Kitten sucking own penis

Question
QUESTION: Two weeks ago, my wife and I adopted 2 rescue kittens from a shelter. We were told they were bottle fed by volunteers when we got them at an estimated age of 9 weeks.  We took them to our vet within a week and they are healthy.  They are delightful kitties but we have a problem. The male kitten sucks his own penis periodically and occasionally his sister's vagina.  We are concerned that he might damage himself.  What can we do? We bought a kitten nursing bottle but we're concerned about causing a new behavioral problem.

Thank you.

ANSWER: Hal,

That is more common that you would think. It is because the babies were weaned too early or lost their mom at birth. It is a comfort behavior which they will grow out of. If it caused pain he wouldn't do it, and if it caused her pain and not comfort she wouldn't allow it. It may be offensive to us, but it is not unusual animal behavior.

You may want to try PetSmart, Petco, etc. for something very soft (like a mama cat), that would be safe for him to transfer his suckling to.

Tabbi

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

QUESTION: Well, here's my concern: One of our kitties, sadly now deceased, licked his tail until we had to have 1 or 2 vertebrae amputated. And then he got around the Elizabethan collar somehow and ripped out the stitches. So they will do these things to the point at which they damage themselves.  I'm not offended by his behavior, I'm worried that he may injure himself.

Answer
Hal,

Licking constantly is an emotional problem that some cats have. It's called Psychogenic Alopecia. It is the result of being overstressed, grieving, etc.

I can see your concern, but a kitten as young as yours is doing it for comfort because of being weaned too early. There is a wide range of their own body parts, people's body parts, other animals, clothing, blankets, etc. that kittens have chose to suck on for comfort. They usually do grow out of it as they mature.

If you still have concerns, I would contact your vet and ask this question of him/her.

Tabbi