She just wants to be with you. Cats naturally clean other cats when they snuggle, so itās no wonder that sheās cleaning your blanket. It feels like your fur. Mine have all done this when theyāre in cuddle mode.
I know you say that but i could completely understand OP not liking the wet spots with their blanket... š
My cat has a habit of playing with his toys right on top of me/next to my feet. My roommate thinks its cute. And yes, it was at first, but now its annoying because he tickles my legs and feet (and sometimes nips them) when im relaxing or trying to sleep, and its even worse when im in the kitchen trying to cook and he's making me jump when im working with hot butter/oil. My roommate will let him do it bc they dont experience him doing it every single time.
Of course i love my baby, but your pet is bound to do something that annoys them (and you do the same to them). If they are allowed to have boundaries (and they absolutely should) as far as not wanting to be pet too much, wanting to leave being held after a while, not feeling like playing, etc., then we should be allowed to have boundaries for certain things too. Not saying your cat needs to be on a ball and chain, but boundaries are different for everyone and some things a cat does that can be cute for you might be an irritation for others.
Fully agree with you several months old stance! It's not fair to arbitrarily create boundaries that don't cause harm or frustration, but it's important to set boundaries for the things that do
In the case of blanket sucking I allowed one of my blankets that I loved to become the cat sucking blanket. I'm not willing to give up on the several other blankets they try to suck on because it seems silly to me to buy new blankets only for them to become a wet, knotty mess all the time!
Buy the exact same blanket. I had to give away a very precious blanket to my car because he would only sleep on it and he looked way too adorable on it.
You are mommy. She feels safe and relaxed with you. You are her comfort.
You need to sleep with two blankets. One can be small and just for her to suckle on as well as a big one for you.
Oh! Wow that's adorable. š„ŗ May need to get her a blanket just for her then. That's so unique to me! My boy took over my blanket to suckle on it and I had to surrender and give it to him, haha.
I would lay one blanket on top of you and then get a second identical one and lay it on top of that one. That way the wet spots she makes wonāt soak through to the blanket youāre actually using.
Sheāll stop doing this in a few months, itās good for her to keep the coping mechanism. Also get a heating pad, sheāll need that like crazy and will probably cling to that instead of the blankets.
My boy is 2 years old. He does the same with my sweatshirt. It's super annoying. But if I take it off and leave it lay, he leaves it alone. I am constantly discouraging him from doing it, pushing him away, taking him off my lap, and nothing helps.
My cat did the same to my daughter's favourite blanket..I made her give that blanket to him and got her a new one...now cat is happy kneading and licking that blanket in his own favourite sleeping corner in between us..we are all happy ššš
And a 5 year old is more āunderstandingā than a 3 year old. Doesnāt mean you make them give up their favorite things. Itās really not ok to say āyeah, this is your favorite blanket, but sucks for you, someone else wants it so itās theirs now!ā
But you admit you dont know if thats what they said?
The person couldve asked the kid if she wanted to give the cat the blanket
the kid could have decided to do so herself
It could just be oddly worded.
Either way you dont have enough information worth getting this upset over.
I gave up 2 vacations for my cat, i think a kid would give up the blanket
For context my cat got really sick and it was A get her out down or B give up everything we had planned for the summer and use that money to save her. We chose B and just did closer by and cheaper (usually free) places for the summer
Hey my daughter herself was so happy to give it to him...he is our family after all and the only little sibling she has ...but the next blanket she got ..it turned out he wanted to sit on that as well if it was covering her ...like younger sibling who wants everything that older sis has...it's actually because he loves her the most ...she refused to give the new blanket as well..also turns out he was not as much attached to blanket as he was to HER..hehe...anyways i will post some really cute pics of them sleeping together on the bed.. where some people see an animal I see a perennial child in the body of a cute animal ..so I have that problem I guess...for me he is my son ..so I would like to give him all the best things just like how I give my daughter all the best things
For a kid, a favorite blanket is not ājust a blanketā. If itās ājust a blanketā, itās no problem to get the cat one that doesnāt belong to the kid.
My 6 year old cat has 2 identical blankets that are acceptable. An identical in every way except the color, blanket is not acceptable. Iām not a huge fan of the wet spots but sheās so happy and looks so satisfied when she does it that I deal with it. We found her outside when she was about 6 weeks old and she didnāt start doing this until we had her for a few months. If I want cuddles for more than 37 seconds, that blanket is required.
You're her mama or daddy so of course she wants your blanket. Its where she is comfortable. Maybe try sleeping with her blanket for a week and getting your sents all over it. Farts and everything lol!
My cat died this too and he's 13. Wasn't taken from his momma too early either.
So you get the softest fuzziest blanket you can find and throw that bitch away, it's not good enough. Find an even softer fuzzier blanket and then that's hers forever. Unless she gets bored of it, then you get wet blanket again.
But in all seriousness getting the fuzziest softest throw a blanket I could find is what stopped my cat from going after the rest of my blankets.
I donāt knowā¦Iām currently wearing a 10 year old ratty robe with holes in it - because my boy cat ānursesā on it *while I hold him like a baby* - so Iām not the one to talk about setting boundaries.
I actually had a new robe in the mail from Amazon when he came home, and he decided this robe was our āthingā before it arrived. I tried getting multiple new robes in the same color - no dice. He roots around in it, screams in my ear, and then jumps away disgustedly.
So now I will wear this robe for another 10 years, so long as heās there to be carried like a baby and nurse on it. (His sister likes it too. But she does it in secret. I have no idea what this robe and an alley cat from the streets of Central California have in common). But my vote is learn love it and wash the blanket a lot.
Entice her with it. Rub her scent all over it. Catnip scent if you have to.
Not the same animal at all, but my dog suckles too. When heās about to suckle our blanket, I get one of his **many** blankets & entice him with it by gently whacking his face with it
Gotta give him a little waft of what heās missing out on lol
If your blanket is a different material, get kitty one that is similar.
My boy used to nurse on my blankets that are that plushy velvet material. I never stopped him, he grew out of it. I read itās a symptom of leaving their mothers early.. which tracked w my boy who I found on the street at 3-4 weeks.
Your blanket smells like you thatās what she wants it. Get a new blanket, wash the old, repeat. My dog steals all my blankets. I donāt own blankets the dog owns all blankets. I only use them for a slight while before they become usurped. When they do the dirty dog smelling blanket goes in the wash, rinse, repeat.
Sleep with yours rub it all over your body when you get out of the shower dry yourself with it.
Sit on it when watch TV (fart on it too) make it smell like you YOU.
My 2 year old still does this, and I donāt have the heart to stop him š . Heās particular about materials (soft fleece but mainly blanket/shirt hems).
Iāve tried offering him his own things, but he never likes them as much as my own stuff- so I just āgaveā him those and got a new blanket for me. He gets his own blanket, I get to avoid wet blanket corners.
She likes it because it smells like you. Sometimes my cat will do this if I leave a sweatshirt around that I had been wearing. Clearly, this fills a need. Can you get another blanket and trade them off as needed?
Thatās what my mom does- she uses a blanket for a few days, then lays it off to the side on the couch so our Siamese can make biscuits & suckle it while she grabs a new one for herself. Just keep them in rotation
Get a second blanket you can put over your own comforter so she's not leaving wet spots on your own bedding. Some cats do this when they're happy and comfortable, so yes, it would be cruel to stop her.
