now i know that cats will usually suck on things like blankets or stuffed animals but my seven week old kitten has been sucking on my earlobes constantly. at first i thought it was cute but it has now gotten to the piont that i cant even sleep becaue shes doing it all night long and even if i put a blanket over my head she starts scraching me and trying to burrow under the blanket to get to my ears. also it hurts and both of my ears have cuts on them now not terrible but enough for them to scab over. i know this sounds wierd i guess i just want to know if anyone has any advice or if anyone has ever heard or expirienced this before.
thanks
2006-12-09 11:27:51 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
Cats who are taken away from their mothers too soon often develop "oral compulsions" and suck on whatever they can to help mollify their compulsion. Beyond keeping the cat off of you, there isn't a lot you can do to completely arrest the behavior. It's a "mental" issue, not a physical or training issue.
2006-12-09 11:31:58 · answer #1 · answered by Fetch 11 Humane Society 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Fetch is right on. If the kitten is seven weeks now you must have had her for at least a week which means she was taken from her mother and siblings at six weeks - way too soon.
There are two Bach flower essences you can use on her. Bleeding Heart - "for undue emotional atachments to the caretaker"
Chicory - "younger animals such as whining puppies or kittens"
Both will cost about $34 and you can get them at a health foods store. Call before you go to see if they have them. You make a treatment bottle (get that too for $1.00). Put four or five drop of each essence in the bottle, fill it almost full with filtered water. You will have plenty of stuff from both bottles so use the treatment bottle for two days, then make up a new one.
You treat the kitten as often as you can by shaking the bottle well and putting three or four drops on the fur between her ears. Do it during the day if you can and definitely before bedtime and at first when she goes for the earlobes too. The key with the essences is frequent application for a week or two. Its power lies in consistent use. It may take a while for you to see results and you will.
2006-12-09 11:49:08 · answer #2 · answered by old cat lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah i have to agree with Fetch 11,not to much you can do.We use to have a cat that did the same thing,but he was a little older when he was taken from his mother.And yet he still did it,and for some odd reson he only did it to my daughter.If he slept with me in my room,he would only suck on the blanket and this was something he did for years.
We ended up giving him one of my daughters small stuffed animals to suck on if he stayed the night in her room,so that way he would use that and not her ears......Good luck maybe your one wont do it to much longer.
2006-12-09 11:44:50 · answer #3 · answered by Porcelain Doll 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Don't let her in your bedroom, make her warm and comfortable place to sleep and maybe place something to suck there. Cats don't stop sucking when they grow up.
2006-12-09 11:52:27 · answer #4 · answered by risikawi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yeah my cats love to do that so i don't know what to do but they do that to feel comfortable to sit there
2006-12-09 12:11:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
buy her a baby bottle nipple because she thinks she is sucking on a cat nipple for milk
2006-12-09 11:35:30 · answer #6 · answered by t_thode 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