He was adopted from a shelter and is in perfect health. But everynight he tries to suckle my neck. It is frustrating and has me a little worried. Is there anything wrong or is this normal? Can I stop it? Thanks for help!
2007-01-09 15:58:17 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
How old was the kitten when you adopted him? If he was very young (six weeks or younger) he may not have been completely weaned at the time.
He might just have had an insecure time when he was younger. If kittens are taken from the mother cat too soon, this can happen.
I had a cat whom I adopted at the age of 4 weeks - much too young to be away from the mother, and not completely weaned. She spent her entire life (16 years) suckling on a little blanket that I had used to line her first cat bed as a kitten.
His trying to suckle won't hurt him, but if it bothers you, gently detach him when he does it, but pet him and cuddle him while you're doing that. He needs lots of love and nurturing - that's what this means. If you give him that, he should be just fine.
2007-01-09 16:06:07 · answer #1 · answered by catrionn 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a 7-month old who has suckled since I brought him home from a shelter at 8 weeks. I did a lot of research and agree with what everyone says. I was able to train my kitten to just suckle on my fingers (he used to try to suckle ears, eyelids, anything really). He now suckles only when he is very sleepy and relaxed - usually when I wake up in the morning and while we're on the couch at night. If he does try to do it in the middle of the night, I simply put my hands under the pillow or blanket. Even if he doesn't grow out of it (which he should) - I would still let him do it. Another interesting thing to note is he only suckles me - not my boyfriend who is over a lot.
2007-01-10 01:50:29 · answer #2 · answered by Rebecca 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its very normal. But sad that you are frustrated with this. Your kitten could end up doing this through out his life. I had a cat that did that until old age. And was a normal fun cat. Your kitten may grow out of it and may not. But don't try to push away or get mad. Then you will have another problem. And don't worry about this. It is normal. If you love this animal and decide to keep? You can start now while it is young and teach it that it cannot sleep on the bed at night with you. I only say this because it is frustrating you and you don't want to lose it and hurt the poor thing.
Good luck to you and your new pet.
2007-01-09 16:15:36 · answer #3 · answered by X-Woman 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi there...some kittens grow out the suckling behaviours, however if you would rather than wait for him to grow out of this consider using a little bit of vinegar on places where your kitten is suckling on you. This is a safe deterrent. Another product which you can purchase at nearly all pet stores worldwide is Grannick's Bitter Apple® http://www.grannicks.com which is a citrus scent the repels most pets away from suckling, biting, licking objects that is undesirable as well.
2007-01-09 16:41:39 · answer #4 · answered by ♪ Seattle ♫ 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a seven month old kitten and trust me if she was not ready when she was taken from her momma then she will probably never stop. My kitten does that about three times a day and it was very annoying at first but I have gotten very use to it. I am not sure what I would do if she stopped. It has became one of my favorite things now. One thing to do is you can pop her gently to try to get her to stop. But that may not work just remember that.
2007-01-09 16:17:42 · answer #5 · answered by Dcham81 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have the exact same problem with my kitten. I asked my vet about it and she told me that some kittens will do this if weaned from their mother too soon. She also said there wasnt much I could do about it and that hopefully he will grow out of it. What I do with my kitten is kindly tap him on the nose and tell him "NO". It is annoying, especially in the middle of the night when Im good and asleep I have this kitten trying to suckle on my eye of all things! But to answer your question...no there isnt much you can do about it, just keep hoping he will grow out of it.
2007-01-09 16:06:14 · answer #6 · answered by iluvastetsonman 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is perfectly natural for a kitten to try to suckle you. I have four that I raised from a kitten and they all did that to me. One I even raised from a bottle. He trusts you and thinks you are the "mother cat". Don't worry he will grow out of it mine did.
2007-01-09 16:03:40 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Suckling/nursing is a sign that he was weaned too early. You may never be able to stop him from doing it. With many cats, it also is a way they comfort themselves. You're the big momma cat now, as he views.
2007-01-09 16:03:35 · answer #8 · answered by Terrible 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My sweetheart Simba, who I bought from a pet store 4 years ago did the same thing to me. He was approx. 6 weeks old when I got him and on the first night home he sucked on my finger and my chin until he would fall asleep. He no longer does that, but he did that for several months. I was told the sucking was because he was pulled from his natural mom sooner than he wanted ,he wasn't totally out of nursing. But don't worry it will stop.
2007-01-10 00:38:43 · answer #9 · answered by D. D. 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a 8 month old male kitten and he has done that since i got him but he went for a vet visit today and i asked about that and they said that it was normal and that he would grow out of it!
2007-01-09 16:18:14 · answer #10 · answered by lsu_countrygirl 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