# Ragdoll Kitten Suckles My Partners Ear + Other Habits/Quirks!



## Lloydy21 (Aug 10, 2017)

So my partner and I bought a beautiful Blue Lynx Ragdoll kitten called Rupert 4 weeks ago (he's currently 12 weeks old now). She really wanted an affectionate cat who would give her all the love in the world and I was massively concerned he wouldn't live up to the expectations of the friendly Ragdoll - how wrong I was! Within 1 day he had completely settled in our house and is a little bundle of joy.

Now Rupert has his quirks, like all cats/kittens do, however he seems to be developing more and more and I am slightly worried this is either because at 8 weeks he had not properly been weaned from his mother or that he is a little lonely and could do with a companion. To be fair, it could well be both. Below are some of his quirks/habits listed in order of how important we want him break these:

1) The first thing which has developed in the last 3 days is that at approximately 4am-5am every morning he has now started suckling my partners ear. Rupert does sleep in our bed (he has his favourite little spot behind my partners pillow where he sleeps every night - she moves her pillow a little down the bed so he can sleep here). When we go to bed (and turn the light off) which can vary from between 10pm-1am he gets straight into his usual spot and sleep right away. Then come around 4am he starts loudly purring and then loudly suckling on her ear and licking her face and eyes etc. He never does this to me even if she hides under the covers and I'm the only one giving him attention. She may be the favourite but we generally both interact with him equally during the day and other than this we never see any favouritism (i.e. he likes to play and cuddle both of us and never picks one over the other).

2) Both my partner and I work during the week. I leave the house at around 7:30am and get back at 6pm and my partner 08:45-17:15 but comes back to see him at midday during her lunch. He has recently developed the habit that he sense when anyone is going to leave the house and darts straight to the door and sits on the mat as if to say "you're not going anywhere". Then when we open the door and actually step outside he comes running out, literally like he's obsessed with either of us going anywhere. Note: he only does this if we're both going out or if one of us is going out and the other has already left the house previously, meaning he will be home alone.

3) He loves to play and have his tummy rubbed but likes to bite while doing this. He doesn't dig deep but it is an annoying habit we would quite like to break now so he doesn't continue this when he becomes an adult.

Now from what I have read online, many people have suggested that a companion kitten would help with these habits as he may be bored - despite the fact he gets 100% attention from the minute either of us is in the house. We would have got one of his brothers or sisters but they had all been sold and we fell in love with him and knew we had to have him.

Would people on here suggest another kitten (if so would another ragdoll kitten be best?), a clever way to train him so that these habits are broken and don't continue or is it just because he's a kitten and in time these will all stop?

Thank you in advance for all your answers, they are greatly appreciated


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## claire8234 (Mar 8, 2013)

Sorry did you say you got an 8week old kitten 4 weeks ago?? 

Possibly a typo - how old is your kitten and how long have you had Rupert.

Kitten photos are compulsory by the way  xx


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## claire8234 (Mar 8, 2013)

If Rupert is 8 weeks old he really is far too young to be away from his mum and other siblings. My foster kittens stayed with mum until at least 11weeks before being advertised for rehoming. He is going to be bewildered and lonely so it is lovely that you let him sleep with you. 

Lots of kittens like to suckle, human ears are a favourite as is fleecey material. Some people will say kittens who have be rehomed at too young an age do it, however I have know older cats and kittens to do it too. Generally it is done for two reasons - comfort and from hunger. If Rupert is doing it at 4am I would say it is because he is hungry. Young kittens eat a lot and need to eat regularly. They only have very tiny tummies and burn off energy quickly. 

Try putting food down for Rupert when you go to bed and set an automatic feeder to open at 4am, the times when he is likely to be hungry. Wet food is better than dry. 

Avoid tickling his tummy and allowing him to bite. As he gets bigger he will probably start to hang on with his paws and kick you with his back legs, something called bunny kicking. It hurts a lot if an older cat does it and is not a habit you want to encourage. Don't stroke his tummy and provide toys like a kickeroo so he can bunny kick to his hearts delight without attacking your arm! 

Your kitten is too young to be left alone all day. Was their any reason why you got a lone kitten when you both work full time? 

Getting two kittens from the same litter would have been the best option. You could rehome another kitten, there are lots in rescuce centres right now. A kitten of a similar age would give you the best chance of them getting on, however this is never guaranteed and you would need to supervise introductions very carefully and keep them separate when you are not their to keep an eye on them. 

rescue centre staff can help you with advice on rehoming and introducing another kitten


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## Lloydy21 (Aug 10, 2017)

Sorry it was a typo - Rupert is 12 weeks old, we got him whenever he was 8 weeks.

He always gets food put in his bowl (dry kitten food which we wet with water) before bed and he loves it. Most of it is gone by the time we get up but there's always food left in the morning and so I'm not sure it's because he's hungry.

We were going to get 2 but we were a little naive and thought 2 would be too much of a handful. We're both massive pet lovers but just wasn't sure at the time that we could handle 2 kittens.

If we were to get another kitten of a similar age, would you advise another ragdoll or would another breed be okay?

Thanks for your help and as a result, attached is a photo of the cheeky rascal in question!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Lloydy21 - hello and welcome. 

I was a bit confused too about his age!  . Just read your reply and see you mean the kitten is 12 weeks old.

8 weeks was really too young to be away from mum and siblings and reputable breeders of pedigrees do not home their kittens until the age of 12 or 13 weeks as recommended by the GCCF.

