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sucking issue

ninja4her

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My new cat murdock is almost 5 months old and he has this weird habit of sucking on bandit or me. It' s like he trying to get milk but when i put him by the food he's not hungry. Does anyone else have this issue or know why he's doing it?
 

ypvsypvs

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My new cat murdock is almost 5 months old and he has this weird habit of sucking on bandit or me. It' s like he trying to get milk but when i put him by the food he's not hungry. Does anyone else have this issue or know why he's doing it?

I've seen it quite a few times in cats. Normally it happens when the kitten is taken too early from it's mom. Dunno if that's the case for you but everytime it's happened to cats I know of it's kittens taken away at like 8 weeks or even earlier.
They should stay for 12 weeks, here that is even a rule these days because of the frequent behavioral problems when kittens are too young and taken to their new home. The suckling normally will stop in time but I know of cats that stayed that way for the rest of their lives also.
Now that he does it just let it be. It's more a way to feel safe than trying to get food. Hopefully it will pass in time.
 

JacksMom

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My Jack has been sucking on his own lower 2 tits (the only ones he can reach) which were super small when he started and are now huge (compared to the other ones) and pink! He, too, is 5 1/2 months old. He's been doing this since maybe a week or two after I got him, and he was 14.5 weeks old when I got him from the breeder, so I would have thought he was ready to be taken from his mother, but maybe he was just a momma's boy....who knows. For now I am going to let him continue as I believe it gives him comfort (he only does it when he's ready to go to sleep). If he continues it and doesn't seem to be letting go of the habbit in the future, I will try the bitter apple, which is safe but tastes terrible. :Woo:
 

sphynxie

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Nudie sucks on her fleece blanket to comfort herself at night before going to sleep with me. It's not really a food thing, I think it's just comforting to them. I would just let him do his thing.
 

marlene

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My Pedda is 8 years old and still tries to nurse on my upper arm when she's kneading me at bedtime. If I make her stop she switches to nuzzling and licking. She was a few days shy of 12 weeks old when I got her. I think she does it now because she's happy and relaxed. I think it has an entirely different meaning in a baby though.
 

Gadzukz

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Yep, I think it's a comfort thing. My daughter's 5 yr old calico still sucks on a blanket, or your shirt, and kneads as she goes to sleep.
 
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my boy smeagol is 5yo and hes still sucking my thumb knuckle, almost daily. it started early on as a kitten and hes never grown out of it..i always thought maybe he was the runt and didnt get enough nipple time, or he was taken away from it to early. i asked the breeder, she said no, and they made me wait the 16wks, so who knows? now i just think its comforting for him
 

lucabella

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My Luca will nurse on our earlobes (YES earlobe). He's 2 and has been doing it since we got him at 14w. When he snuggles and gets all moochy he goes right for your ear. Mostly it's annoying. He does it's to strangers too! :LOL:
 

ninja4her

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Murdock is 4 months old and does it in the middle of the night i'll wake up to him nursing on my arm and i'm like what the heck. I found a pet pacifier on line basically a pillow with 4 nipples sowed in it. I might try that....
 

Melonie

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I just made it very clear it was something I did not like. If you sucked on me you weren't allowed on my lap. They got it quick.
 

AmazonGoddess

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Teeka is 3 and she doesn't suckle but she licks when she's tired and getting comfy. Unfortunately she like to lick human skin and after about 40 seconds of her sandpaper tongue scraping over the same place, it really HURTS!!!!

I let her lick for just a moment or two, just to let know know she can settle down and rest where she is. Usually it works, but sometimes she's rather persistent and I have to cover up every inch of skin (including hands and feet!).

One of my furry boys needs to nuzzle my hair sometimes. He'll creep up on me (not easy for a 20+ pounder to do) and bury his face in my hair and purr and drool. He's done it since the day I got him at 8 weeks old. I usually have to wash my hair afterwards. :Laugh:
 

ckutkuhn7

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Woke up this morning to Snuffie sucking on my hair!!! I used a new shampoo for the first time last night so I'm wondering if that had something to do with it but dang!! She is 1.5 yrs old now,,what the heck is she thinking! lol Atleast it wasn't something else tho I guess!!!! lol
 

MELODIEROCK

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I sold a kitten at 14 weeks and she is 3 years old now, and still sucks on her owner's ear lobes. Everyday, I guess. lol I have a female that sucks on the end of her own tail. And when she lays with my male, she will suck on his tail. And with her babies, when they nurse. She's crazy! That's what I say. lol
 

Gizzymom

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Teeka is 3 and she doesn't suckle but she licks when she's tired and getting comfy. Unfortunately she like to lick human skin and after about 40 seconds of her sandpaper tongue scraping over the same place, it really HURTS!!!!

