sucking?!

[Presley]

We got our maggie when she was only 3 weeks old. She was thrown from a moving truck infront of a shelter in another town from where i live. She was soooo tiny when we got her.. Ever since we have got her she has sucked on our shoulders. We know she is sucking and not just drolling... Well she is now a adult cat and she is still sucking. We tryed to discourage her from doing so by pushing her mouth off our shirts but she still tries.. Is there anything that can be done to stop this? Will she always suck?!?!

[NoahsMommy]

Poor baby, I'm so glad you were there to give her a good home...I think it's really sweet she does that...not sure if she'll stop...maybe someone else can help with that...

Take care.

[moosmom]

Presley,

The reason maggie is sucking is because she was separated from her mama too early. I also have a cat that was separated too early and he did that for a long time. He's now 7 and has since stopped. She may grow out of it. Just be patient.

[Nomilynn]

Bassett did the same thing.. she (this is gross and funny) would suck on the end of her tail until it was sopping wet, and then get up and whip it around, many times hitting me in the face!! A wet tail hurts a lot, like a wet towel hurts more than a dry one! I ended up buying some gross tasting stuff from the vet and put it on her tail to make her stop. However, I'm sure you don't want that stuff all over your shirts I know it can be really annoying and gross.. you may want to ask your vet for advice.

[Presley]

Thank you guys.. The only reason i really asked about it was because i am highly allergic to the drool, Both cats and dogs.. I was wondering if she would ever stop it. I don't like to reject her and push her away.

[Vio&Juni]

Sorry for you if you're allergic. Two of my cats had this habbit, but they did it only on special clothes. None of them got rid of it ever. We enjoyed this habbit, this was a proof of their trust, it's just like kneading. Our Naomi was my father's favorite, because of this.
A piece of advice - might sound a little cruel. Try some chilly pepper powder or hot paprika on that place where she uses to suck. Hopefully, she won't get upset with you for that

[Vio&Juni]

Don't forget to pet or kiss her after she finds it, so she understands that she is still loved and that awful taste has nothing to do with your feelings for her.

[Vio&Juni]

With how strange are kitties' choices sometimes, I wouldn't be very surprised!
Hopefully, she likes other things, not paprica.

[Nomilynn]

Our Naomi was my father's favorite

That really caught me off guard, Vio&Juni, because my name is Naomi!! I don't hear of many people - or cats for that matter - that have it!

[Vio&Juni]

Naomi was black and very beautiful, like... you guessed - Naomi, the Super Model. And she was also aware of her beauty
Too sad, we don't have her anymore

[Presley]

Is it a insecure thing? She seems to be the boss cat around here. If our older cat(age10) eats maggie is right there and the other cat will move out of the way for her. She lives up on her climbing tree. The other cat isn't allowed anywhere near it.. Maggie will be 3 soon so this is kinda odd for me to understand that she seems to be more diminate over the more aggresive older cat...

[moosmom]

Presley,

I wouldn't try chili pepper. It might not be good for cats. They have something at pet stores called "bitter apple". You just rub a little bit on her gums and whenever she goes to suck, put it there. She'll remember the nasty taste and stop. Good luck.

[treybabe]

When we first got our older cat, Trey, she sucked on herself rather than us like that. She was a stray who followed one of the kids home when she was about seven months old. She may have been separated from her mother early too. We just don't know for sure. Other than her sucking problems she was really a sweet and loving cat.

I worked at it with her by telling her "no' firmly everytime she started it. Then to reward her I would scratch under her chin and on her neck or stroke her neck gently. This distracted her from the sucking. Pretty soon she just came to me for her neck rub time. Eventually that need diminished and now she likes occasional neck rubs but lots of tummy and back rubs. She is a real lap cat though. She sucked on herself for about 4-6 months after we got her, but that's all. She may have outgrown it without my help, but I think I helped her get over it. She is our precious "weggie" 12 year old girl. Weggie = Norwegian Forest Cat.

[lovemymaltese]

Bless her heart, how could anyone be so cruel? I don't understand people sometimes.

[treybabe]

Yes, besides being abandoned our Trey showed signs of being abused also when we found her and made her our own. If you move suddenly to pet her or touch her to this day she sort of blinks and moves back for a second like she thinks she might get hit - automatic reflex I think. But we have loved her now since she was only seven months old.(She is 12 now)and trusts us completely. She is a very special kitty with a very forthright and outgoing purrsonality too. She needs a lot of extra attention(but which kitty doesn't? and deservedly too), but our weggie rewards us back by her loyalty and affection. She talks too, at least I think it is talk.