kitten suckling on sisters neck/base of ear...

I have a male & female (orphaned) sibling kittens approximately 10-12 weeks old. They were found 6-7 weeks ago (abondoned either by mom or human) in a heating grate. They were (and still are) too small to fix but old enough that they didn't have to be bottle/formula fed. There were 4 kittens (that I'm aware of) in total, the other two were adopted and kept together as well. Ok, so now to my issue... male kitten Gizmo is constantly suckling on his sister Pheobe's neck/ear base. At first it was just noticeable but wasn't really an issue. Now it's gotten to the point where we're finding clumps of black fur all over the house and she looks like her neck has been shaved allll the way around. The base of her ear where he has begun to zero in on has what appears and feels like a callous (I do NOT want it turning into an open wound). This is the only reason why I want to begin an intervention. I will not separate them as they are best friends and that seems more cruel than therapeutic. I will not be yelling at them or startling them with a spray water bottle. They are the SWEETEST little ones I've ever had & I don't want that to change their other wonderful behaviors. I know he's doing this for comfort & I do understand it's instinctual. I'm on the lookout for a "wooby" or small fluffy stuffed animal for him in hopes Pheobe can catch a break. I'm wondering if anyone can relate to me on this level. Also, if anyone has an idea as to an ointment that I could apply to her neck to deter him... I've googled sine things but they're questionable. It's gotta be something that won't harm either of them if ingested & also something that won't irritate her delicate baby skin. Fyi, they will be going to the vet in 2-3 weeks once they're 3lbs but until then, I'd like some input Thanks in advance!! Eileen

Hi and welcome to the cat site!

I can certainly relate to your issue.

I have a rescue group, and often times have bottle fed kittens who do this as well, they choose one victim and when it's time for napping they all go to the one's neck and suck on it.

Poor kitten wakes up with wet sucked areas all over his neck.

Often times it is not their necks either, babies who are lacking the natural need to suck will seek out their littermates and find their genitals that might semi mimic the size/feel of moms nipple, and this is a big problem.

It's nothing sexual at all, it's simply the comfort of nursing they look for.

This also happens when kittens are taken from their moms a bit too soon too. 

I currently have a pair of kittens, very bonded male and female who are about 3 months old. Everytime I look the boy is sucking on his sisters nipple like he is nursing. 

Not good. I apply bitter apple on her tummy area daily now so the habit will break.

This can be found in pet supply stores like Petco, etc.

Thx! I read about kittens often suckling on each other's genitals for comfort & I'm grateful that he isn't doing that with her. When they do that, from what I read, it can become harmful if they ingest fecal matter, bacteria, etc and/or it can damage their delicate organs.. It's clearly an instinctual comforting behavior. I'm getting concerned because her ear is starting to get marked/callused & it can quickly turn into a sore if he continues as vigorously as he has been... And she's starting to resemble a funny little muppet with the fur missing the way it is lol. Anyway, thx for the input I will look for that at Petco/Petsmart tomorrow.

Hi, emh52980,
I found this old thread because I was searching for advice on exactly the same issue. One of my new kittens is determined to suckle on the base of her sister's ear, and poor Ellie is losing the hair there. How did this turn out for you? Did the bitter apple do the job, or did you find something else that worked? I would very much appreciate the chance to share your experience!

Hi! Well, I'm sorry you're experiencing this, too. It seems to be more common as a comfort measure than i ever thought.
We decided to let them be and work it out. If it was really damaging her skin then I was going to intervene skmehow but they ended up being fine. Gizmo still does this to Pheobe but they're fully grown now and she has all of her fur & it's nowhere near as intense as when they were kittens.
I did get them little Gund stuffed lambs off of Amazon.com (about $10 each)- a pink & a blue and they loved them. I think it helped. They have a low key rattle in them and if i want their attention i shake them and they come running & Pheobe carries hers around with her.
I don't know for sure if it helped but they enjoy them.
I hope that helps... what they're doing is instinctual so it's hard to interfere. Good luck!!

I'll look for the stuffed animals. (If nothing else, they'll increase the already overwhelming "Awww" factor!)

Ellie doesn't seem bothered by having her ear used as a pacifier. Of course, she's suckling on my clothes at the same time, so she may be too blissed out to even notice it. Guess I'll just wait and watch for now, as you did.

Just an update--the suckling activity has really dropped off during the last few days. Guess they're finally outgrowing it!

That's great!. Thanks for the update.