kitten licks genitals

Question
QUESTION: I have a six month old kitten who licks his penis area.  He seems to really enjoy this act because he not only licks his genitals, but also sucks.  He purrs and "makes biscuits" (kneads his paws into the floor).  He will do this act for such a long time that his genital area will become soaked with salivia.  Is this normal?  The cats that I have had in the past (all males) have never done this.  How long will he do this for?  

Also...he is six months now.  He has been doing this since he was about three or four months old.  We had him nuetered at five months (I thought that the nuetering would end this behavior, but it did not).

More information:
No other abnormal behavior; except, he is a bit wilder than my cats have been in the past--running around the house like he is crazy :).  We also have a 1 1/2 year old male cat.  They get along fine.  They play and run around together (although they are not overly affecionate to each other).

ANSWER: Christy, I should tell you that this behavior probably has no sexual component to it. From the sounds of it, this might not be his genital area that is of interest, he may be sucking on a patch of fur close to the genitals. Do you know when this kitten was weaned? Early weaning can lead to inappropriate sucking behaviors. My oldest cat was hand reared and she sucks on a patch of fur on her lower tummy area, purrs, and makes biscuits like you describe. This isn't odd or strange if he was weaned early or is a slightly insecure cat, it is misplaced behavior that would normally be shown to his mom. I have not had success preventing my oldest cat from doing this, so my suggestion is that if this behavior bothers you, speak to your vet about it. He/she may be able to refer you to a behaviorist or provide behavioral counselling in office. He may never entirely stop this behavior, as it is often a security blanket of sorts. This is likely a self soothing behavior developed early in life which means that whenever he feels out of sorts he will repeat it. If he was weaned early (6 weeks or younger) this is what you can expect to see from him. You may be able to redirect the behavior to a more aesthetically pleasing location. Your vet can describe how to humanely alter this behavior. Should you require more information on this issue, please don't hesitate to contact me.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you!  Your answer seems to be right on.  My kitten was weaned early (4weeks).  

He is also insecure and timid.  We found him as a stray along with several siblings; he would hide behind the other kittens, refusing to come out.  Unfortunately, the kittens were seperated and we were only able to keep one.  For the first few weeks he would not even let us come near him (even today he is not a lap cat and wil only tolerate petting for a couple of minutes-the complete opposite of our other cat). When we take him to the vet he hides underneath the blanket in the carrier.  He also hides under the sofa whenever anyone but my husband or I come into the house.   

I will definately follow up your hypothesis with my vet.  Thank you for the prompt, clear, and informative answer!


One more question:
Is there any significance to the fact that he only performs this act around me, and not my husband?  

When we first adopted the kitten, I stayed with him all the time and fed him, played with him, and petted him.  I sat with him until late into the night because I knew that being seperated from his family so early was traumatic.  If my husband would not have objected, I would have adopted the whole litter!

Answer
You were his mommy substitute which is why he does this with you, he feels very comfortable expressing his insecurity to you. Take it in stride, it is a compliment even though he is so timid. Let me know how things progress, you may find some answers that I have not been able to! Good luck!