Lenny was rescued from under our house before he was fully weaned. I don’t know if his momma abandoned him, or if she died, or what, but Mrs. Homie found him and his litter-mate (who died a few days later) starving and freezing, and we bottle-fed them until one died and Lenny was old enough for solid food.
Lenny is now going on five and is healthy as a horse (knock on wood). However, whenever he snuggles up to me and purrs he tries to bite my earlobe. I’ve never had a kitteh that did this, and I can’t figure out what’s up. My theory is that he confuses my earlobe for his momma’s booby; since he wasn’t properly weaned he may be still a bit confused in that area. At least, that’s my theory, and it’s all I got.
I’ve never had a cat that was obsessed with any specific body part, but I did have one that would knead and suck on any exposed skin. She was the feline version of a crazy cat lady; that was merely the most memorable of her quirks. She was also weaned early.
Anyway, yeah, it’s pretty obvious your cat was weaned too soon and still has the suckling instincts. If my cat is any indication, yours will have them for life.
same boat, here. i got princess magnolia (aka maggie) at a very young age – another separated too soon from her mother, based on her suckling penchant. we guestimated that she’s now about 3 or so years old.
while she doesn’t attack earlobes, she is reknowned for ‘nursing’ on my favorite blanket and the upstairs bath mat, but not the downstairs one.
I think this basically sums it up. I’ve had a cat who loved to eat charcoal and potato peels. I’ve had a cat who had a lick fetish and would try to lick your eyes. I’ve had a cat who liked to lick tape and plastic bags. I’ve had a cat who although very affectionate would refuse to be a lap cat and would prefer to vault over you rather than walk across your body. I’ve had a cat who loves pawing and playing with my and my wife’s hair.
Cats are just plain weird, and every cat has his own fetishes for his own reasons.
I knew an earlobe-obsessed cat when I was 12 or so. I don’t think it’s unusual, and I do think it’s premature-weaning related.
Cats really seem to imprint HARD with behaviors they pick up in kittenhood, and there’s no guessing which cat will pick up what, or why. We have a brother/sister pair of cats we adopted as healthy kittens from the city shelter. They could hardly be more different in temperament and behavior, although they look a lot alike. Oliver is sweet, cuddly, a little dumb, and slow to finish his dinner. He is built like and moves like a panther, but has trouble hunting down those wily mousie toys. His sister Bridget is conniving, resists petting most of the time but would like to be the center of attention at *all *times, is an expert hunter, and often finishes her brother’s food for him. She handles the mousie toys like Pelé. She looks like an overstuffed plush toy with dainty little feet… and she has this thing about unfolded fabric. Anything like sheets, towels, curtains – if you wash it, fold it as it comes out of the dryer and don’t take your eyes off it for a second, or she will have peed on it already. Once – one time! – when she was a baby, she got accidentally shut in my closet for most of a day, and had nowhere to pee but on the closet floor, which was covered with a pile of my sarees (those six-yard unstitched wraps women wear on the Indian subcontinent).
She also loves to lick cashmere. Not wool, not fleece, certainly not cotton; just cashmere, preferably while a person is wearing it.