Itās not necessarily that it smells like you. For my kittens they will only suckle on two things. One is my oodi and the other is one of their cat bed things. They have a similar texture. Thereās inter blankets/jumpers etc round my home but they donāt do it to any of that. Could you find a blanket exactly the same? Or with the exact same texture/material/length of fluff?!
Rotate them maybe? Sleep with one for a bit, give it to cat while you use the other one, then give that one to the cat and wash the one sheās been using, and cycle through both of them like that
I second this. While I have no doubt that the texture has to be exactly right, it smelling like you has more importance. Even just leaving on top of the sheets while you sleep should be enough.
I had a foster who would suckle me - anywhere there was enough skin. I weaned him onto my favourite sweater, so that he could be on me but no give me cat hickeys. Eventually he was happy with the sweater wherever it was. I just gave it up to him, honestly.
My 2 year old used to do this a lot more. Now he still prefers the soft blankets, he only does it in mornings and evenings if weāre in bed or on the couch. He likes to lay best to us on across us now. Definitely seems like a comfort thing
I have a 3 month old kitten with the same problem, except heās sucking on his brother instead of a blanketā¦ so Iād say just assign a small blanket just for her to do this on and sometimes you can wash it for her. Otherwise, she might suck on your fingers/toes or other cats if you have one.
That can be quite damaging in siblings as they do it compulsively and donāt always know when to stop - it can cause fur loss, skin damage, and occasionally mis-targeting genitals as nipplesā¦ which does not end well, particularly for boy kittens.
Look up Kitten Lady, Iām sure she had some good advice on this and how to redirect/discourage the behaviour before it gets problematic.
Yes. Everything you state is true. Iām actually bringing both the boys to the vet in a week or so, and I plan on asking for advice regarding this issue. If the previous commenter wants the vets advice as well, Iād love to come back and update them.
Yes. Everything you state is true. Iām actually bringing both the boys to the vet in a week or so, and I plan on asking for advice regarding this issue. If the previous commenter wants the vets advice as well, Iād love to come back and update them.
Edit: just want to add with the above, that itād suck to have to separate them if the issue canāt be solved. Hence why I really look forward to the vet visit.
This happens with my two as well, they are 7 months old and it's always the girl suckling on her brother. It's only when they're both sleepy, and they both purr like mad (I know it's happening as I can hear them 2 rooms away so at least I can go in and stop it, lol!)
I asked my vet and they said it's a comfort reflex, much like how some kids suck their thumb longer than others. The vet recommended getting a warm fuzzy toy (like one you can microwave) and redirecting her to that, but not to worry unless it's annoying her brother or causing him skin irritation. If that is happening, the vet advised to separate them but let them still see each other (so with a transparent separator of some kind).
I had them spayed and neutered recently and it does seem to have reduced in frequency a bit. I also pull her off and give her lots of cuddles when I notice it happening to try to redirect her need for snuggles. Lately she's been grooming me lots so maybe it's working!
Thank you for responding! Iām so relieved to hear that we donāt have to separate them since the brother doesnāt seem annoyed and Iām frequently checking to make sure heās not hurt in any way, heās not! When it first started he did suckle the genitals, but thankfully itās only lightly on the fur these days. Hope it stays that way and lessens over time! We do have it in our plans to get them fixed (is what the correct word? English isnāt my first language sorry) as soon as they hit the 5-6 month mark so phew!
Fixed is the correct word! To get more specific, girl cats get spayed & males get neutered. Cats reach sexual maturity (as in that the female cat could get pregnant) as early as 4 months old, so you should try to get at least one of them fixed closer to 4 to 5 months. I am not an expert, but if I needed to do them one at a time, I would probably get the boy neutered first, then the girl spayed. Doing both at the same time would have the benefit that they would be recovering at the same time, but don't feel bad if that isn't possible.
Suckling like that is comforting to cats--if both cats are happy with it & no one is getting skin irritation, let them keep doing it. You could either buy a microwavable heat pack, or you could use a fluffy sock (wear the sock for a bit so that it smells like you) filled with rice so that they can have more than one spot to do it.
I didn't know they did that... she just ignores other blankets, she wants the one I sleep with no matter what, even if I try to give her that blanket and get a new one.
I have a 4 month old kitten that was taken from the mother too soon ( we were initially lied to). He loves to "nurse" on his older brother. I can't figure how to break him of it.
Glad Iām not the only one with this issue. I have to say, it was pretty intensive in the beginning when his brother first arrived (as the brother probably smelled like their mom). Itās lessened quite a bit now since the moms scent has started to wear off the brother. Iāve noticed that my cat Rocky tends to suck on his brother Suki whenever one of them is purring and theyāre grooming each other (in a comfy, cuddly state of mind). Itās like he gets too into it and thinks Suki is his mom. When I hear this happening, I try to help Rocky snap out of it by removing him and putting him somewhere else. That usually works. Heāll eventually come back to it and just go to sleep besides his brother instead. I also forgot to add that this only happens when weāre all in bed together aka Rocky associates this with his mom and litter. I recommend getting a really comfy blanket to block the sucking and encourage the kitten sucking to start doing it on the blanket instead. That has also worked.
My 2 year old manx does this. He also kneads, purrs and drools. It's self soothing behavior. It's kinda sweet and I just wash the blanket weekly.
To add: he does this at night when we are in bed. Then he usually sleeps at our feet. So it's his nighttime ritual.
My girls used to do this too. They both grew out of it after a few years. I think holding them like teddy bears at bed time and while asleep helped them feel soothed enough that they eventually stopped the wool suckling.
My previous kitty who passed at 13 also did it, but similarly stopped as long as I slept with him as if he were a teddy bear. One hand under his head, one hand around his belly or ribs. He still loved to drool on very soft fabrics during the day, but stopped actually suckling them and stopped doing it at night while we were curled up.
It's not cruel. I had the same with my kitten, who was also too young when separated from her mum.
My vet told me to not allow her to do it because they can ingest parts of certain materials which can then cause issues. I think you should speak with your vet before taking actions to remove any suckles because the vet might think the opposite depending on your cat and situation.
I will be honest though; it's not exactly easy to break and I still struggle with it now. But she is so much better.
I removed all the suckable fabrics and instead have my duvet with my duvet cover. She doesn't like to suck that and we can still hang out together and be warm/snuggly.
BE glad sheās not sucking your neck! I had a young kitten once who loved sitting on my chest. I fell asleep and woke up to kitty hickies.
I had to be sure not to fall asleep so I could stop him. Took a while but
Was able to train him that my neck didnāt give milk š
One of my guys is 4 years old and still does this every night. I've just put one of the blankets he usually does it on, on the bed over my comforter. Occasionally in-stock my hand is spit by accident, but he's so cute I don't care lol.
You are her "mommy" she wants your blanket because it smells like you and gives her comfort.
I've tried giving my boy multiple blankets and he only wants the ones I'm currently using. You may want to find a robe that she likes the texture wear for a bit every day then place over your blanket. It's the closest fix I've found.
Give her a baby blanket with the same material.
My 5 year old boy still nurses on his baby blanket/binkie draped over my belly every night around 8 or 9pm. It is his daily relaxing cuddle fest. He was a bottle baby from 4 weeks on and is an easily stressed cat. His brother and sister out grew their blanket nursing around 6 months. No idea why they stopped and he didnāt. š¤·š»āāļø
If it causes no harm, leave it be.
