Kitten that sucks his tail

Question
Dear Kate
I know you said you were not a trained for medical questions but our 9 week old kitten sucks his tail til it bleeds. If we put a plaster on it he thinks it's a toy and bites it... what can I put on it that 'tastes' bad? Of course not knowing what a cat thinks is a nasty taste is tricky.
ANY advice. WE are so worried his tail will become infected.
regards
Les

Answer
Hi
well this is tricky as anything that tastes bad may also smell strange and your cat won't be able to get away from it, which is not good. Most vets would recommend that you fit a cat hood until the wounds heal (available from your vets), they may also have some advice as to what can be done long term to stop the sucking, i'm sure they would have encountered this before.

Sorry I could not be of more help.

best wishes Kate