Foot sucking

[tabbiesarebest]

Patrick is 4 months old now, and he still nurses his foot constantly. He insists on doing it on me, and I remove him, usually putting him on the floor, because I think it's disgusting to have spitty paws touching me. He will fight to keep a hold of his foot while I'm moving him, and continue to do it once I've put him down.

I'd like some suggestions on how to train him to stop. I've tried distractions. He's really food motivated and I've been working on luring him around some traffic cones with the goal of eventually doing 'cat agility' with him. BUT that works until we stop.

I don't mind if he does it, I just don't want him to do it around me or on me. I'm also worried about him licking his feet raw and creating sores. They're always damp, so I'm also afraid of an infection starting on the skin.

He's a pretty happy cat. Playful, loving, eats on a schedule. He has toys we play with and like I said, we do training two or three times a day for 5-10 minutes each. I'm open to changing things for him to feel more comfortable without the comfort suckling.

Give me ideas!

 

[eb24]

Suckling is a pretty common problem in kittens, especially those who were weaned from Mom too early. The behavior most commonly starts as suckling on litter mates, but can also be suckling themselves, their humans, or another inanimate object. 

In some situations it's fine to just let them do it. Unfortunately yours is not one of those for the reasons you gave. It is a major concern that he can give himself sores and other problems. 

To try and correct the behavior I usually start by using bitter apple (alcohol free). I like the rub-on kind versus the spray as it's less scary. Rub a generous amount on his foot as well as yours. If you are consistent it will hopefully taste bad enough that it will start to deter him from doing it. 

Something else you can do is try and replace his suckling item. Theoretically, when he starts going for his foot (or yours) it will taste bad which will make him hesitate. That's when you offer him an alternative. One of my cats is a suckler, and his item of choice is a fleece blanket (something about the material makes fleece a common suckling favorite). So, try giving him one of those instead. You could also invest in a SnuggleKittie. It's a stuffed cat that comes with a ticking clock heartbeat, warmers, and even nipples. He may really find one to be a comfort not just for suckling but for, well, snuggling. 

I know it's not ideal to have a cat suckle anything, but having him suckle something like a stuffed animal or a blanket is far better than his foot or yours. You can try to break him of the habit completely but I think it might be easier to try and deter and substitute to start. Once he's moved on to something less dangerous then you could try to wean him of it altogether. Or, just let him be weird. 

Here is a link to the blanket my cat can't live without: http://www.petco.com/product/117406/Petco-Square-Fleece-Cat-Throw-in-Chocolate.aspx

And, the SnuggleKittie: http://www.snugglepetproducts.com/snuggle-pets/snuggle-kitties

 

[tabbiesarebest]

Thanks for the links. To be clear he's not trying to suckle on me. He will attempt to suckle our other (adult male) cat but that usually results in flat ears and a dirty look. I'll try bitter apple and see if that works.
 

 

[eb24]

 He insists on doing it on me, and I remove him, usually putting him on the floor, because I think it's disgusting to have spitty paws touching me. 

Haha so sorry about that! I read this part where you said "he insists on doing it on me" as he was trying to suckle your foot too! 

The same applies, you just don't have to smell like bitter apple all day! 

 

[tabbiesarebest]

I should have worded that better. He just curls up on my lap or lays on me some how and starts going to town on his own foot. The act doesn't gross me out. The wet feet and then the drool that gets all over me does!

 

[tabbiesarebest]

I'm happy to report that I haven't needed to use bitter apple so far. I've been stopping him by picking him up and putting him on the floor whenever he starts foot sucking (or annoying me) and it's finally paying off. For the past three days Patrick has snuggled with me and only a few times has he attempted to seek out his foot. I can easily stop him by blocking access with my hand and distracting him with an ear rub and if it doesn't work he seems to realize his mistake as soon as I start picking him up to move him off the couch. Firm, consistent correction like this seems to really be working for him finally. He's even gotten more affectionate! He's seeking me out for snuggling more often than he was before.

We're still playing a lot, and doing agility training. He's getting really good at it.