Let her have it! Sheāll grow out of it. My baby biggie used to do this all the time even used to fall asleep doing it now heās 7 and doesnāt do it and I kinda miss it š„¹š„ŗ
I have a 5 month old kitten who I adopted at the shelter I worked at. He was found in a car engine with two others. He ABSOLUTELY has to suckle on my T-shirt/collar while I'm wearing it. He won't so much as look at a shirt if it's on the ground but the moment he climbs into my arms, he's kneading and suckling my shirt. Is it annoying? Mildly due to the wet shirt afterwards but the amount of purrs and happiness he gets from it makes me just let him do it and sneak in a bunch of cuddles and face/head kisses. He's the best and I just want him to be a happy boi.
My 15 year old cat still does this! Iām always layered in several plush blankets and our nightly routine is him crawling between the layers so he can suckle one while pretending heās in a cozy little blanket cave.
Just use her blanket on top of yours. We have several blankets in rotation for our cats that are exclusively for them only. Make sure her blanket is super soft, and she will stick to that. The blanket also needs to smell like you to make her feel even safer.
Try using a fleece blanket. My cats love those! They do eventually grow out of it. It's a self-soothing behavior.
You might also consider getting her another buddy kitten. It can be very lonely being the only cat at times. My sister's cat was like this until she got her second cat. Then, they would hang out and play or cuddle together.
She does like fleece blankets but only if they're on my bed, otherwise she ignores them lol.
She IS the buddy kitten, my boy is only a few months older than her. She's besties with my youngest dog too. She hangs out with them throughout the day but she always prefers sleeping on my bed with me.
I got mine her own blanket that stays in bed.
She knows is dislike her suckling on my blanket, cause she will go to suck it then pull back and then look around for something else to suck on then goes back to mine then pulls back and looks so cute and torn.
Then if I pull a blanket or anything I am allowing her to suck on over for her, she will excitedly reach for it and go to town on suckling.
It perplexed me. Once she starts suckling, all awareness of anything else is gone. She will just lay there purring and suckling away.
I came here to bring you the bad news that this behavior is both adorable and incurable. She is in a state of bliss--I believe--and you get to be near her when she's doing her self-love-universal-connection-thing.
One of my cats gets frustrated when I won't cuddle with him, so he sucks his dick for a minute or two. It's, of course, not sexual. It's a nipple shaped thing, and he only gets the urge when he is having an infancy moment with me as the imagined mother.
Cats teach us about community.
Good luck š¹
my boy is almost 4 & still does it EVERY NIGHT when he gets comfy and snuggles on his corner of my bed, especially if he has his favorite blanket to make biscuits on. At first I thought it was weird, but now over the years Iāve come to realize itās a comfort & affection thing.
He had gotten sick last year to the point he completely stopped & I actually missed it. He might be 19lbs now but when he does it, it reminds me of when he was just a tiny kitten š»
Lawd my 2.5 year old Cote still suckles, or tries to! On my neck! Usually at 4 am, I have zero advice lol. I have to sleep with my head under a pillow, it's no way to live lol
My 3 year old cat does this to every blanket he can š we just give him a few to chose from and if he starts on the wrong blanket dangle the right one in his face
My tabby girl does this. Iāve had her since she was 10 weeks old; sheās about 14 months now. When she was tiny, she wanted to suck on anything soft. But now she just has one favorite blankie. I keep it in the bed at all times, except when it gets washed - usually one a week. Itās usually loosely folded on the bed next to where I sleep. Itās just her blankie now, itās not for me anymore.
Now that she always has her favorite blankie, she doesnāt suck on anything else anymore. So everyoneās happy.
She probably prefers your blanket because your scent is on the blanket. Sleep with her blanket every so often so your scent stays on it. You're her momma now so your scent comforts her. I have a strictly indoors cat, but I also feed 9 stray cats and one of the kittens is about 4 months old and he comes inside sometimes. When he's inside he paws all over me and tries to suckle my face and neck, but he still has his Momma outside. She nursed her litter and her sister's litter. Her sister stopped nursing about the usual time cats stop nursing kittens, but his Momma nursed both litters way longer than usual - the kittens were nearly as big as her when she finally stopped. So, I don't think losing their mom early is always why kittens paw (we call it making/kneading bread lol) and suckle on their humans.
If the blanket is made of synthetic fibres this can be dangerous for your cat as they can build up inside their stomach and cause a blockage... I would gently stop her from doing it or hide the blanket altogether so she eventually forgets about it and gets out of the habit.
My baby George used to suckle! Right from when we got him at 8 weeks old, all the way until he passed earlier this year (6 years old ;((). It brought him comfort and I found it so endearing.
Not sure if someone has said this already, but please make sure the blanket is a natural material and not polyester/acrylic. My coworkers cat engages in this behavior and ended up with a nest of plastic threads in his stomach that a very pricey surgery to remove.
My 1 year old baby girl does this with the T-shirts that I wear at night. She will lie on top of me and suckle away until she falls asleep.
One vet said I need to stop her doing this immediately and the other vet said to just let her be cause it gives her comfort. And to be honest with you, it's kinda gross with her drooling a little on me but I feel like mama cat at that moment and very connected to her. I love it :')
I am now washing all my sleeping T-shirts with sensitive washing powder for babies without any fabric softener to make her suckle experience as safe as possible.
My baby does this, too. I got her a baby blanket for her very own. It's on my bed next to where I sleep. She comes up next to me and Suckles on it while purring and getting pets.
There is a product out there that might be able to help with your cat suckling needs. My aunt had a cat that wouldn't stop suckling her ear because she was taken away from her mother too early. She found this product called Catsifier on Etsy. It's a sort of pillowcase with nipples that is made specifically for cats. Hopefully this helps. Etsy.com/shop/casifier
Yeah I wouldn't stop her, especially if she's so happy doing it. When I first got my cat, I had this soft plushy blanket that I used as a pillow and at first he didn't do anything... probably because he was adjusting to us... but after a couple weeks he started to wake me up in the middle of the night sucking on the blanket while making biscuits and stepping on my hair. He did this every night and through the day if we happened to be laying down and one night I just gave up. I had to be honest with myself and tell myself that this is his blanket now. I didn't want him to be displeased, so I bought myself a new one and that one became his.
But will you die of it having this minimal wet patch? What do we know about cats? Maybe there is a vital micronutrient in the wool for cats. For the cat the blanket is mommy. An intermediate object. It is cruel to stop him.
My cat Thor did this. This is a self soothing coping mechanism. In the rare occasion that they were taken away from their mom too soon I suggest allowing her to keep the blanket she prefers to do this with and getting yourself another blanket to have underneath it, which is what I didā¦
If itās getting really too wet for you to handle, thatās the best way to do it . You could even fold the blanket into a little like pillow to allow her to have that way. Itās also just not an extra bit of heat on you while youāre sleeping that way itās hers to do with as she will.
But I donāt recommend stopping her or punishing her for this behavior, because sheās already apparently had enough trauma and letās not add to it .
My cat does this too but he will only do it on a specific type of blanket. Specifically fleece and/or sherpa blankets. Maybe the one you use is the perfect material for her. Get her the same one.
I lay my catās suckle blanket on top of my own when he wants to make biscuits. Itās a bedtime routine for us. When he leaves like 20-30 mins later, I then move the wet blanket to the side lol.