Gizmo does the same! It DOES hurt!!! Especially if I am lying down and he licks my face. He also does this "nibbling" thing with his front teeth on my hand or arm.
He gives me little nibbles....:Impish:
 

lodisphynx

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Hello, my baby is about 5 1/2 months old now, and was with his mom and dad until he was 16 weeks...... I got him early January, and in the past 2-3 weeks has started nursing on himself..... he curls up and grabs onto a skin fold on his body and suckles, purrs loudly, kneads his paws. Seems to be only when he is coming to me in bed to sleep (on his special blankie between me and husband). I think it just means that he is happy and thinks I'm his mom.....
I don't think he is neurotic.....
 

bean406

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Lilo suckles pretty much daily. She has done this since we brought here home at about 13 weeks old. She usually suckles on her arm (sometimes her belly) and kneads. Only does this when she's falling asleep. She's noisy sometimes but not a big deal...I was told it's a comforting mechanism.
 

danimcd

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fred is 1 year old now... and still sucks... i think its fine and the vet sort of confirmed it... he said that when cats purr, they they knead, and they do this because it something that comforts them and mimics what they did at the teet on mom... that being said, the sucking makes sense if it is just something they associate with comfort... they are happy and just showing it... kinda like a 5 or 6 year old kid who still needs a bottle or soother or sometimes even a teet too!! :Woo::Dizzy::Wink::Surprise::LOL:
it just makes them happy and comfortable:ThumbsUp:
 

TortieTerror

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My Luca will nurse on our earlobes (YES earlobe). He's 2 and has been doing it since we got him at 14w. When he snuggles and gets all moochy he goes right for your ear. Mostly it's annoying. He does it's to strangers too! :LOL:

That is just too funny!!! Our Cairo was a sucker, your neck, chest, arm, what was ever handy. He quit after a while. It would put him to sleep when he did it. I agree, it seems comforting to him.
 

KushielsTart

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It seems like it's really just a sphynx thing. Zuul suckled on us, and we kept moving her paw underneath her mouth until that's where she went she started suckling automatically on hew own. She's eight and still does it daily when she's warm and happy. Loki suckles on his favorite blanket, and Akasha licks her favorite blanket. Unfortunately with Loki I had to stop buying anything made of fleece, because he sucks and chews on those until the whole blanket is basically swiss cheese. Bitter apple didn't work, nose flicking didn't work, spray bottle and firm no's didn't work. So I just decided to stop buying that material. :ThumbsDown:

I know that none of mine were taken from their mothers earlier than 16 weeks, so I think Sphynxes are just very happy kitties. :BigSmile:
 

kaoticharmony

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Neon suckled. He wasreally into it. He would start and you could pass him around the room and he wouldn't miss a beat. He originally tried suckling me but decided I wasn't into it so he suckled his belly. One night he was laying on his back in my bed suckling away. I noticed he was drooling a HUGE puddle. I looked at him and said "Neon you are gonna drown yourself" and a stuck a napkin on the side of his belly to soak up the drool. He stopped and never did it again.
 

sphynxmommy

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I adopted my sphynx around 5 months of age and she was doing the same thing. The vet mentioned it might be because she was taken away from the mother too early. She is almost 2 now and doesnt do it that much anymore, only occasionally but she constantly licks everything! Eventually, yours might out grow it!
 

Catzzzmeow

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Our little girl sucked the tip off her tail after we rescued her...after a few months she stopped. I have since seen the breeder was well know for giving her litters to people too soon, so I too believe it is a comfort thing and a possible connection to being pulled from her mother too soon. She is now a well adjusted cat, but even if she still wanted to suck on something, it would not bother me as long as she is happy. Many people have worse habits than that!
 
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