How long do kittens suckle their tail?

[meloneyb21]

It is the cutest thing but sure can be annoying. I often wake up in the middle of the night to that smacking, sucking sound in my ear. Is it true that they do this if weaned too early? Someone gave him to me when he was about 5-6 weeks old. He's about 6 months now. He's my little love. DH swears that he hears "MOM" when he meows.

Here he is:

He's such a mama's boy....he sticks to me like velcro ...lol

Him with the older one who doesn't pay me any mind

 

[HelenePA]

Oooooh so cute! I got my 2 cats at 6 wks and they have never sucked on their tail or anything else?

Your almost ready to have your baby! Congrats!

 

[Dax]

My newest little one was found outside about 3 weeks ago during a FL cold spell, and we think he is about 4mo old. He is VERY independent, but when he jumps on my lap and starts to snuggle, he will start to suckle my shirt and most of the time, the blanket.

He does the whole "kneading" with the paws as well, and goes into almost a trance like state. I have to make him stop, because he makes wet spots on my shirts..lol..

Now my old man cat, who I have had over 10yrs, wont suckle, but he will put his head down close, and knead..

 

[meloneyb21]

He does the whole "kneading" with the paws as well, and goes into almost a trance like state. I have to make him stop, because he makes wet spots on my shirts..lol..

I know, that's what my kitten does! He curls right up under me and starts to suck his tail and I stop him because I start to feel wet spots all over the place.

 

[Scornelius]

Oh, that's the cutest thing ever! Those pictures actually made me LOL! We got both our cats from a shelter when they were about 8 weeks old, and neither of them suckled their tails. The youngest one did, however, try and suckle on me on many occasions. You haven't lived until you've woken up to that!

 

[HelenePA]

The youngest one did, however, try and suckle on me on many occasions. You haven't lived until you've woken up to that!

that cat would NEVER get near me while sleeping again

 

[christiane]

He's a little cutie!! And he can meow "Mom"...

The tail suckling he is doing is a comfort behaviour and is more common in Asian breeds (your little guy looks part-Siamese). He also left his kitty Mom too early so that is probably part of it. Although many kittens do it, it is not normal, so there is no "normal" time to stop doing it. It can persist into adulthood.

Keeping him busy with lots of activities, giving him alternative things to chew or an "Elizabethan collar" (cone) are all things to try.

 

[Sleepy]

I have a kitten that is 8 months old. She was abandoned by her mother and was taken in by an old lady who then gave her to me when the kitten was 5/6 weeks old. From day one she has sucked on a blanket when she wants to go to sleep. I thought she would eventually break this habit, but she is still doing it at 8 months. Boy, does she make a blanket wet! She can't stay in one place. It's funny. I have a water glass on my night stand. She visits it every night because her mouth gets dry .

 

[LuvN~Travel]

Oh, that's the cutest thing ever! Those pictures actually made me LOL! We got both our cats from a shelter when they were about 8 weeks old, and neither of them suckled their tails. The youngest one did, however, try and suckle on me on many occasions. You haven't lived until you've woken up to that!

One of our cats was that way. She liked to go after my ear! lol I kept telling the girl hey Chloe, there's nothing there!
I think she has FINALLY given it up after a year.
And, yes we got her when she was only about four or five weeks old.
Kim

 

[torinsmom]

Ahhh....so my kitten isn't mentally challenged, LOL. She is part-Siamese(and looks all Siamese) She will sniff and find a spot she likes on the blanket and start sucking and kneading. She will purr louder than yo can imagine while she is "suckling". A first I thought it was cute, but it can get sort of annoying.

Here is Blythe with her brother Antonio(he doesn't suckle)

Sorry, I don't know how to make it smaller....

Marsha

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

My cat Hobbes loves to suck his tail. He was 8 weeks when we got him. The strangest thing though is that the first month we had him he never sucked his tail and then one day he just started sucking away. He doesn't do it as much anymore (he is 2 years old) but it is still quite often. He will also only do it with he is curled up next to somebody. I think it is a sign of contentment.

 

[Hoodie]

It can be a sign of being weaned too early. 5-6 weeks is pretty young for the kitten to be on his own. At the shelter I used to work at we usually didn't seperate until the kittens were about 1.5 pounds or 8-10 weeks. He's doing it for comfort.

I adopted a kitten and momma cat many years ago. He attempted to nurse off of momma (even though there was no milk) for a long time (I adopted them when he was 10 weeks). He gave up shortly after his little boy hormones kicked in and I got him fixed.

 

[Laura]

My cat Mika would do that when we first got her as a kitten. She was 8 weeks old when we got her, but she was the runt and had to be hand-fed kitten formula to supplement what she got from mom. She would suckle on my shirt at night (the sleeve or neck area) and do the kneading thing. It was cute at first, but the smacking sound was really loud. I got to wearing camisoles to bed or moving her off me if she made noise. She learned to do it more quietly at first, but I would push her head away if she kept trying it. Now, at 3 years old, she just gives me a "massage" before she lays herself down, but sometimes she kind of "smacks her lips" so to speak.

 

[U2_rocks!]

I adopted 2 male kitties about a month ago, and the younger one "nurses" the older one! It's too funny to watch. The older one doesn't seem to mind - he is very patient with his baby "brother"! They are about a month apart in age, and right now they are about 3 and 4 months old.

My mum's kitten used to nurse the bathmat when she was young - she wandered into their area when she was very young, so I think she had lost her mum too early, before she was really ready to wean.

 

[meloneyb21]

The youngest one did, however, try and suckle on me on many occasions. You haven't lived until you've woken up to that!

LOL....he better not try that with me!

 

[RIDISNEYLOVERS]

My kitty does the same thing!! He is going to be a year old on December 17th!! He suckles my shirt and kneads my shirt and purrs so loud. It is very trance like. He does not do it to anyone else, just me. I too think that maybe he was taken from his mom too soon but he was about 7-8 weeks old when we rescued him.

Torinsmom: my Zorro looks just like your Antonio!!

 

[MickeysMommy]

Don't all cats "knead"?

 

[torinsmom]

Torinsmom: my Zorro looks just like your Antonio!!

Yes, he is a cutie! He really looks a lot like my older cat who is a Bengal. Maybe it is the Siamese in him or something. He is big doll baby.

 

[Planogirl]

He is very cute. He looks like he has some Siamese in him.

None of our cats have ever suckled their tails but maybe he does it because he was so young when he left his Mom?

 

[sunnyday123]

Oh, that's the cutest thing ever! Those pictures actually made me LOL! We got both our cats from a shelter when they were about 8 weeks old, and neither of them suckled their tails. The youngest one did, however, try and suckle on me on many occasions. You haven't lived until you've woken up to that!