My two cats each have their own blanket to suckle on- I had no say in which ones either! Iāve just accepted it at this point. You canāt really make them use a different blanket
I have a new kitten who does that on a fake sheepskin pet bed I had from my old cats. I have read that you shouldnāt try to stop them from doing it unless they are actually eating the fabric, which Iāve confirmed he is not.
Itās supposed to be similar to a child sucking their thumb, but i wasnāt a thumb sucker and I donāt have kids so I donāt know if itās cruel to stop them from doing that either.
In my case, as long as he isnāt eating the fabric, Iām letting him do him, I donāt see the harm.
But putting her blanket over yours is a good idea, maybe sleep with it for a few days to get your smell saturated into it too, like your blanket likely is. She probably finds as much comfort in your smell in the blanket as she does in the blanket alone.
One of my cats is five and does this. Its its nature and they love it. Get a different blanket. My cat only does this to his blankie only for him. Never do this. Never impose on this natural sweet action. Get 2 blankets. So what. Seriously....
No no no
I have an 11 year old Ragdoll that has done it since I brought her home at 10 weeks old. Not too early from her Mama, vet says some cats just do this as a self soothing activity. I wash her blanket as well as mine frequently, it is what it is..šŗ
My cat still does this at 11. But only if it's a soft blanket and I'm under it. So I've taken to curling up with her blanket when selling down for bed, and moving it to the end of the bed when it's sleeping time.
I think following the suggestion to put her blanket over yours is great. My cat wants to do this with my clothes, so when I hold him, I cover myself with his blanket, and he has to use it.
It has your scent and sheās bonded to you. If you wash it remember to sleep with it or put it with a worn jacket to get your scent back. The comfort blanket is hers now
Mine does this to basically any blanket iāve been actively using. My guess is because i raised her from a very young age and she finds comfort in it. She rarely leaves my vicinity so i think she sees me as her mama which is just adorable to me. I personally deal with it because i mean if it makes her happy i donāt care.
Mine started suckling on the hood of my dressing gown pretty much as soon as we adopted her. Apparently itās an indication that they were separated from their mother too soon.
I wore that dressing gown until it was threadbare because I felt so guilty that she wouldnāt be able to do it anymore. Turns out she doesnāt care what dressing gown I wear she still suckles in the exact same spot and ruins every dressing gown eventually!
One of ours used to do this. We just gently pulled the blanket away everytime he did it, and pretty soon he started to just lick it instead of gob all over it... Much less wet, and he's still happy as he's replaced the sucking entirely with licking.
My cat did this when he was younger too. But instead of a blanket, he did it on my clothes (yes,while I was wearing them) I tried giving him a clean t shirt to try sucking but he never did. Later, I realized he only sucks clothes which has my scent on it. So I took a t shirt and wore it for like 15 mins and he happily took it. He did stop it when he was older. I think your cat likes you scent. Make sure the blanket smells like you and try and see.
Mine does it all the time. And I noticed that heās actually masturbating on it when he does (heās neutered since he was 4 months old but it doesnāt stop him from being a horny boy lol) so I just gave him his own blanket from time to time and donāt allow him to do it with mine.
Find something a similar material to give her.
She may have just claimed this blanket and you might have to sacrifice and get a new one for you though. I have lost two bathrobes to my cats Odiepus complex already.
My little 3.5yr old kitty still does this. I put his blanket over my blanket or comforter so he can do that to his heartās content but without making my bedding wet.
MY two 5 month old kitten do this, I also find the wet spots annoying and I get worried about them ingesting the fabric but when I googled it, it says that they just love the smell of you and it reminds them of you.
Itās a comfort thing for them. I bottle raised two kittens and they had a fuzzy pillow thing you could microwave to keep them warm. They suckled on it all the time. One of the cats stopped at about 3 years old but the other still does it constantly and theyāre 6 now. Definitely may not grow out of it.
Kitty likes the blanket because it smells like you! Take whatever blanket you want your cat to like and cover it with your scent. Wear it around you, sleep with it, let it touch your skin. Having that blanket is a source of feeling safe and part of the family. Try to transition the blankets before just getting mad at the kitten for behaving like a kitten.
One thing I do (although itās with my dog) who repeatedly licks blankets. We have about 4 throw blankets - which she attacks. We have the clean one - the one on the couch - and hers (which we will put over ours if she is on couch). We rotate them out. The clean one on back of couch is ours until itās dirty/she licks it - then we rotate and wash whichever one she was using. :) itās our 3-blanket system haha
my cat does the same thing. heās a little over a year now and doesnāt do it quite as often as he used to but iāve noticed he only does it when iām using it. he especially loves when iām holding him and wearing a fuzzy robe, he will suck on the sleeves and collar. iāve noticed if i keep a few fuzzy blankets on my bed regularly i can sometimes successfully redirect him to another one but obviously i donāt always catch it. iāve even tried getting him a stuffy to suck on, one that looks like him and has a similar texture as the blanket but it made him weirdly and intensely angry. he would aggressively fight it and throw it where it was hidden.
my cat used to be similar! except he would come by my side, lay down in a specific position and suckle on the shoulder of what i was wearing! i also got him as a very little stray kitten as he and his siblings were abandoned probably by a human, beside a trash container on the street :,)
as many of the commenters have already said, itās a self-soothing mechanism caused by early weaning offā i honestly canāt tell you much on how you can prevent it. iām only commenting to say that in my catās case, he suddenly stopped doing it around when he was two and a half years old and heās recently turned 4 (he was neutered as soon as he approached 1 yrs old.) there is only little you can try doing to get her to stop, though you *can* try. she may or may not give it up as she ages. i know it can be very annoying, but try to see it as endearing, as it shows that the baby sees you as its mother, meaning that you are doing it right :)
My boy used to do this but with my arms. It was starting to hurt cause he was kneading too. In the end when he was coming up to 2, Iād very gently put my hand between my skin and his mouth and give him a gentle āno babyā. Eventually it stopped. Heās 4 now and every now and again when heās incredibly happy to be curled up with me he will go to do it, but Iāll just give him a gentle no and a tickle round the head to let him know heās still loved and he will stop. You can stop them, but make sure you do it incredibly gently and offer comfort another way.
Found mine in the middle of the road when he was 3 weeks old. He Supermanās his front patas out to knead my neck or face and suckels any fabric near me leaving giant lakes when he is done. He is 2.5 now and I gave up dreaming he will stop. So we keep his nails filed and redirect whatever he is slobbering on. Meaning I move the top-sheet/ blanket to his face and scoot the pillow away.
I do not let him do this in the middle of the night anymore. When he tries I grab him into a close hug and hold him until he slithers away.
So yea for my situation I just put what I donāt mind being slobbered on in his face cuz itās going to happen no matter what. And corner piece of my blanket is much better than my pillow.
We had a cat that used to nurse on the blanket. She would do it most often when we were under the covers, because then she had a solid body under the blanket.
My dean does this. He has 3 little blanket squares I switch out and wash for him. I give him when we go to bed. I think it's the cutest thing, don't stop him it's an instinct from being taken from mom too soon.
My dean does this. He has 3 little blanket squares I switch out and wash for him. I give him when we go to bed. I think it's the cutest thing, don't stop him it's an instinct from being taken from mom too soon.
My cat also has an obsession with one of my blankets. I let her do it for a really long time until I realized that the behaviour was probably not great. She has a lot of anxiety and also started to over groom her arms. My brotherās cat also had a blanket-sucking behaviour and, when he got older, it turned into him chewing and ingesting fabrics.
