Cat sucks own nipple

Question
My girlfriend's cat, Kisa, is a little over one year old. She has an obvious weaning problem. Often, she sucks and licks her own nipple. Because of this, her right eye is constantly rubbing on herself and is extremely irritated, swollen, sometimes shut, and produces an excessive amount of goop (a.k.a. eye boogers). She has seen a vet and they said that this behavior is normal and that she will eventually grow out of it. This was approximately eight months ago and since, the situation has improved at times, but still varies in extremity. We have considered getting her a collar to keep her eye from rubbing her body, but aren't sure if that's the proper course of action. What should we do? Her eye is not improving and it requires constant care to remove the liquid and goop.

Answer
Hi Jay,

This is not a normal behavior. You first need to get a different vet. Get medicine for the eye. Then we work on her problem. This may be due to anxiety. You can try a product called Feliway Comfort Zone. This should relax her a little. You can also try putting a little deodorant on the area around the nipple. This is bitter and she should leave it alone. Also whenever you see her sucking use a loud noise to startle her. An air horn works great. Try these things and see if she continues doing her suckling. If she continues you may need to put her on some medication. Good luck.

Ciao, Karen