How long will a kitten dry suck/nurse?

Question

My kitten is about 4 1/2 months old and still wants to suck on a teddy bear that sits on my bed as well as my hair sometimes. She only does it early in the morning, but I'm still wondering when she might grow out of it?

Answer 1

at first my kitty used to do that. i think it lasted like a year.but now she;s two. i guess like someone mentioned about how they miss their mom. all my kitties have been rescued from my neighborhood and their mom passed away early so i guess thats why they did it.

try to pet her when she does this to distract her.but dont try and force her to stop.

<3

Answer 2

Believe it or not she may or may not ever grow out of it.  Normally when they reach puberty, meaning the females come in heat and the males learn what that female scent is all about, they usually stop.  Now I know from the vet that you can't have your cat spayed or neutered before it is 6 months old.  They grow up so fast.  I have a female who is eight years old.  She used to suck my hair in bed when she was a kitten.  Once in a while when she is in a snugly mood, she will still suck on my hair.  It must depend on the cat and it's owner.

Answer 3

She may or may not stop. Only time will tell.

Answer 4

as everyone has said, yes it is a comfort thing as it reminds her of suckling on her mother. she might ot might not grow out of it though. i have a female cat who is nearly 4 and still does it but only on a certain jumper i have made out of fluffy kinda material. whenever i wear that jumper she's all over me, but apart from that she doesn't do it! i think its cute :-) <3

Answer 5

This is a comfort behavior that reminds her of mum, so it's a natural thing. For some kittens, it takes a while longer to grow out of, and some never quite do, though this is kind of rare.  It's kind of like thumb-sucking for people.

Since you say she only does it at one certain time, it makes me wonder: is she usually sleepy when she does it? If she is, she's probably just wanting mummy comfort as she wakes up. If that's the case, she should grow out of it fairly soon, because most cats mentally separate themselves from their mothers by 6 months old.

There's a website I'll link you to that has an entire section on people's questions about their kittens' suckling behaviour, and answers to those questions. Hope something helps!  

Answer 6

we had a cat like that when i was younger.  he always did that in a corner of my blanket. our vet told us that it was because he was taken away from his mom to soon, but i think that its just because some cats just need that extra comfort. he did that until he died.  i always thought it was so cute.