Does My Kitten Think My Finger Is a Nipple?

Your kitten scurries over to suckle on your fingertips whenever you put your hands in view? Yours is not the first. Does he curl over your hand, his paws around your wrist, and suck on your pinky finger? He may know it's not his mother̵7;s nipple, but he doesn't care. It's close enough for his comfort. This little quirk is not uncommon in young felines; some of them grow up and do it as adults.

  1. Reasoning Behind It

    • If your pint-size fur ball suckles on your fingers, it̵7;s possible he was weaned too early. Kittens should ideally stay with their mama for at least the first 6 weeks of their lives, the ASPCA advises; other authorities advise 8 weeks. During this time frame, kittens are still nursing and fully reliant on their mother. But if a newborn is orphaned or just taken away from his mama too soon, he may continue to have the urge to suckle. That̵7;s where your fingers come in handy -- they̵7;re just the right size and about the same texture and temperature as his mother̵7;s teats.

    Learning to Soothe

    • Suckling is soothing. It brings your purring companion back to a happy stress-free place in his memory when he was with his mother and his littermates. So naturally, when he needs to put himself at ease if he̵7;s feeling anxious, he finds that suckling -- either your fingers or other objects -- brings him to that place. Little Scruffy could be showing signs of affection in the only way he knows how: Licking and suckling. After all, you̵7;re mama of the family litter in a sense.

    Boredom and Compulsiveness

    • Your mischievous pal could be treating your fingertips like nipples because he̵7;s bored. He has all this pent-up energy, and suckling gets some of it out. Give him plenty of things to do, including toys to play with, scratching posts to climb and interactive toy wands to bat. He̵7;ll start getting some of his energy out on his own rather than relying so much on your fingers. In some cases, though, his gnawing, suckling and licking your fingers is just a compulsive behavior, much like the way you may unknowingly tap your toes or nibble your nails. The habit may never stop. If he starts being aggressive by biting hard or clawing, get up and walk away or put him on the floor before he breaks your skin.

    Other Tips

    • For the most part, suckling on your fingers probably isn̵7;t a major concern -- just make sure you don̵7;t have any soap, antibacterial gel or lotion on your hands that can be toxic to your fuzzy buddy. If he does it regularly, suckling can be painful to you as Scruffy wears the skin down. You might want to try using a bitter-tasting lotion on your hands. These products are available at your local pet store; some of them are specifically designed to apply to the skin to deter biting and compulsive licking. Spread some on, sit in your usual spot and wait for Scruffy to open up his chompers. The formula won̵7;t hurt him, although he̵7;ll quickly figure out that your fingers suddenly taste bad and won̵7;t want to nibble on them anymore.