Dear Sinéad and Siouxsie,
My name is Arki and I am a 5-month-old black Oriental kitty. I am very cute, I'm told. But I have a problem...well, my mamma thinks its a problem, anyway. Y'see, since I was very, very young, I have been sucking one of my own nipples.

My mamma got me when I was 6 weeks old and a friend of hers adopted one of my sisters at the same time. My sister also does something like this, only she sucks on fuzzy cushions instead. Mamma has tried to stop me from doing this by distracting me, putting lemon juice on my nipple, etc. None of it works on me. I do it mostly when I am sitting in her lap and she strokes me, but sometimes, I just do it...like when I am sleeping between Dadda and her, I wake up and start suckling. I guess I'm kinda addicted. The vet says I should grow out of it but mamma is worried that I won't. Can you help us??

Thanks,
Arki and his mamma

Sinéad: Well, Arki, we all have our own little quirks, and this sounds like it's just one of yours. Mama tells us that Oriental cats tend to have sucking habits more than other cats. Your sucking habit is less potentially dangerous than your sister's, though. Cats that suck and chew cloth can have problems if the cloth gets stuck in their digestive tracts, something that can make them very sick.

Siouxsie: A lot of human children have funny habits, too. I'm sure your mama has seen kids that suck their thumbs. I know I have; once when I jumped up on the bed next to my mama's little niece who was napping there, she had three fingers jammed in her mouth!

Sinéad: I can see why your mamma might be worried about this habit. I'm a little concerned because when Mama talked to you about this, you said that the nipple you suck is sore, and it sounds like maybe you're sucking it so much that you're irritating it. Maybe your mamma can try rubbing some soothing stuff on that nipple to make it less sore.

Siouxsie: It seems like you might be sucking when your mamma strokes you because it feels so good and it reminds you of the security of your kittenhood, just like sucking on a nipple can do.

JaneA: Yes, and maybe you were weaned too soon. Most people whose cat friends have kittens separate the kittens from their mothers at six weeks of age, but that's too early for some cats, particularly those of Oriental breeds. Some veterinarians are now recommending that kittens not be fully weaned until they're eight weeks old. In any case, neither you nor your mama can undo your early weaning, so we have to work with the present time.

Sinéad: Arki, make sure your mama gives you plenty of support and love. And it's really important that she not pay attention to the behavior she doesn't want you to do. We cats aren't like dogs; we don't respond to criticism by changing our behavior. Any attention is good attention sometimes. So make sure your mama rewards you for not sucking on your nipple. Maybe she can get you a binkie. Hee hee hee!

Siouxsie: Mama also said that when she talked to you, you said you were lonely. Maybe you need a friend. If your mama's willing to adopt another cat, that might help you a lot, because you'll have someone to play with and you'll have another cat to reassure you that everything's going to be OK.

Sinéad: A lot of people think cats don't care about having company, but the truth is, some of us really need to have another cat friend around. I'm so glad Mama adopted Siouxsie and me together. Even though Siouxsie's kind of a pain sometimes, she's still my sister, and we go everywhere together, even to the vet! It would be weird to be all alone in this strange world full of people.

Siouxsie: Yeah, I guess I like having Sinéad around, too. I like having someone to play with and to groom when I feel like doing that. We used to sleep together when we were kittens, too. But we don't do that any more, of course. We're grown-up cats, after all!

JaneA: Sure, Siouxsie. I never, ever see you curled up on the bed inches away from Sinéad. Nope, never. Not at all.

Sinéad: So, Arki, none of us really think you have to worry about this nipple sucking thing right now. We'd say we agree with your vet that you'll grow out of it eventually. Although we don't think that having another cat friend would be a bad idea-maybe an older female cat, or another kitten for you to play with. And make sure your mamma puts some aloe gel or something on that nipple so it gets less sore.

Siouxsie: We do think that your sister's mama should keep an eye on her sucking behavior, though. If your sister starts chewing or licking the cloth she's sucking on, then her mama will have to do something to put a stop to it. Likewise if you start sucking cloth. As we said, cats can get very sick from intestinal blockages if they eat fabric.

Got a question? Need some advice? E-mail Sinéad and Siouxsie at advice@paws-and-effect.com. None of the advice in this column is meant to be a substitute for regular veterinary care.