My cat sucks...literally!

Hi all! I am a first-time cat owner and am experiencing a strange problem with my kitten. He is about 4 months old and, despite being weened for some time now, sucks on my arms, fingers, and face! I have o clue how to avert or breakthis behavior and it is frustrating, especially when I am trying to sleep! Is there anything that I can do? Any toys I can get for him to suck on, etc.? Any advice is much appreciated!

Awww... he's just missing his mama. I would take a thick, soft washcloth and moisten a corner of it with KMR (Kitty Milk Replacer). When he starts to suckle, offer him that damp corner instead. The KMR should make it more attractive to him than your fingers. :-)

After a week or two, try just the cloth, without the KMR... and then withdraw the cloth altogether as soon as he will allow it. If you continue it too long, you might accidentally discourage him from moving beyond this stage.

Your little one sounds so sweet. Give him a snuggle for me!

Bijou still suckles my neck before bedtime and he will be 2 yrs. old in February. He doesn't do it as often as he used to but occasionally he seems to need it. I don't have a problem with it myself.

Excessive suckling usually means they were weaned to early. Often the case in rescues when tehy need to get the kits to new homes. Its not unusual and the behavior will abait with time. However, occasionally a cat will continue a particular suckling behavior through life. Its really a comfort thing like a baby with a pacifier.

My bottle-fed VERY spoiled Bob is still a "thumb-sucker"...he is going on 8 months. Every night...every SINGLE night...Bob crawls into bed with me and nudges until I give him my right palm. He suckles on the fleshy part of my palm and then falls asleep. If that is not silly enough...he only wants my right-hand. I've offered my left and he keeps on nudging until he gets my right palm. I can only assume that because I am a righty...this is the hand that fed him that darn bottle for zillions of hours and that is what he is comfortable with. Cute, huh

My Petey does the same thing. Every single night and frequently in the mornings too. As soon as he sees me lying down in bed for the night he races over with such urgency and b-lines for the inner part of my upper arm. He then kneads and sucks for about 15-20min or so before he finally falls asleep (mid-suck sometimes ). Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the sweetest thing, but sometimes it does get a bit annoying. I sometimes wrap myself in my blanket like a cocoon so he canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t get to me, but then heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll nudge and whimper and I usually give in. I have also learned its imperative that my pjs have long enough sleeves so Little Pete doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t actually do this on my naked arm because THAT really hurts!

My Ellie has always sucked on any bit of bare flesh she can find. She was not taken from her mom till 11 weeks and she is 18 months old now. But she is a needy cat in several ways, and just seems to want more affection than the others all the time. She also has a bit of a general oral fixation and would eat and eat if I let her. I just call her my 'special cat' and love her.

Originally Posted by leesali

My bottle-fed VERY spoiled Bob is still a "thumb-sucker"...he is going on 8 months. Every night...every SINGLE night...Bob crawls into bed with me and nudges until I give him my right palm. He suckles on the fleshy part of my palm and then falls asleep. If that is not silly enough...he only wants my right-hand. I've offered my left and he keeps on nudging until he gets my right palm. I can only assume that because I am a righty...this is the hand that fed him that darn bottle for zillions of hours

and that is what he is comfortable with. Cute, huh

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I hear that! Bijou only wants the left side of my neck so I have to turn onto my right side for him.