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

How. Sweet :)

Wow he's lovely! Not what I was expecting to see, I was expecting a big fluffy Maine Coone or NFC tabby, but he looks like a Ragdoll maybe - and they do get big.

When I bath him and he's all wet he doesn't look fat, just large - but I'll be guided by the vet cause I just don't know

He loves to be bathed - he lies there in the kitchen sink with the warm water and I swear he smiles at me

Strange yes ?

I'd get him checked at the mark.

How much does he eat a day?

Our ginger Tom does this to his own arm. He was separated from his mum too early unfortunately, and now whenever he's happy he purrs and sucks his arm and kneads. It's only one arm he does it too though.

Meant to say he's 7yo.

I do think it's quite common in runts or kittens (and later cats) who were separated from their mum too early. We have two cats (brother and sister) from the same litter. Girlcat is fine, doesn't really suckle or knead on anything, but boycat, who was the runt, does.

He sees me as his "surrogate mum" and follows me everywhere and only suckles on my blanket when it's on or near me. It seems to calm him down and he purrs manically while he does it, so I don't think it's a bad thing.

Your cat is gorgeous btw!

We have two cats that both suckle. In the mornings, they'll both stand up on their two back legs, with their front two legs on my dressing gown, kneading and suckling. It's quite cute but still rather annoying.

Our two are both only 18 month old and we had them from about 7 weeks, so not desperately early!

I had a cat that did this. He used to suck my earlobe. It never tickled and he would just gently purr in my ear.

He was taken early from his Mum, but if we hadn't he would have died. He had a runny bum, fleas and ear mites

Wow I can see why you couldn't let him go.

He likes water?!? Strange cat. But the suckling thing is quite common. Maybe get him his own fleecy thing and give it to him whenever you see him suckling anything?

Thanks all - good to know that sucking is not unusual

He already has his own stuffed dog which he sleeps with so will encourage sucking of dog rather than children's stuffed animals

Also I've been reading (thanks to this thread) about ragdolls and birmans

He definitely follows me about and if he doesn't know where I am he calls out until I answer and he comes to find me - he has to sit on you or next to you - he's a cuddly boy

I've never had a cat like him ( and we love his brother just as much too )

Am off to make vet appointment to check his girth and make sure he is healthy

Turkish Vans love water, can't do a linky thing sorry!

Ah I knew it - he is Siamese or some such. The sucking of woolly items is a thing for oriental breeds. My Bengal did it, as did the Siamese I had as a child.

Oriental breeds just are different. Follow you around, talkative, full on and a handful sometimes. But masses of personality.

Let me see if I can find a link.

Pica in Siamese

Never got mine to stop. Funny little things.

Every cat I have ever had did this - particularly on my dressing gown.

None were separated early - I think its the cat equivalent of thumb sucking !

my boy suckled my fingers since ive had him, he's nearly a year now. he will curl up on my lap and nudge my hand to suckle on my fingers, he even does it to a friends visiting! vet says it a comfort thing, he doesn't do the kneading thing tho?

One of mine loves to knead & suckle soft fabric, which can be a pain as she pulls threads.

The other sometimes sits & treads in her bed but never suckles the fabric. When she was a kitten, she used to suck one of her heel pads while treading with her front paws

I have two cats that do this and two that don't.

The eldest is 10 years old and has done it from first coming to us. We were told he was 9 weeks old, but on his vet check vet confirmed he would have been 5 weeks old when he arrived, he was a large kitten though so not immediately obvious he was so young.

My 4 year old male came to us a 6 weeks and doesn't suckle but he does knead and purr.

The two 9 month old female kittens arrived at 6 weeks and were farm kittens. One suckles and kneads, the other just kneads.

The two that suckle have a favourite blanket that I keep on the sofa but will use anything fluffy and soft. They only do it when I have settled down on the sofa or bed as they like to climb on top of me and need continuous petting all the while.

I love it and call it baby cuddles!

Mine suckles the end of his tail. He only does it when on mine or DH's lap. This has caused the end of his tail to become kind of bleached to a reddish colour, and is permanently divided into two little spikes, where it's gummed together with dried saliva He purrs like a maniac whist doing it.

I used to have a cat who would wake me up by sucking my earlobes and snuffling about in my ear . She was also very fond of my freshly washed hair.