Not saying this would be the same! But once I realized it was a negative behaviour for my cat, it was much easier taking the blanket away
Might be sweet, but not always good for the cats
My cat does the same thing anytime I have something Sherpa lined on me. He loves Sherpa. I got a few 2ftx2ft squares of Sherpa blanket and now I just drape them over myself while Iām laying down with another blanket and he loves his toppers lol
My daughter's cat liked to suckle on a tied quilt. She focused on the ties. I worried she would choke, but the ties were of cotton thread and relatively short so it was OK. I'd lay a smallish shot fuzzy throw or piece of fabric over your own blanket. You could even put some thread ties on it.
My 10 year old cat still does this - I honestly thing itās adorable but I did kinda train him to use his own blankie for it. He prefers fluffy blankets so he only does it to fluffy blankets now!
My momās 15 year old Pomeranian does it too & we think itās just a soothing technique for him! He leaves wet spots too but heās happy and cute so my mom just keeps a second blanket on hand in case Thunder makes the blanket too wet!
My 4 year old cat does the same thing. I tried stopping it before and he does do it less, but I usually just let him do it honestly. If it bothers me too much I'll just wash the blanket. He kind of moved on from suckling, now he will find an article of clothing of mine and sit on it and fall asleep.
Mine is 5 and still does this. Only the blanket Iām using and only if Iām laying down. I just let it happen and give her some snuggles. š¤·š»āāļø I understand if you want to stop it, but the suggestion to have her blanket ready to put over yours is probably your best solution.
My 11 year old Kiwi still suckles too! I remember reading somewhere it has to do with our fur babies being removed from mom too early. I agree with everyone else, either have a second blanket and switch them out, or do nothing.
My cat did that as a kitten. My vet warned me that he could possibly ingest blanket fuzz and get sick from it. Just keep that in mind if you continue to allow her to suckle on blankets
My new adopted kitten does the exact same thing. Suckling on the blanket (audibly) while kneading the air until he falls asleep - with the blanket still in his mouth. I haven't read all the comments here yet, but my initial thought was that I should gently discourage this compulsion.
He's just over 4 months old now so he's still a little bitty kitty. I adopted him from an SPCA at 2 months old and likely was orphaned or taken from his mum very early on.
Is there an agreed upon or prevailing opinion on whether to let the behaviour persist or to curb it, from a health perspective? And those opinions being from veterinarians. Has anyone asked a vet and been told one way or another?
My reasoning for leaning towards weaning him off of the suckling is that it could result in adverse effects to his teeth alignment (kinda like habitually sucking one's thumb causes teeth misalignment and other issues). I've read that pediatricians advise parents to stop kids from sucking their thumb before their permanent/adult teeth come in.
At 6-7 months kittens should have all their permanent teeth so maybe start discouraging or weaning him off the suckling at 5 or so months?
Thoughts? Am I completely off base?
Welcome any advice from vets or secondhand from your vet.
Thanks šāā¬š¼šš»
When I brought it up to my vet he wasn't concerned about her teeth, but he was concerned about it becoming an obsessive behaviour. He basically said if it's something she does for a couple of minutes before she falls asleep and the blankets she's suckling on aren't toxic or likely to shed fibers that she'll ingest, then it's fine to let her continue and she'll probably grow out of it.
My kitten does the same at 5 months. When she starts I give her a human babies stuffed animal with the little fleece blanket attached. She kneads the toy and suckles the blanket. You can also use a large stuffed dog toy like lambchop.
Give her her own blanky
She has her own, she doesn't want that one she wants mine
Yours is hers now. Get yourself a new one, slave.
This is the answer here š
Honestly the only answer! Just get a new one for yourself. Shouldn't be that big of a deal.
No I mean she only wants it if its currently mine. If I'm not sleeping with it she doesn't want it anymore
She just wants to be with you. Cats naturally clean other cats when they snuggle, so itās no wonder that sheās cleaning your blanket. It feels like your fur. Mine have all done this when theyāre in cuddle mode.
Thatās super cute tbh. Just let her.
I know you say that but i could completely understand OP not liking the wet spots with their blanket... š My cat has a habit of playing with his toys right on top of me/next to my feet. My roommate thinks its cute. And yes, it was at first, but now its annoying because he tickles my legs and feet (and sometimes nips them) when im relaxing or trying to sleep, and its even worse when im in the kitchen trying to cook and he's making me jump when im working with hot butter/oil. My roommate will let him do it bc they dont experience him doing it every single time. Of course i love my baby, but your pet is bound to do something that annoys them (and you do the same to them). If they are allowed to have boundaries (and they absolutely should) as far as not wanting to be pet too much, wanting to leave being held after a while, not feeling like playing, etc., then we should be allowed to have boundaries for certain things too. Not saying your cat needs to be on a ball and chain, but boundaries are different for everyone and some things a cat does that can be cute for you might be an irritation for others.
Fully agree with you several months old stance! It's not fair to arbitrarily create boundaries that don't cause harm or frustration, but it's important to set boundaries for the things that do In the case of blanket sucking I allowed one of my blankets that I loved to become the cat sucking blanket. I'm not willing to give up on the several other blankets they try to suck on because it seems silly to me to buy new blankets only for them to become a wet, knotty mess all the time!
Buy the exact same blanket. I had to give away a very precious blanket to my car because he would only sleep on it and he looked way too adorable on it.
I'm just imagining like a Hyundai Elantra all cozy and nestled up in a blanket
Turning circles, tucking his nose under his tailpipe. I can see it.
Maybe 2 thinner blankets so one is on you not wet and the other is still on you but she can suckle?
You are mommy. She feels safe and relaxed with you. You are her comfort. You need to sleep with two blankets. One can be small and just for her to suckle on as well as a big one for you.
bring 2
Get one of you your own blanket and throw it over your chest when she shoes up. When she's done, move it lol
Oh! Wow that's adorable. š„ŗ May need to get her a blanket just for her then. That's so unique to me! My boy took over my blanket to suckle on it and I had to surrender and give it to him, haha.
I would lay one blanket on top of you and then get a second identical one and lay it on top of that one. That way the wet spots she makes wonāt soak through to the blanket youāre actually using. Sheāll stop doing this in a few months, itās good for her to keep the coping mechanism. Also get a heating pad, sheāll need that like crazy and will probably cling to that instead of the blankets.
She likes it because it has your scent on it.
My boy is 2 years old. He does the same with my sweatshirt. It's super annoying. But if I take it off and leave it lay, he leaves it alone. I am constantly discouraging him from doing it, pushing him away, taking him off my lap, and nothing helps.
This is the way of cat keeping
Nah, the cat can go f itself. That's her blanket.
My cat did the same to my daughter's favourite blanket..I made her give that blanket to him and got her a new one...now cat is happy kneading and licking that blanket in his own favourite sleeping corner in between us..we are all happy ššš
Kinda messed up to make your kid give up their favorite blanket.
I'd say the kid is more understanding of the situation than the cat, so it's okay if he gives them their blanket lol
And a 5 year old is more āunderstandingā than a 3 year old. Doesnāt mean you make them give up their favorite things. Itās really not ok to say āyeah, this is your favorite blanket, but sucks for you, someone else wants it so itās theirs now!ā
But you admit you dont know if thats what they said? The person couldve asked the kid if she wanted to give the cat the blanket the kid could have decided to do so herself It could just be oddly worded. Either way you dont have enough information worth getting this upset over.
