Hello, My friends cat had kittens on december 30, 2012, my baby girl is almost 5 months, and she is still suckling!!! No matter what i can’t get her to stop. She crawls in my hair and under my chin and starts suckling on my neck, she wakes me up every night with her sucking.. I will put her off the bed, but she is right back up doing it again, i fight with her for about an hour if not more a night. How can i get it to stop!?!? It’s driving me insane!!
2
✅ Answers
? Favorite Answer
Sucking and kneading are instinctual behaviors that all kittens must do in order to nurse. Kittens usually nurse until they are 4-6 weeks old, then mom weans them and they transition to eating solid foods. Sometimes the mom will let kittens nurse longer, for comfort and reassurance. Kitten hood is the time where kittens who are lucky to be with their mother and siblings feel the most protected and safe. Mom keeps them warm, secure, well-fed and out of harm’s way.
Many cats who were taken away from their mother and bottle-fed or weaned too early will suck on their human companions or on fabrics. It’s a comfort behavior, typically accompanied with purring, and is usually done when cats feel safe, secure and content. Some of these cats will suckle on their own tails or other parts of their body. I have a 7-year-old cat who suckles on his right dew claw whenever he curls up next to me on the sofa.
There was an online survey that was conducted on cats who suckle as adults. Based on responses, the conclusions were that cats who suckle as adults most likely were separated from their mothers and siblings at 8 weeks old or younger. It also concluded that most of these cats suckled throughout their lives, though some of the cats suckled less frequently as they aged.
Since having your hands and arms suckled on isn’t the most ideal situation for you, gradually transfer the behavior on to a safe object that your cat can not ingest. There are cat-safe toys that will work. Make sure that the new object doesn’t have eyes, noses, whiskers and other pieces that can be chewed or sucked off. Also, the fabric needs to be a nontoxic substance that the cat can’t ingest. I know someone who transitioned her cat so he would suckle on a teddy bear. Before transitioning your cat to suckle another object, rub the object on your arms and hands, transferring your scent to the object. Whenever she starts suckling on you, present her with the preferred object. Be patient and gentle with her; with time she should suckle the approved object.
Source(s): Cat Owner/ Vet.
I have a 14 month old that I adopted at 4 weeks old and bottle fed for a couple of weeks. She still suckles. I have never allowed her to suckle on my skin. I have a small micro fleece blanket that I put on my lap or on my shoulder and she suckles on that. She is suckling less than she did 3 months ago. You could hear her suckle and purr from across the room. Now she suckles for a much shorter period of time then settles down to sleep on my lap. She will probably never stop suckling completely but the frequency and duration is diminishing as she gets older. Remember – a cat is a kitten until about 18 months old. Give her a blanket to suckle and let her find her comfort.
Good luck