kitten sulf suckling

Question
Hello, I adopted a 4 month old cat last week and she suckles on her self. She purrs when she does it and does not appear to have any skin. What bothers me is that a little bit of is hair missing around the area she suckles. Is it ok to use a product like bitter yuck to try and break her of this habit? I do not want to discourage her from cleaning herself.
Thanks
-Ed

Answer
Hi Ed.  I think if she is not causing any skin damage, I would leave it alone at this point, because you are exactly right - if you try to put anything on her fur that tastes bad, she's not going to want to groom.  If the behavior leads to raw skin or becomes more widespread, I'd consult a vet.  Cats who become this obsessed with suckling could be engaging in displacement behavior to distract themselves, which may be caused by anxiety.  When it gets to the point that it becomes self-damaging, then medications to manage anxiety might need to be considered.

Something you could try for now would be an elizabethan collar (that lampshade you see dogs wearing after surgery), available at most large pet stores.  It would limit her reach.  Most cats don't respond well to these, however.  Some people will cut a section out of a pair of women's tights and stretch it over the cat's belly like a corset to cover the area, depending on where she's suckling, but they tend to respond to this equally well.

I think it's probably just a kitten working out her suckling relfexes, but in case it is anxiety-related, you may want to give a product called Feliway a try.  I like the product in general and use the plug-in diffuser at all times in my house.  It's available at pet stores and online.  You can learn more at www.feliway.com