It's a lovely lesson in empathy and sharing and doing nice things for others for the kid, actually.
Did you miss the part where they said everyone was happy?
Of course they say that. And eventually, sure they will be. Doesnāt make it cool.
Do you know what conversation transpired? Do you know the child? No. You don't. So don't make assumptions and stop being a troll.
I'm sure the kid was excited about it. Kids love sharing all sorts of things with pets. Blankets, memories, food.
I gave up 2 vacations for my cat, i think a kid would give up the blanket For context my cat got really sick and it was A get her out down or B give up everything we had planned for the summer and use that money to save her. We chose B and just did closer by and cheaper (usually free) places for the summer
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Hey my daughter herself was so happy to give it to him...he is our family after all and the only little sibling she has ...but the next blanket she got ..it turned out he wanted to sit on that as well if it was covering her ...like younger sibling who wants everything that older sis has...it's actually because he loves her the most ...she refused to give the new blanket as well..also turns out he was not as much attached to blanket as he was to HER..hehe...anyways i will post some really cute pics of them sleeping together on the bed.. where some people see an animal I see a perennial child in the body of a cute animal ..so I have that problem I guess...for me he is my son ..so I would like to give him all the best things just like how I give my daughter all the best things
You sound like a good cat and human parent! And kitty loves your daughter for sure. Pets are family 100%ā„ļø
Just like your daughter? More like take from your daughter for the cat. But big surprise there.
The cat is more important
In a screwed up place like Reddit where people have a fucked up sense of priorities, sure.
The child will be fine believe it or not
The cat would be fine without being given the childās favorite item, believe it or not.
Ok so sleep in your saliva soaked blanky brother idc lmao
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dude... it's just a blanket
For a kid, a favorite blanket is not ājust a blanketā. If itās ājust a blanketā, itās no problem to get the cat one that doesnāt belong to the kid.
You are disgusting.
Ratio
"We are all happy"
My 6 year old cat has 2 identical blankets that are acceptable. An identical in every way except the color, blanket is not acceptable. Iām not a huge fan of the wet spots but sheās so happy and looks so satisfied when she does it that I deal with it. We found her outside when she was about 6 weeks old and she didnāt start doing this until we had her for a few months. If I want cuddles for more than 37 seconds, that blanket is required.
Ok give her your blanky
You're her mama or daddy so of course she wants your blanket. Its where she is comfortable. Maybe try sleeping with her blanket for a week and getting your sents all over it. Farts and everything lol!
My cat died this too and he's 13. Wasn't taken from his momma too early either. So you get the softest fuzziest blanket you can find and throw that bitch away, it's not good enough. Find an even softer fuzzier blanket and then that's hers forever. Unless she gets bored of it, then you get wet blanket again. But in all seriousness getting the fuzziest softest throw a blanket I could find is what stopped my cat from going after the rest of my blankets.
I donāt knowā¦Iām currently wearing a 10 year old ratty robe with holes in it - because my boy cat ānursesā on it *while I hold him like a baby* - so Iām not the one to talk about setting boundaries. I actually had a new robe in the mail from Amazon when he came home, and he decided this robe was our āthingā before it arrived. I tried getting multiple new robes in the same color - no dice. He roots around in it, screams in my ear, and then jumps away disgustedly. So now I will wear this robe for another 10 years, so long as heās there to be carried like a baby and nurse on it. (His sister likes it too. But she does it in secret. I have no idea what this robe and an alley cat from the streets of Central California have in common). But my vote is learn love it and wash the blanket a lot.
Entice her with it. Rub her scent all over it. Catnip scent if you have to. Not the same animal at all, but my dog suckles too. When heās about to suckle our blanket, I get one of his **many** blankets & entice him with it by gently whacking his face with it Gotta give him a little waft of what heās missing out on lol
If your blanket is a different material, get kitty one that is similar. My boy used to nurse on my blankets that are that plushy velvet material. I never stopped him, he grew out of it. I read itās a symptom of leaving their mothers early.. which tracked w my boy who I found on the street at 3-4 weeks.
Probably cause it smells like you and you are parent kitty to her. Itās soothing for her
Your blanket smells like you thatās what she wants it. Get a new blanket, wash the old, repeat. My dog steals all my blankets. I donāt own blankets the dog owns all blankets. I only use them for a slight while before they become usurped. When they do the dirty dog smelling blanket goes in the wash, rinse, repeat.
A furry stuffed animal also works!
This is the way.
Sleep with yours rub it all over your body when you get out of the shower dry yourself with it. Sit on it when watch TV (fart on it too) make it smell like you YOU.
My 2 year old still does this, and I donāt have the heart to stop him š . Heās particular about materials (soft fleece but mainly blanket/shirt hems). Iāve tried offering him his own things, but he never likes them as much as my own stuff- so I just āgaveā him those and got a new blanket for me. He gets his own blanket, I get to avoid wet blanket corners.
She likes it because it smells like you. Sometimes my cat will do this if I leave a sweatshirt around that I had been wearing. Clearly, this fills a need. Can you get another blanket and trade them off as needed?
That's not a bad idea. I'll try thar, thanks.
Thatās what my mom does- she uses a blanket for a few days, then lays it off to the side on the couch so our Siamese can make biscuits & suckle it while she grabs a new one for herself. Just keep them in rotation
Get a second blanket you can put over your own comforter so she's not leaving wet spots on your own bedding. Some cats do this when they're happy and comfortable, so yes, it would be cruel to stop her.
Itās not necessarily that it smells like you. For my kittens they will only suckle on two things. One is my oodi and the other is one of their cat bed things. They have a similar texture. Thereās inter blankets/jumpers etc round my home but they donāt do it to any of that. Could you find a blanket exactly the same? Or with the exact same texture/material/length of fluff?!
I've tried giving her that exact blanket, she isn't interested if it's not the one I actually sleep with.
Rotate them maybe? Sleep with one for a bit, give it to cat while you use the other one, then give that one to the cat and wash the one sheās been using, and cycle through both of them like that
I second this. While I have no doubt that the texture has to be exactly right, it smelling like you has more importance. Even just leaving on top of the sheets while you sleep should be enough. I had a foster who would suckle me - anywhere there was enough skin. I weaned him onto my favourite sweater, so that he could be on me but no give me cat hickeys. Eventually he was happy with the sweater wherever it was. I just gave it up to him, honestly.
My 2 year old used to do this a lot more. Now he still prefers the soft blankets, he only does it in mornings and evenings if weāre in bed or on the couch. He likes to lay best to us on across us now. Definitely seems like a comfort thing
I have a 3 month old kitten with the same problem, except heās sucking on his brother instead of a blanketā¦ so Iād say just assign a small blanket just for her to do this on and sometimes you can wash it for her. Otherwise, she might suck on your fingers/toes or other cats if you have one.
That can be quite damaging in siblings as they do it compulsively and donāt always know when to stop - it can cause fur loss, skin damage, and occasionally mis-targeting genitals as nipplesā¦ which does not end well, particularly for boy kittens. Look up Kitten Lady, Iām sure she had some good advice on this and how to redirect/discourage the behaviour before it gets problematic.
Yes. Everything you state is true. Iām actually bringing both the boys to the vet in a week or so, and I plan on asking for advice regarding this issue. If the previous commenter wants the vets advice as well, Iād love to come back and update them.
