Licking and Sucking

Littermates suckling on one another is a common unintended consequence of our meddling with Mother Nature.

• Free-living (feral) litters don’t usually leave for college until they’re 16 weeks old, while most home raised kittens are sent packing at the tender age of 6-8 weeks.
• Babies need their parents.

Many mature beyond this habit.

• Even as adults some cats habitually suck on their owner’s ear lobes or hair.
• There is no cure for this behavior, but you can interrupt an adult cat with a short blast from a compressed air can.
• The good news is that suckling is harmless. I suggest you ignore kittens when they do this.

A word about physical punishment:

• Whether it’s a tail sucking kitten, a wool chewing Siamese, a bored teenager, or a confused feline senior spanking, yelling, and other forms of harassment are a waste of energy that only drives the problem underground as it damages the bond you share with your pet.
• Get the right answers so you can do the right thing.