my kitty keeps sucking my body parts

I just adopted a 8 week old kitten from the shelter and he keeps sucking on our (my bf & mine) body parts. The first time I heard/noticed it was when he was sucking on my bf's nipples and now he sucks on my neck, ear and my whole arm.

anyone know why? it doesnt hurt but he makes suckling noise like he is drinking milk.

I think it's a comfort thing for the cat.. it seems like kittens taken from their mom and siblings early are pretty likely to have some suckling behavior for awhile. You can gently discourage the behavior by removing the cat, moving away from it, distracting it with a toy, etc.

Because we was seperated from his mom way too early. If you have him and he is only 8 weeks, he definately left her way too young. It may stop, it may not. Usually if he stops that habit, he will move onto something else. If it comforts him and doesn't hurt anyone, I would let him go until he grows out of it or stops on his own.

He wants his mom, and you are now her! try him with a stuffed toy - put him on it every time he suckles. It may or may not work. My Ellie is now three and she still tries to suckle occasionally, though she is growing out of it. It was constant until she was around 2.

This is a definite premature separation from mom behavior. He is looking for the comfort of the warmth, heart beat, and suckling that a kitten/cat always remembers as the purest point of their lives. This is why many cats knead soft, snuggly things when they are older. The best thing to do is to try and appease him for the time being. If it becomes uncomfortable where starts up, move him to somewhere it is more comfortable, basically you need to wean him, you are mom. How you approach this could have a drastic affect to his disposition as he grows up, so be patient, try to readjust him. It won't last for long, so I say enjoy it while you can, you can always look back at it and say "I remember when you where a tiny thing and sucking on whatever you could" every time he does something bad!

Yea for now I'm letting him do it because it doesnt bother me as much. But I try to put a soft toy in his mouth if I noticed any bites along w/ the suckling. His love-bites are the best, its too cute!

Thanks everyone, being a first time mommy has been confusing but fun so far.

Yes because he should have stayed with mom/siblings till 10-12 weeks old. Many young kittens separated from mom under 10 weeks old will exhibit the sucking behavior like in your kitten.

Some grow out of it, some don't. Can you adopt another kitten about 3-4 months old so your kitten will have a playmate and not make you and your bf the "playmate" for those habits?

Just as a thought... if you want to stop him from doing this on you (not doing it altogether)... we bought a really fuzzy blanket from bed bath and beyond (this one) and whenever Sammy starts nursing on me, I shift him over to the blanket. It's soft enough that it feels like his mom and he'll go to town on it. Makes him very happy and has cut down on the number of bite marks on my neck (DH was getting jealous! )

It also makes a very snuggly throw blanket when you're watching tv.

We got Bijou at 11 weeks and he suckled my neck every night before bed or if he was stressed for a year or a bit more. Although he doesn't suckle me anymore, at night he still gives the "suckling spot" on my neck a little lick before he settles down to sleep with me. It seems to be a comfort thing for him and I never really minded him having his little suckle on my neck since it seemed to make him so happy.

We had to bottle-raise a barn kitty one time for about 1 month, since the momma died and the sister died one day after. He did that suckling thing, and we just gave him a stuffed animal and he's suck on the leg (it was a pink hippo, it was silky so he liked sucking that) and we were safe from it.
As far as the blanket... I have this big fleece blanket I put on me after I shower so my toes are safe from her attacks! But she'd fall asleep in it and I'd go to put her in her crate and she'd throw a fit because she wanted the fleece blanket. Well, it's too big to put in her crate. So we went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and bought 1 yard of animal print fleece (thought it was a cute pattern for a kitty ). So now that is her Blankie! It's cheap and there's alls rots of patterns, it feels like Mom... you can even buy like 2 yards, and cut 2/3 inch strips in each seperate 1 sq. yd. peice. Then you tie them together to make a "tie" blanket, and I bet he'd like to suck on the tassels.

My very first cat, Skittles used to suck on my t-shirts (whilst I was wearing them!) and anything else I was wearing whilst kneading bread at the same time. Her claws would just about take lumps out of my skin!! She only ever did this to me and did it right up to she was 18 months (we lost her to a fox in a fight , but thats a whole other story)
I would agree it s a comfort issue. I think saw me as her mother and to be honest I didnt mind. She wasnt the most sociable of creatures and this was about the only bit of petting I was allowed so I used to take what I could! She was a fab cat and I miss her.
You're a mummy and daddy now! Enjoy the time with your kitten. X

Yea, sucking is just a reflex that some kittens hang on to if they are taken to early. Its a comfort thing. Usually they suck on their arm. I had a kitten, briefly, that sucked on his ahem . It made an aweful noise and along with other issues, we eventually found him a new home.

My cat sucks on my hair!!!!

Yeah, our new kitten Jasmine is doing the same thing... she's three months old, so must have been more like two months or younger when she was removed from mom.

My wife just lets her nurse on ears or eyes, but I can't do it, it's just too wierd!! Must be a girl thing...

My kitty used to do that when she was a baby. She liked to suck on my ear. I always believed it was because she had been separated from her mother too early-- but she was a rescue, so I will never really know. She grew out of the suckling phase after about a year.

My Chili does it, too. I can't let her suck on my ears, because she BITES, but I let her do it on my eyes and neck b/c she manages to respect them and slurp instead of chew. She chews on my hands and arms as well.. I don't mind that. It never hurts, and she's very content (and cute) when she's trying to gnaw my thumb off.

To actually deter her from my ears, I bare my teeth and growl. She gets the idea and backs off, and goes for somewhere else instead. Sadly when she attacks me in the middle of the night and I'm groggy, getting up isn't much of an option.

The teenaged little guy we got sucks his own tail until it is soaking wet... my wife thinks it is normal and kind of cute... se we let him... it is strange. I have never seen this before. He does not do it everyday. Just once in a while.

hmm thanks for everyone responding!
im starting to understand and get some ideas.

now that his teeth are bigger and sharper at 3 month, my ear turns really raw and he does bite my hands sometimes cuz i tried to replace the ear w/ my fingers and palm.

i think ill get him a fleece or a soft little toy that he can suck on! and hopefully he can stop biting me.