I'm a Veterinarian but this defies my years of behavioral studies. Darned cats!
I bottle-fed my newest kitty, a black and white long hair named "melody" since before her eyes opened. She's weaned from the bottle, but she's not weaned from ME.
She wants to suck on my chin or ear lobe. I don't let her, but she'll stop purring and bite me when I correct her. then she'll skulk away and pout, then come back and try again. She's 16 weeks old and she's interrupting my sleep, The stubborn little bugger! When I lock her out she scratches the door and yells. I've started sleeping in a sleeping bag with my head under a pillow!
HELP!
2006-10-28 12:27:49 · 8 answers · asked by Rabid 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Sorry to tell you this but after having 4 bottle fed Kitty's ....you don't wean them from suckling on you. Mine would attach to any fold of skin earlobes,knuckles,eyebrows,neck etc.(kitten hickeys everywhere)...the good news is once they loose the kitten teeth and get their cat teeth they stop on there own because the shape of the mouth changes. At 16 weeks you don't have much longer to go
2006-10-28 12:39:18 · answer #1 · answered by kjathena1 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Suckle Reflex
2016-12-10 14:52:41 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
that's a hard one because you want your kitty to be affectionate but not bothersome.
i had a cat once that woke my daughter up at night by suckling her chin. when she woke up she would be startled which scared the cat and then he would scratch her face. this went on for awhile and i could not break him from it except by putting him in the bathroom at night. i put in a toy and his bed and food and water.
at first he yelled and scratched at the door but every time he did i would open the door quick and spray him. after a while he got used to it and stopped yelling and scratching.
but every time i forgot to shut the door he would go right back to her chin. he never did it with me. eventually i had to find another home for him.
if it had been me i would show him affection during the day when i'm NOT in bed. then let him know that the bedroom is OFF limits.
keep your door shut during the day and at night put him in another room. you may have to spray him like i did at first but cats are smart and he will eventually stop yelling. just spray and shut the door. don't talk to him or pet him until you get up in the morning. then lavish him with attention and give him a treat.
i hope this works for you. i hope something works for you.
good luck.
2006-10-28 12:52:33 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You seem to be doing the right thing by correcting her behavior. She will continue to suckle through her life most likely because it is a comfort behavior for her. She is used to your smell and that is why she uses you and a "security blanket". Lock her in another room so she can't bother you at night and try your best to offer her something else to suckle on so she stops using you.
2006-10-28 12:37:43 · answer #4 · answered by Megdubs 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Have you tried giving her an alternative to suck like a pacifier. It sounds like she has imprinted on you, and only you will do. You might want to try holding her & encouraging her to suck on a tiny pacifier while you pet her. As for the screaming at the door, we've been ignoring our little screamer for over a month now and it doesn't seem to be sinking in that the bedroom is off limits at night. For that I recommend cheap ear plugs.
2006-10-28 12:38:47 · answer #5 · answered by low_on_ram 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm no vet but like you said, you are. Could this be a sign of premature weaning? My Cat was like that as well when he was a kitten. I taught him something else like "fetch" he now plays fetch with his favourite toy, at first I thought great! But than in the middle of the night he would try to wake me up to play fetch. I just lied there and ignored him, so now he plays fetch in the middle of the night by himself or with the other cats tossing up in the air and than trying to catch it. It could help, teach your kitten something else that may interest her.
2006-10-28 12:42:36 · answer #6 · answered by Jenns705 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We had a cat who did this and he eventually just quit doing it. It took about 2 years. He still suckles on our covers though.
2006-10-28 17:27:02 · answer #7 · answered by 14Words 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm. Tell her who is boss- when she does it say a firm NO! Keep her in one room instead of run of the house while you sleep in your room. Or get a play mate for her.
2006-10-28 12:32:07 · answer #8 · answered by I ♥ my fjords! 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