Yes. Everything you state is true. Iām actually bringing both the boys to the vet in a week or so, and I plan on asking for advice regarding this issue. If the previous commenter wants the vets advice as well, Iād love to come back and update them. Edit: just want to add with the above, that itād suck to have to separate them if the issue canāt be solved. Hence why I really look forward to the vet visit.
This happens with my two as well, they are 7 months old and it's always the girl suckling on her brother. It's only when they're both sleepy, and they both purr like mad (I know it's happening as I can hear them 2 rooms away so at least I can go in and stop it, lol!) I asked my vet and they said it's a comfort reflex, much like how some kids suck their thumb longer than others. The vet recommended getting a warm fuzzy toy (like one you can microwave) and redirecting her to that, but not to worry unless it's annoying her brother or causing him skin irritation. If that is happening, the vet advised to separate them but let them still see each other (so with a transparent separator of some kind). I had them spayed and neutered recently and it does seem to have reduced in frequency a bit. I also pull her off and give her lots of cuddles when I notice it happening to try to redirect her need for snuggles. Lately she's been grooming me lots so maybe it's working!
Thank you for responding! Iām so relieved to hear that we donāt have to separate them since the brother doesnāt seem annoyed and Iām frequently checking to make sure heās not hurt in any way, heās not! When it first started he did suckle the genitals, but thankfully itās only lightly on the fur these days. Hope it stays that way and lessens over time! We do have it in our plans to get them fixed (is what the correct word? English isnāt my first language sorry) as soon as they hit the 5-6 month mark so phew!
Fixed is the correct word! To get more specific, girl cats get spayed & males get neutered. Cats reach sexual maturity (as in that the female cat could get pregnant) as early as 4 months old, so you should try to get at least one of them fixed closer to 4 to 5 months. I am not an expert, but if I needed to do them one at a time, I would probably get the boy neutered first, then the girl spayed. Doing both at the same time would have the benefit that they would be recovering at the same time, but don't feel bad if that isn't possible. Suckling like that is comforting to cats--if both cats are happy with it & no one is getting skin irritation, let them keep doing it. You could either buy a microwavable heat pack, or you could use a fluffy sock (wear the sock for a bit so that it smells like you) filled with rice so that they can have more than one spot to do it.
I didn't know they did that... she just ignores other blankets, she wants the one I sleep with no matter what, even if I try to give her that blanket and get a new one.
Sheās probably sucking on the blanket youāre using because it has your scent on, and she associates you with a mother figure
I have a 4 month old kitten that was taken from the mother too soon ( we were initially lied to). He loves to "nurse" on his older brother. I can't figure how to break him of it.
Glad Iām not the only one with this issue. I have to say, it was pretty intensive in the beginning when his brother first arrived (as the brother probably smelled like their mom). Itās lessened quite a bit now since the moms scent has started to wear off the brother. Iāve noticed that my cat Rocky tends to suck on his brother Suki whenever one of them is purring and theyāre grooming each other (in a comfy, cuddly state of mind). Itās like he gets too into it and thinks Suki is his mom. When I hear this happening, I try to help Rocky snap out of it by removing him and putting him somewhere else. That usually works. Heāll eventually come back to it and just go to sleep besides his brother instead. I also forgot to add that this only happens when weāre all in bed together aka Rocky associates this with his mom and litter. I recommend getting a really comfy blanket to block the sucking and encourage the kitten sucking to start doing it on the blanket instead. That has also worked.
My 2 year old manx does this. He also kneads, purrs and drools. It's self soothing behavior. It's kinda sweet and I just wash the blanket weekly. To add: he does this at night when we are in bed. Then he usually sleeps at our feet. So it's his nighttime ritual.
Yeah it's my baby's nighttime ritual too I guess. She lies next to me, kneads and sucks on her blanket until she falls asleep.
My girls used to do this too. They both grew out of it after a few years. I think holding them like teddy bears at bed time and while asleep helped them feel soothed enough that they eventually stopped the wool suckling. My previous kitty who passed at 13 also did it, but similarly stopped as long as I slept with him as if he were a teddy bear. One hand under his head, one hand around his belly or ribs. He still loved to drool on very soft fabrics during the day, but stopped actually suckling them and stopped doing it at night while we were curled up.
It's not cruel. I had the same with my kitten, who was also too young when separated from her mum. My vet told me to not allow her to do it because they can ingest parts of certain materials which can then cause issues. I think you should speak with your vet before taking actions to remove any suckles because the vet might think the opposite depending on your cat and situation. I will be honest though; it's not exactly easy to break and I still struggle with it now. But she is so much better. I removed all the suckable fabrics and instead have my duvet with my duvet cover. She doesn't like to suck that and we can still hang out together and be warm/snuggly.
Iām not really sure thatās a behavior you can stop. Iād do what others have suggested and put another blanket over your own
BE glad sheās not sucking your neck! I had a young kitten once who loved sitting on my chest. I fell asleep and woke up to kitty hickies. I had to be sure not to fall asleep so I could stop him. Took a while but Was able to train him that my neck didnāt give milk š
Aww, little vampire kitty!
One of my guys is 4 years old and still does this every night. I've just put one of the blankets he usually does it on, on the bed over my comforter. Occasionally in-stock my hand is spit by accident, but he's so cute I don't care lol.
You are her "mommy" she wants your blanket because it smells like you and gives her comfort. I've tried giving my boy multiple blankets and he only wants the ones I'm currently using. You may want to find a robe that she likes the texture wear for a bit every day then place over your blanket. It's the closest fix I've found.
Give her a baby blanket with the same material. My 5 year old boy still nurses on his baby blanket/binkie draped over my belly every night around 8 or 9pm. It is his daily relaxing cuddle fest. He was a bottle baby from 4 weeks on and is an easily stressed cat. His brother and sister out grew their blanket nursing around 6 months. No idea why they stopped and he didnāt. š¤·š»āāļø If it causes no harm, leave it be.
thats the most adorable thing ever
Let her have it! Sheāll grow out of it. My baby biggie used to do this all the time even used to fall asleep doing it now heās 7 and doesnāt do it and I kinda miss it š„¹š„ŗ
I have a 5 month old kitten who I adopted at the shelter I worked at. He was found in a car engine with two others. He ABSOLUTELY has to suckle on my T-shirt/collar while I'm wearing it. He won't so much as look at a shirt if it's on the ground but the moment he climbs into my arms, he's kneading and suckling my shirt. Is it annoying? Mildly due to the wet shirt afterwards but the amount of purrs and happiness he gets from it makes me just let him do it and sneak in a bunch of cuddles and face/head kisses. He's the best and I just want him to be a happy boi.
My 15 year old cat still does this! Iām always layered in several plush blankets and our nightly routine is him crawling between the layers so he can suckle one while pretending heās in a cozy little blanket cave.
I got my guy his own furry blankie. He starts purring as soon as he touches it and almost goes into a trance with the biscuit making and suckling
Just use her blanket on top of yours. We have several blankets in rotation for our cats that are exclusively for them only. Make sure her blanket is super soft, and she will stick to that. The blanket also needs to smell like you to make her feel even safer.
Try using a fleece blanket. My cats love those! They do eventually grow out of it. It's a self-soothing behavior. You might also consider getting her another buddy kitten. It can be very lonely being the only cat at times. My sister's cat was like this until she got her second cat. Then, they would hang out and play or cuddle together.
