Dear Lactnetters:  I hope you can stand another animal story. The "Ask the
Vet" column appears in the Sunday Palm Beach Post, and today's question
seems pertinent to all of the animal discussion going on.

        Dear Dr. Fox:  I recently acquired a 6-week-old kitten that sucks on
everything in sight.  One night, while I was asleep, he even got to my
lips!
        Now he basically sucks on my older cat's paws.  (the old one
doesn't complain.)  The sucking is really loud.
        I've tried giving him a pacifier, but he won't touch it.  What to do?

        Dr. Fox answers:  Some cats are suckers because they were weaned
too soon.  It's also very common in orphaned kittens who have been
bottle-fed.
        Suckers will sometimes suck their paws, tail-tips or flanks.
        Many try to suck on their owners' fingers, arms, hair and ear
lobes, especially while they're being petted.
        It's touching how accommodating other cats will be, allowing a
sucker to nurse on them.
        Sometimes a female cat will even produce milk for a sucker or
allow it to nurse alongside her own kittens.
        Some suckers become chewers and may develop a compulsion to eat
wool and other such materials.
        Adding more fiber to the diet, like cooked rice and chopped wheat
sprouts, can help in some cases.
        Do your best to tolerate your cat.  When you've had enough, say
a hissing "no" and tap him lightly but firmly on the nose, just as his
mother would to discipline him during the weaning process.
        Remember, cats that are suckers aren't weirdos--they just had a
hard time in kittenhood.

        There's nothing I could add to this.

Margie Forrest, RN, BSN, IBCLC, pvt practice, in Steamy WPB, FL.