Why does my kitten 'suckle' on my neck?

Question

my kitten is 4 months old now, and he was only 6 weeks when taken from his mother. he does this strange suckling thing into my neck and kind of chews my hair and kneads.

its really annoying cause he gets my hair wet and tangled, but i feel mean pushing him off. how can i wean him off doing it?

he doesnt do it to anyone else either..

Answer 1

perhaps that area reminds him of his mother's belly the area where he suckles to get milk. Typically kittens can be removed from their mother at the age of 8 weeks. He also plays with your hair because he thinks its his mother's fur. Just keep on loving and feeding this baby. Sometimes even adult cats will occasionally suckle. Nothing to worry about it wil go away as they grow. Please keep threads, small objects, plants, medicine away from your kitten

Answer 2

You're "mommy."  congrats.

Some of them never get over it.  He left mom way too soon.  Don't feel badly about pushing him away though, his actual mom would be pushing him away by now.

We found a little 5 week old and he's an obsessive suckler.  But luckily we have cats who were willing to deal with him.  Our five year old male lets him nurse and even washes him too and our girl lets him try too and seems to think that he actually is her kitten.  There's no milk, but he sure loves trying.  

The five year old male used to nurse on my older cat when he was little but he got over it after a few weeks.  He still kneads a lot but no more nursing.  So yours may give up on nursing.  IDK. But it does seem to help them if there's another cat around who happens to be either too patient or too lazy to stop them from trying.  

Answer 3

err

my cat does the same thing, only the worst part is, when she does it, she goes straight to my boob! so it looks like shes nursing! its gross it makes me fling her off of me. And shes like 10 years old and she STILL does it... that cat will probably do it all its life... :S its a comfort thing

Answer 4

My six-month old kittens do this too on a fuzzy blanket. My vet said it does not mean that they were taken away from their mothers too early. It just reminds them of when they were little and it makes them feel comfortable and secure. The fact that your kitten is doing it to you means that he feels comfortable and happy around you. If it annoys you, you could try getting a shaggy, furry-looking blanket or pillow and see if he will use that instead. Maybe you could slip the blanket between you and the kitten when he's suckling and see if he will start sucking on that instead.

Answer 5

Kittens do this as a "security" because they were taken away from their mother before they were "ready" (before they were ready to be weaned).

Answer 6

he thinks of you as his mother.

when he kneads, thats what they do to their mothers when they want milk and it helps the milk flow out.

it also means that they are very content

Answer 7

He probably sees you as a mother figure, some cats are just really cuddly and if they were handled from 2-3 weeks old when its really important..then they will probably be like that forever.

Just dont pick him up if you dont want him doing it.

Answer 8

My cat used to do that, he probably only does it to you cause he thinks your his mother, if its annoying, just gently push him away, or give him an alternative, such as a teddy, or a soft blanket.