is it accepted for a cow to breastfeed our children, while the idea of a woman breastfeeding a calf is seen as absurd? Does it violate the rules of nature? Why, then, are we giving our children cow milk if interspecies feeding is so appalling?” asks Leigh, who highlights some amazing stories.
There’s Vijay Luxmi Sau, an Indian woman who adopted an abandoned baby fawn. After finding the hungry fawn, she began breastfeeding it along with her own human baby.Then there’s Namita Das, who began breastfeeding a baby monkey after her older children left home.
Das, who considers the monkey her son, reportedly suckled him for four years. The neighbors consider Das’ devotion to the monkey ”abnormal,” and say she is “overdoing her affection” for him.
Kura “Kat” Tumanako of New Zealand breastfed her staffordshire bull terrier pup because she wanted to raise him as a brother to her baby girl.
“It’s my life, my responsibility. I make my own choices,” she told The Age back in 2004. “I’m going to look after me, my baby and my puppy.”
“From a veterinarian viewpoint it’s always better for any species to have its own milk. If a bitch was available that would have been better,” Sharon Marshall, a veterinarian, said at the time. She added that it’s unusual, but not unheard of, for one species to provide milk to another. For instance, there have been cases of dogs providing milk for cats. And women from Papua New Guinea hill tribes have been known to breastfeed pigs.
A Missouri woman, Janine Hammond, had no success nursing her son. But had no problem nursing her cat, a guinea pig and even a horse!
“People will think it’s weird, but it’s an amazing experience. Flash (her cat) loves it, and feeds twice a day. Nobody should knock it until they try it,” she told Closer Magazine.
Call me close-minded, but I’m afraid I’m going to knock it before trying it! What about you? Would you consider nursing another species?
MORE FROM STROLLERDERBY
Don’t Let Your Kids Pee in Public Please
Hanukkah: Not the Jewish Christmas
World AIDS Day, Hanukkah, and Rosa Parks
photo: Medelabreastpumppreview.net
Go Back To Strollerderby
18 Comments
Tabi commented on Dec 02 10 at 11:40 amI don’t think the issue is the animal drinking human milk. It is the delivery method. My baby drinks cows milk, but not strait from the teet.
Meagan commented on Dec 02 10 at 11:46 amWe drink cow’s milk (and goat’s milk etc) because somewhere along the line our constantly-on-the-edge-of-survival ancestors tried it, and discovered an extra protein source to keep them alive. Now most of us are suited to drinking cows milk. The theory goes that milk intolerance is the norm rather than the fluke, we’ve just managed to mostly train it out of ourselves because the extra protien sorce was such an advantage. I’d be curious to see how often other species develop milk intolerances to our milk.
Manjari commented on Dec 02 10 at 11:51 amI think this is gross.
Gretchen Powers commented on Dec 02 10 at 12:47 pmWow…couldn’t they just pump? Big NO on this one…
JesBelle commented on Dec 02 10 at 1:13 pmOh come on, we all have a big “awww” moment when we see a cat nursing an orphaned squirrel or something. Monkey lady obviously had some issues about letting her kids go and she found a harmless, if weird, way to work through it. I remember there being a big brouhaha about a pic of a (either Peruvian or Bolivian) lady nursing a baby goat. She had extra milk, the goat had no mom, and (hello) they needed the goat.
Gretchen Powers commented on Dec 02 10 at 1:21 pmYeah, I could see if it was to preserve the life of a needed, working animal, like the Peruvian thing, but in an urban/suburban setting to nurse a kitten or something…well, to each their own, but I don’t see it.
goddess commented on Dec 02 10 at 1:34 pmHell to the NO on this this one!
Brian commented on Dec 02 10 at 1:47 pmThe only gross thing to me is the delivery method… But this comes back to, who are we to judge what other people do?
If it isn’t hurting anyone else who cares?
paulabernstein commented on Dec 02 10 at 4:06 pmYou’re right, Brian. I try not to judge, but don’t always succeed!
Linda, the original one commented on Dec 02 10 at 4:16 pmSorry, but I don’t see how it’s even possible to breastfeed a guinea pig. They have tiny mouths and big, sharp teeth. ::shudder:: FTR, it’s false that most people have evolved to tolerate cow’s milk, but that’s a whole different topic.
Gretchen Powers commented on Dec 02 10 at 4:17 pmI showed this to my kid and asked “Why do you think this woman is giving her milks to the monkey?” She said “Because the monkey looks thirsty.” Simple as that.
Marj commented on Dec 02 10 at 4:22 pmHey, live and let live. However, I find this disturbing and hope to never stumble across another picture of it.
Lula commented on Dec 02 10 at 10:27 pmIt’s not my business what other women do with their teats.
Maggie commented on Dec 03 10 at 7:43 amUm, since when is it up to us – bloggers or lawmakers or whatever – to even debate a woman’s “right” to breastfeed a hungry animal? Why would this be any of our business? … except, maybe, for the ubiquitous digital camera and the speed of internet transmission, why would we even know about it? From my personal perspective this sort of story is wasteful and presupposes a dreadful and false social premise that we even _should_ care about what other people do with their own bodies. Don’t knock it; nobody’s even asked you to try it.
Elizabeth commented on Dec 07 10 at 12:44 pmI spent many years helping women learn to breastfeed, and I find it extremely hard to believe that a cat, guinea pig, or goat could actually manage to remove milk from a human breast. The anatomy of their mouths just isn’t compatible with our nipples, I would think. A monkey, maybe – though I even find that doubtful. It’s just not that easy. (Also, ICK.)
Martin Tomlinson commented on Jan 03 11 at 2:09 amWell, whatever. If a woman wishes to breastfeed an animal, AND if no diseases are likely to be transmitted, let her do it. Its her breasts and she has a right do do what she wants. As long as she bears no infections, pain and the animal she breastfeeds is unlikely to get infected, thats her choice. Not ours.
John Martin commented on Oct 02 11 at 1:43 amTo say that a woman breastfeeding an animal is grose or bestial. What about the millions of goats, cows etc worldwide whose milk is consumed in the millions of gallons worldwide ? If an infant animal is hungry, refuses a milk bottle and will die unless it is nursed back to health, what then is there left ? Just let it die ? If a woman’s breasts are lactating and that little animal is in due hunger, what is the crime if she puts it to her breasts to feed it ? I remember as a 10 year old, these 3 little starving goat kids whose mother had died soon after the kids were born. That spelt death for the kids unless they were milk fed. A bottle ? They refused that ! A very kind skinny Chinese woman came forward and breastfed the kids, suckling a kid at each breast. The kids milked and sucked her large nipples, even trying to take the areolas into their hungry mouths. She suckled them 4 to 5 times a day and they lived. And thats certainly not bestial or grose. Both she and the goats were completely disease free.
amanita muscaria commented on Feb 01 12 at 10:01 ami think all you people who are NOT disgusted at women breastfeeding animals are sick
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Lori Garcia 
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
18