My cat is completely nuts about my earlobe! Since he was a kitten, he latches onto my earlobe whenever he can. Sometimes he's insane trying to get to my ear. I have to hide under the covers from him to get away from him. He is 2-1/2 years old now and keeps wanting to suck ears. It's getting really old! Help. What can I do to stop this behavior? I feel bad denying him my ear because he is so happy and purrs and purrs when he's sucking my ear, but it's really creepy!!!
2006-09-08 07:17:36 · 27 answers · asked by nido_tr3s 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
My cat is a year old and sucks on my earlobes all the time. Yes, at first it was cute, then annoying. We now have a routine he gets alone time to with me 1st thing in the morning, when I get home, and at bedtime. This has cut down on the charging for my ears behavior, which is rather embarrasing when company is over.
This is a small price to pay for having a wonderful pet.
2006-09-08 07:31:21 · answer #1 · answered by leslieguelker0517 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There must be something about your earlobe that makes your cat want to nurse like it did when it was a kitten. Does it knead (pushing with it's paws) while it does this? Sometimes an animal can get into a habit for no known reason and it is hard to break. You can try rubbing the peal of an orange against your earlobe. Cat generally do not like the smell of citrus. You can also try a pet repellent. If nothing like that doesn't work try covering your ears with either ear muffs or tape a gauze bandage to it. I had a cat that in the middle of the night would lick my hair. I discovered that it was the scent from my shampoo. I changed shampoo and the cat stopped. I also had a Yorkshire Terrier that loved to lick my toes. God did that feel good, I loved it. She died many years ago, God do I miss her!
2006-09-08 07:24:44 · answer #2 · answered by brucenjacobs 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's nursing. It's a comfort to him. He was probably separated from his mother at too young an age.
Spraying him with water would probably put a stop to the behavior. I would try a combination; try and get him interested in something else (a friend of mine has a cat who "nurses" on a baby blanket and a stuffed animal that he's had since he was a kitten), and use the spray bottle when he sucks on your earlobe.
2006-09-08 07:20:19 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
My sister's cat did the same thing and she felt the same way about it that you do. But before she could figure out how to get him to stop, he ran out in the road and was hit by a car.
Not to gross you out or anything, but your cat likes your earlobe because (to him anyway) it looks and feels similar to his mother's nipple. When he sucks on your earlobe it reminds him of when he was a kitten and had the love of his mother. Now your his mother because YOU feed him and pet him.
Maybe you could swipe your earlobes with something that will taste yucky to your cat like tabasco. After getting a mouthful of that a few times, he may become "weaned."
2006-09-08 07:26:25 · answer #4 · answered by vita64 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's not normal behavior, but nothing's wrong. It happens when the kitten is taken from its mother too soon (or loses it's mother), so it still feels the need to suckle. There's nothing wrong as long as it doesn't suckle on something that would hurt it. Suckling on fabric can cause the cat to get cancer because she swallows a lot of fabric softener, for example. But since she only suckles on your ear, just don't wear earrings and keep your ears clean (of hair product, too) and she'll be okay. If she pulls to much, she can stretch your ear, though, so be careful. If you want her to stop, just keep pushing her away, and she'll stop eventually.
2016-03-27 03:04:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had 12 cats ever, and did have one that sucked my earlobe when I was about 10 years old. We had another one that liked to lick everyone's faces, but that's it. The rest were normal.
Those little tongues sure are raspy! Ouch!
2006-09-08 09:45:05 · answer #6 · answered by n0witrytobeamused 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, my cat doesn't but my aunt has a cat that she got from an animal shelter when it was a very small kitten and it has always crawled into bed with one of her sons and sucked on his earlobes. I don't blame you for thinking it's creepy.
2006-09-08 07:22:58 · answer #7 · answered by Cleaninglady 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh my gosh, my cat did that too! He stopped doing it when he was about 5 or 6 years old, but I used to think he would never stop. We always thought it might have been because he was weaned from his Mom too quickly.
2006-09-08 07:23:53 · answer #8 · answered by mstoro23 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah, my cats will nibble on my ears a bit and stick their cold wet nose to my ear to wake me if they are lonely at night. Its cute yet annoying all at the same time.
2006-09-08 07:19:47 · answer #9 · answered by jprofitt303 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. My new kitten, Gypsy, will climb up my pant leg, and my shirt to curl up on my shoulder and lick and bite at my ear lobe. She will also touch her nose to mine to wake me up. I think it is SOOO cute. I wasn't really a cat person, but when I saw Gypsy, I fell in love!
2006-09-08 11:48:23 · answer #10 · answered by Jenifer 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