Does anyone know about cats that suck/suckle?

[TheSumofUs]

We have a lovely cat - orphaned young and came to live with us - he's now about 10 months old - he's had his operation, and all vaccinations etc - he is Burmese looking and very very fluffy like a powder puff - weighs 14 pounds - so a big boof of a boy

The thing is he sucks everything that is remotely fluffy -stuffed animals are a favorite and blankets and jumpers/fleeces pretty much fair game

The sucking leaves everything wet

Does anyone have any experience of this and how we might encourage him to stop ? We've given him his own stuffed toy to sleep with which he loves, but it hasn't stopped him "loving" everything's else too

I'm afraid that it sounds a little like \link{http://www.icatcare.org/advice/problem-behaviour/pica-cats\PICA.} Do you know if he's ingesting any of the stuff?

PS - surely not 14 pounds ?

Some cats do this, fortunately I've only had foster kittens that did.

You are right to give him his own toy, make sure he can't swallow any bits of fur/fluff.

Then I thin you either need to keep things away from him or replace with unsuckable things.

You could try a replant spray.

Oh and where are your pics?

My boycat does this and he'll be a year old in March. It's a comfort thing apparently - does he knead too? Because it's how they stimulated milk from their mums and some cats just keep doig it as a way to self-comfort.

Just make sure he doesn't swallow anything he shouldn't and that nothing is going to harm him.

Thx for answers

No I don't think he is ingesting anything - he is not chewing at all, and it is always something like a fleece where nothing can come away - he doesn't do it on wool or materials that shed - and he does kneed just like a kitten would of his mum

Unfortunately yes 14 pounds - he just keeps growing - he is huge

Sashh - by pics do you mean pictures on my profile of him? Yes I can upload those. I'll need to work out how to do that. He's a beauty :-)

My first cat did this her whole life, but only on one spot on my school jumpers so it wasn't such a problem. We had her a bit too early in kittenhood, and she transferred the suckling behaviour for comfort on to me. When I left home she stopped doing it, but every time I came back to visit she insisted I put my old school jumper back on my bed and she came and sucked it every night whenever I was there. She lived until 17 and was buried wrapped in that jumper.

Oh systems - wow - that's an amazing story - thank you for sharing

He does it in the fleece blanket only bed, the stuffed toy we gave him, my fleece jumper, and my daughters teddy - primarily - I wondered if it was a smell thing - although he will have a go at other things

His mum died at birth and we fostered him for the shelter, and then couldn't let him go

I'm on my phone so can't upload pictures - the mobile app doesn't let's - I'll try to do that when i get my computer

One of my cats does this, but only on one item (a hair scrunchie that I used to wear at night). It started as soon as we had him as a kitten, so is a comfort thing. He used to want it numerous times a day but as he's got older (he's eight now) he only looks for it every few days or so (he searches around my pillow until I give it to him, then suckles on it). We got his brother at the same time and he's never done this.

14 pounds at 10 months. Crikey. I'm wondering whether he's got eg Maine Coon or NFC blood in him. Do you know his breeding?

(He could also be just a little .....full figured...... of course but let's not go there for the time being.)

Looking forward to the picture(s) when you can get to a computer.

two of mine do this - the rest don't.i think its a comfort thing like licking you.they seem to enjoy it.my old boy did this all the time and lived to nearly 20.we had him from 4 wks so thought it may be connected with leaving his mum early but our other cat fully weaned does it too.

Little cat did this with the fleece blanket on the sofa when she was younger, she still kneads it but thankfully stopped dribbling all over it when she reached about a year old.

Yes he certainly seems to enjoy it - always before he goes to sleep

Have uploaded photos now - hope you can see them

Oh don't know his breeding - they arrived at the shelter eyes still closed and then we fostered them all until they could go to homes - we kept him and his brother tho - his brother is 8 pounds and sleeky black - the cuddle and wash each other's faces - it's very sweet

Do you need to make yr profile public?

Possibly- but there may be some site lag. It sometimes glitches.

PS - he and his brother might be from different fathers even if they were from the same litter. 14 lbs is humungous at 10 months.

Our cat used to do it to the dog . She didn't seem to mind, and he seemed to think he was a dog.

I think I've made it public .....

One of my cats did this - he was a rescue cat, his mother died when he was only about 4-6 weeks. He would knead and suckle my old baby blanket in particular - but sometimes anything woollen was fine. (His 'brother' used to dry hump jumpers now and again, so the suckling was def preferable!)

You have.

TheSum

It's a bit difficult to say due to his coat (he looks like he had a Birman dad) but he looks just a tad.......full-figured. Have you done the tests on him for overweight? (And what has his vet said at his most recent appointment?)

Vet wasn't worried last visit - said he still had a bit of growing to do - called him a "big lad" - his paws are huge - we joke his daddy was a lion

I can take him to get him checked again for his 12 month mark

Our ginger cat used to suck and paddle on his brother's side - they were orphaned at a few days old.

When we got our next tabby, she joined in so we had a pile of cats all paddling and dribbling.

That sounds really wrong written down!