Leaving his mother so young is probably why Rupert has developed the suckling habit on your partner's ear, as a way of comforting himself. I expect he was not fully weaned at the age when he was homed to you. i.e. he was eating solids but still suckling on his mum a couple of times a day for comfort. It is possible he will grow out of the habit it as he gets older though some cats retain the habit into adulthood.

The reason Rupert starts the behaviour at around 4 am or 5 am is because cats are "crepuscular" animals by nature. This means they are always more active around dawn and dusk and is the time that in the wild they would be out doing most of their hunting. Rupert is getting hungry around dawn and I assume your partner perhaps does most of the feeding so that is why he wakes her and not you.

Kittens of Rupert's age need feeding around 5 times a day, a good quality wet kitten food. Not dry food, which is not good for their kidneys or bladder, due to risk of chronic low level dehydration. As Rupert is getting wakeful so early it is best to leave him a meal of wet food in an auto feeder every night, timed to open around 3.45 am. That should keep him going and he will snooze afterwards until you get up to give him breakfast.

You can also utilise the auto feeder to leave a meal for him during the day time too if necessary. (I see your partner usually goes home at lunchtime to give Rupert lunch).

It will help to keep Rupert asleep until a bit later if you use curtains with blackout linings or blackout blinds so he is not so aware of the dawn light.

If he continues the ear suckling habit and your partner wishes to discourage him, she needs to offer him a suitable alternative, a toy he can bite and suck. The Kong Kickeroo might appeal to him - or the Yeoww catnip rainbow (though at present he is too young to react to cat nip).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Kicke...&qid=1502393271&sr=1-3&keywords=kong+kickeroo

https://www.amazon.co.uk/YEOWWW-124...2393309&sr=8-1&keywords=yeowww+catnip+rainbow

With regard to you both leaving the house, Rupert has learned that when you're both gone he is on his own and he gets lonely, so yes, he does want to try and stop you leaving. But in fact he probably sleeps most of the time you are out. Apart from toys does he have an enriched environment in the home - cat trees to climb, high up places to sit and a window sill he can sit on comfortably and watch the world go by?

It will reassure Rupert if one of you gives him focused one-to-one attention for a good half hour every morning before you leave for work, with a vigorous interactive play session. It might mean you or your partner getting up half an hour earlier in the mornings but it is a small sacrifice to make to keep Rupert happy. Kittens are young and vulnerable for such a short time, and time given now for plenty of reassurance and play will prevent the kitten growing up with anxieties. Play is hugely bonding between kitty and humans, and kittens of Rupert's age need about 3 hours a day of interactive play.

When cats roll on their backs and show their tummies they are doing what is called "a social roll". This is a friendly sociable act on their part (which can be addressed to other cats or humans) but contrary to what some people think, it is not actually an invitation to rub the cat's tummy. Some cats do tolerate having their tummy rubbed, some even like it, but plenty do not like it at all and they kick and bite to show they don't like it. Rupert is evidently a kitty who does NOT like his tummy rubbed, so I would respect his feelings and not do it. Just admire his tummy without touching. 

As for another kitten, bear in mind that you would need to take time and patience to introduce another kitten (though if it was a kitten of a similar age to Rupert it would be easier).

But Rupert sounds as though he is possessive of you and your partner and he may not want to share you with another cat. Cats do not naturally share resources (other than mother cats and their kittens). So you could end up making Rupert feel jealous and pushed out by a newcomer. However I would not rule out getting another kitten.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

@Lloydy21 - I am afraid it is not a good idea to put water on dry food unless you know it will all be eaten within an hour or so. Research has shown that dry cat (and dog) food contains high levels of bacteria. As soon as you add water to it the bacteria starts to multiply. (Canned food and pouches of food do not contain bacteria). .

Even though you are leaving food overnight for Rupert, the fact he is a crepuscular animal means he will always be active at dawn unless you use blackout curtains to hide the light of the approaching dawn.


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## Lloydy21 (Aug 10, 2017)

Thanks for the advice on the food. I will avoid the dry food with water from now on and stick with the little dry food we have left for him and then move him onto a good wet kitten food.

See I wasn't sure about tickling his belly but when you do it he starts purring immediately and gets all excited so I assumed he loved it and just used his teeth to play, as he would a toy.

The suckling thing is annoying and something we will definitely want to break so a toy/blanket or something he can suckle on is a good idea. I did offer him my ear to see if he would suckle mine but he was not interested.

Black out curtains are a good idea and something we may try.

As I said, we weren't sure about getting 2 kittens plus he was the only kitten left out of his litter of 4.

We are definitely considering another kitten to keep him company but am tossing up between a Persian, a British Longhair or another Ragdoll.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

If he gets excited when you touch his tummy I recommend that instead you give his head a rub, and at the same time pop a Kong Kickeroo onto his tummy, between his paws. Kittens love to kick and bite these toys, and he will get a lot of enjoyment from it. And if you rub his head at the same time you will be doubling his pleasure but keeping your hands safe from harm.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KONG-Kicke...2396910&sr=1-3&keywords=kong+kickeroo+cat+toy

These are wonderful toys, I had them all over the house when my girls were kittens, so there was always one near to hand. 

Any of the 3 breeds you mention would be a good match for your ragdoll. Bear in mind if you choose another longhaired cat you will have double the work of daily grooming to keep the coats in good condition, so you need to consider whether you'll always have the time for it, no matter what.


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## Gallifreyangirl (Feb 11, 2015)

Jiggs is 9 and if you pick him up he will suckle your ear and purr away.


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