Kitten constant need for attention and suckling

[kismet7]

My kitten Rusty is now 6 months old, I got him when he was about 8 weeks old.  Ever since I got him he always wanted to suckle me, first it was my ear ( it tickled) then he moved to the skin between my forefinger and thumb, then to my inner elbow and lastly to my armpit lol which tickled even more than my ear.  I finally decided to stop him from doing this about 3 weeks ago 'cause I saw that he was becoming obsessive about it, every time he got on my lap he just wanted to go and suckle me. He even left a couple of hickies.  Another thing is that as soon as I'm up he wants to be on me, not just on my lap but on my chest area, he steps all over my boobs and it hurts.  When he was little it was OK but now he's too big and heavy for that.  I keep trying to bring him down my my lap but he's constantly climbing and moving around.  It's like he never settles in one spot, he keeps moving trying to get comfortable and frankly it's becoming very annoying.

I've never had a kitten before, I'm used to cats being very independent and pretty much on their own and being relaxed, I feel bad because it seems that he's not getting all the attention he needs. I play with him and even let him out for about an hour but it doesn't seem to be enough. Sometimes he starts whining and running around the apartment like crazy.  He's got toys, a scratching post and a nice comfy ottoman by the window.  Recently a lady offered me a female kitten about 7 months old, it's her parents' cat and they can't keep her 'cause they already have several cats.  I don't know much about this kitten except that they picked her up as a stray.  I was considering adopting her as a playmate for Rusty, do you think it would be a good idea and would it alleviate his need for constant attention and companionship?

 

[catspaw66]

Welcome to TCS. Your kitten is suckling you because he was taken from his mother too soon. Professional, licensed breeders will not let a kitten go before 12 weeks, usually. You are his mother, so he seeks comfort from you. Allowing him to continue for 4 months has made it a habit. You are going to gradually have to gently discourage him from the suckling. I am not really sure how to do that, but someone will probably give you the way to do it.

If you take the kitten, make sure she is spayed and tested for all parasites and diseases common to outdoor cats. You will also need to do a proper introduction, like this:   www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

You never said, but is he neutered? If not, please do that before you introduce a new cat into the household. It takes about a month afterward for all the hormones to stop.

And last, I believe cats should be indoors-only. Letting him out exposes him to the same parasites and diseases that you don't want another cat to bring in.

 

[oz'smum]

We had a cat that we got from a neighbour at 6 weeks old, together with his sister. Both were neutered at 6 months, but with the male they could only find one testicle, which wasn't discovered and removed later in his life.

The female never displayed any suckling tendencies, but the male always had it as a quirk to his nature until he passed away at 16 years of age. He used to "tut" (as we called it) on fluffy fabrics, and on out skin. Maybe you can graduate him on to wooly fabric by finding something you can drape on yourself, and you can eventually get him to that rather than yourself. Maybe a knitted jumper or blanket.

 As far as introducing him to another cat, you might need others to advise, as it's not something I've had to deal with.

 

[kismet7]

 
Welcome to TCS. Your kitten is suckling you because he was taken from his mother too soon. Professional, licensed breeders will not let a kitten go before 12 weeks, usually. You are his mother, so he seeks comfort from you. Allowing him to continue for 4 months has made it a habit. You are going to gradually have to gently discourage him from the suckling. I am not really sure how to do that, but someone will probably give you the way to do it.

If you take the kitten, make sure she is spayed and tested for all parasites and diseases common to outdoor cats. You will also need to do a proper introduction, like this:   www.thecatsite.com/a/introducing-cats-to-cats

You never said, but is he neutered? If not, please do that before you introduce a new cat into the household. It takes about a month afterward for all the hormones to stop.

And last, I believe cats should be indoors-only. Letting him out exposes him to the same parasites and diseases that you don't want another cat to bring in.

He was neutered in early July and the female kitten was spayed about 10 days ago.   I let him out 'cause he really likes it and cries a lot when I don't.  Maybe when the kitten gets here he won't feel so lonely and will adapt to being an indoor cat only.  Thanks for the link!