How Can I Get My Kitten to Quit Licking?

Kittens that are weaned from their mothers too early (before they are eight weeks old) can develop dry-nursing habits that are futile for the kitten and unwanted by their owners. A dry-nursing kitten will continuously lick people or other objects because it thinks it is with its mother and will acquire milk from licking. To stop your kitten from dry-nursing and licking things, you need to train it to quit. Training your kitten to stop dry-nursing is most effectively done by distracting your kitten whenever it starts licking until it forgets or reduces the habit.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat toys
  • Bitter apple spray
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Instructions

    • 1

      Spend time with your kitten and determine when it likes to dry-nurse and what it dry-nurses on. Common objects include blankets, towels and people. It is common for the kitten to lick its owner. An affectionate lick lasts several seconds. Dry-nursing can be recognized if the licking lasts for minutes at a time.

    • 2

      Distract your kitten whenever it starts to dry-nurse. The best way is to use a toy and play with your kitten. As soon as it starts licking, engage your kitten in play with a toy it responds well to, such as a ball, catnip toy or something you can swing around on a string for it to chase. Whenever your kitten tries to start dry-nursing again, distract it with the toy again right away until the behavior disappears.

    • 3

      Apply a bitter apple spray to objects that your kitten dry-nurses on. Use this as a last resort if your training isn't working. Bitter apple spray for cats is available at pet stores and is similar to anti-thumb sucking spray for humans as it tastes horrible and will discourage any suckling. Apply the bitter apple spray to the spots you've determined your kitten likes to lick a lot. Your kitten will not visit those areas as frequently to lick anymore.