experienced Cat owners..a ? my kitty has adopted a soft blanket and sucks on it

[greenbriar]

while he purrs and kneads his claws


he has been with us since November 11th and was 7 weeks old when we got him...


why is he doing this?

[LeftyMom]

1. Some cats just do that for comfort.

He might outgrow it, but he might not, I've had adult cats that remained in the habit. One had a comfort blanket, it was worn down to a frazzle by the time he died at the age of 13- we buried him in it, and one that just figured any blanket that was on top of my mother was the mommy blanket (he'd be nursing the blanket and trying to hump my mom at the same time- he had issues.)

[jmowreader]

2. He wasn't completely weaned when you got him

That is nursing behavior. The soft blanket is his surrogate mama.

He MIGHT grow out of it, but my flying cat is several years old and still does it. Her surrogate mama is my left arm.

I had a kitten that did this...to one of the cats. You know that if a kitten nurses on a cat that has never been pregnant for long enough, that cat will start lactating?

[Bluestar]

15. Ha ha--and my cat's surrogate mama is my left arm pit!!

[tammywammy]

3. He's nursing on it

I used to have a teddy bear that was nursed on by a couple different cats.

He may or may not out grow it. :shrug:

[greenbriar]

4. so its not harmful?

am I doing something wrong?

[reyd reid reed]

6. Not at all harmful that I can tell.

I've had cats do it -- and never outgrow it -- and they've lived to be old, old kitties.

You aren't doing anything wrong.

[tammywammy]

8. No, it's not harmful

And you're not doing anything wrong.

I have a cat that rarely kneads. Then my dad's wife gave me one of those fake fur blankets. Both cats love that thing and immediately started kneading on it. :shrug:

Just be willing to give up said blanket. My mom had a cat that slobbered all over a teddy bear, and she wasn't the first cat to love on that bear.

[AZBlue]

10. You're not doing anything wrong - it's natural.

Just make sure he's not chewing on it, that's all.
(which is unlikely - chances are he's just sucking)

[alarimer]

5. My cat tries to hump blankets

And pillows and my clothes. He's weird. He's fixed but he still does it. It was weirder when he was not fixed.

[Mz Pip]

21. I'm glad to hear

that I'm not the only one who has a horny neutered male cat. He's 8 years old and has been fixed for years. He even gets a boner. He's particularly found of the throws on the sofa.

Mz Pip
:dem:

[dropkickpa]

7. It's for comfort

Or because he is comfortable. My dumb-ass dog, 7 months old, will do that occaionally to any really soft fabric (like my couch blanket!!). She sucked the felt ears and nose off of a beaver chew toy. She usually does it when she's feeling all warm and snuggly and sleepy. Her momma rejected her and her sibs at about 4 weeks old, so I attribute it to that.

[marzipanni]

9. Kittens and puppies should ideally be with their mothers until they are at least 8 weeks old

I've know many cats who suckle on soft things (including vampire-like on people's necks!) and the reason has usually been that they weren't quite weaned when they left mama cat. It's a pacifying thing.

[TrogL]

11. It's a cat thing - get over it

[Kleber]

12. Kitten behaviors: origin

It's a fine line between adopting a kitten too early (where he/she will bind strongly to you, but may retain some strange behaviors) and too late (where the behaviors will be less strange but the cat will not be as devoted).

7 weeks is about right.

The kneading is a nursing behavior: the kitten does this to Mother's teats to stimulate lactation. The kitten will associate this procedure with the comfort and satisfaction of nursing.

Take it as a compliment: your kitty trusts you like he did his mother.

[Heidi]

14. Welcome to DU, Kleber!

:hi:

[qwertyMike]

13. My 21-year old daughter still does that

And her 47 year old aunt does too.

Is your cat female?

Just askin'

Mike

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

16. Our Morrissey is almost 4 and has a stuffed kitty he kneads on

He closes his eyes in ecstasy and kneads on it for several minutes at a time. He also kneads on the cat bed.

Is the blanket made of wool? I've heard that cats are attracted to wool, especially Siamese.

[huskerlaw]

17. My kitten does that

she was abandoned at 3 weeks old, is 6 months now, and she does the same thing to her cat bed. Often multiple times a day. Its an attachment thing--nothing wrong with it. Kinda like a baby with a pacifier.

[greenbriar]

18. thanks all

I feel better

[astonamous]

19. We have an older rescued golden/shepherd mix that does this too!

When we take him to adoptions so people can meet him, he lays there with a blanket all bunched up and sucks on it. He's a cute dog and about 4 years old...I think he was weaned too early.

[Mrs.Matcom]

20. My pug does it too.

He is seven and still does "nursies" on some of his stuffed toys...makes him happy. :hi:

[applegrove]

22. The knead their mother's teats when the are nursing. To get out more milk.

I have a 8 year old cat who nibbles and kneads. My baby, 3 years old, just kneads. Some say this behaviour is just because they were taken away from their mothers at too young an age. I think it is normal behaviour. Most of my cats have done this.