So, one of my two new cats likes to “suckle” (lick, sometimes chew, actually) on the tip of his tail. He is a cat of unknown breeding, but pretty clearly has Siamese or some other oriental breed in him. I have read that this behavior is more common in oriental breed cats, and often has to do with being weaned too early.
He is roughly 10 months old. We got him from a shelter, where he had lived since about 5 months of age. Before that, he was allegedly a stray.
He engages in this suckling/licking/chewing behavior around meal time. He will eat some food, then go over to a cat bed or a cat tree nearby, curl up and suck on his tail while purring loudly. Then he goes back to his food, then back to his bed, then back to his food, until the food is gone. The tip of his tail becomes completely soaked.
From what I have read, this is a difficult behavior to stop and most things I have read actually say you should not try to stop it unless they start to damage the tail.
WELL, he’s starting to damage his tail. He has licked one completely bare spot onto the end of his tail. It is not infected or irritated looking - just a small smooth spot of skin.
I tried putting apple cider vinegar on the tip of his tail at meal times, which worked for about 2 days. Now, he will just suck on his tail despite the apple cider vinegar.
What has seemed to work best so far is simply staying with him while he eats his meals, and redirecting him away from the spots he goes to to suckle. Like if he heads to the cat bed, I will either distract him with a toy or start petting him. If he gets over to the bed, I will gently move him out of it. This usually works to get him to just go back to the food without the interruption of the suckling in between. But it is frankly sort of an annoying thing to have to do - sit with him all the time any time he eats, lol. I will keep doing it if it seems to be the only thing that works, but I’m looking for alternatives.
I am thinking he must associate meal time with suckling from momma or something? He seems to be in perfect health otherwise, and was seen by my vet immediately after I got him home about a month ago.
Has anyone successfully stopped this behavior in a permanent way? Give me your ideas, tips, and tricks! 