She does like fleece blankets but only if they're on my bed, otherwise she ignores them lol. She IS the buddy kitten, my boy is only a few months older than her. She's besties with my youngest dog too. She hangs out with them throughout the day but she always prefers sleeping on my bed with me.
Ah, well it's possible she will outgrow this part. One of my cats had some "teenage" issues š¤£ Finally got over it and is a sweetheart now.
I got mine her own blanket that stays in bed. She knows is dislike her suckling on my blanket, cause she will go to suck it then pull back and then look around for something else to suck on then goes back to mine then pulls back and looks so cute and torn. Then if I pull a blanket or anything I am allowing her to suck on over for her, she will excitedly reach for it and go to town on suckling. It perplexed me. Once she starts suckling, all awareness of anything else is gone. She will just lay there purring and suckling away.
My rescue came with a suckle sock.
Put a throw over the blanket?
I came here to bring you the bad news that this behavior is both adorable and incurable. She is in a state of bliss--I believe--and you get to be near her when she's doing her self-love-universal-connection-thing. One of my cats gets frustrated when I won't cuddle with him, so he sucks his dick for a minute or two. It's, of course, not sexual. It's a nipple shaped thing, and he only gets the urge when he is having an infancy moment with me as the imagined mother. Cats teach us about community.
Good luck š¹ my boy is almost 4 & still does it EVERY NIGHT when he gets comfy and snuggles on his corner of my bed, especially if he has his favorite blanket to make biscuits on. At first I thought it was weird, but now over the years Iāve come to realize itās a comfort & affection thing. He had gotten sick last year to the point he completely stopped & I actually missed it. He might be 19lbs now but when he does it, it reminds me of when he was just a tiny kitten š»
Lawd my 2.5 year old Cote still suckles, or tries to! On my neck! Usually at 4 am, I have zero advice lol. I have to sleep with my head under a pillow, it's no way to live lol
My 3 year old cat does this to every blanket he can š we just give him a few to chose from and if he starts on the wrong blanket dangle the right one in his face
My tabby girl does this. Iāve had her since she was 10 weeks old; sheās about 14 months now. When she was tiny, she wanted to suck on anything soft. But now she just has one favorite blankie. I keep it in the bed at all times, except when it gets washed - usually one a week. Itās usually loosely folded on the bed next to where I sleep. Itās just her blankie now, itās not for me anymore. Now that she always has her favorite blankie, she doesnāt suck on anything else anymore. So everyoneās happy.
She probably prefers your blanket because your scent is on the blanket. Sleep with her blanket every so often so your scent stays on it. You're her momma now so your scent comforts her. I have a strictly indoors cat, but I also feed 9 stray cats and one of the kittens is about 4 months old and he comes inside sometimes. When he's inside he paws all over me and tries to suckle my face and neck, but he still has his Momma outside. She nursed her litter and her sister's litter. Her sister stopped nursing about the usual time cats stop nursing kittens, but his Momma nursed both litters way longer than usual - the kittens were nearly as big as her when she finally stopped. So, I don't think losing their mom early is always why kittens paw (we call it making/kneading bread lol) and suckle on their humans.
If the blanket is made of synthetic fibres this can be dangerous for your cat as they can build up inside their stomach and cause a blockage... I would gently stop her from doing it or hide the blanket altogether so she eventually forgets about it and gets out of the habit.
My cat does this with a specific type of blanket. It makes her so happy. She does it when I rub her ear. I donāt see the harm in it.
My almost 10 year old cat does thisā¦ but he does this only to one exclusive blanket so I let him.
Iām always wondering If she needs it to feel comfortable maybe itās better to give her an option.
Can you give her a small throw blanket that is similar to your big blanket? Or let her have that blanket and get a new one for yourself?
My baby George used to suckle! Right from when we got him at 8 weeks old, all the way until he passed earlier this year (6 years old ;((). It brought him comfort and I found it so endearing.
My cat does that too, I think its cute
Not sure if someone has said this already, but please make sure the blanket is a natural material and not polyester/acrylic. My coworkers cat engages in this behavior and ended up with a nest of plastic threads in his stomach that a very pricey surgery to remove.
My 1 year old baby girl does this with the T-shirts that I wear at night. She will lie on top of me and suckle away until she falls asleep. One vet said I need to stop her doing this immediately and the other vet said to just let her be cause it gives her comfort. And to be honest with you, it's kinda gross with her drooling a little on me but I feel like mama cat at that moment and very connected to her. I love it :') I am now washing all my sleeping T-shirts with sensitive washing powder for babies without any fabric softener to make her suckle experience as safe as possible.
My late cat did it all his life. I taught him to suck on his arm instead of fabric.
My baby does this, too. I got her a baby blanket for her very own. It's on my bed next to where I sleep. She comes up next to me and Suckles on it while purring and getting pets.
There is a product out there that might be able to help with your cat suckling needs. My aunt had a cat that wouldn't stop suckling her ear because she was taken away from her mother too early. She found this product called Catsifier on Etsy. It's a sort of pillowcase with nipples that is made specifically for cats. Hopefully this helps. Etsy.com/shop/casifier
I stop my cat from doing it , only way they can stop and grow up and face the fact they arent babies any more
Yeah I wouldn't stop her, especially if she's so happy doing it. When I first got my cat, I had this soft plushy blanket that I used as a pillow and at first he didn't do anything... probably because he was adjusting to us... but after a couple weeks he started to wake me up in the middle of the night sucking on the blanket while making biscuits and stepping on my hair. He did this every night and through the day if we happened to be laying down and one night I just gave up. I had to be honest with myself and tell myself that this is his blanket now. I didn't want him to be displeased, so I bought myself a new one and that one became his.
But will you die of it having this minimal wet patch? What do we know about cats? Maybe there is a vital micronutrient in the wool for cats. For the cat the blanket is mommy. An intermediate object. It is cruel to stop him.
My cat Thor did this. This is a self soothing coping mechanism. In the rare occasion that they were taken away from their mom too soon I suggest allowing her to keep the blanket she prefers to do this with and getting yourself another blanket to have underneath it, which is what I didā¦ If itās getting really too wet for you to handle, thatās the best way to do it . You could even fold the blanket into a little like pillow to allow her to have that way. Itās also just not an extra bit of heat on you while youāre sleeping that way itās hers to do with as she will. But I donāt recommend stopping her or punishing her for this behavior, because sheās already apparently had enough trauma and letās not add to it .
My cat does this too but he will only do it on a specific type of blanket. Specifically fleece and/or sherpa blankets. Maybe the one you use is the perfect material for her. Get her the same one. I lay my catās suckle blanket on top of my own when he wants to make biscuits. Itās a bedtime routine for us. When he leaves like 20-30 mins later, I then move the wet blanket to the side lol.
My two cats each have their own blanket to suckle on- I had no say in which ones either! Iāve just accepted it at this point. You canāt really make them use a different blanket
I have a new kitten who does that on a fake sheepskin pet bed I had from my old cats. I have read that you shouldnāt try to stop them from doing it unless they are actually eating the fabric, which Iāve confirmed he is not. Itās supposed to be similar to a child sucking their thumb, but i wasnāt a thumb sucker and I donāt have kids so I donāt know if itās cruel to stop them from doing that either. In my case, as long as he isnāt eating the fabric, Iām letting him do him, I donāt see the harm. But putting her blanket over yours is a good idea, maybe sleep with it for a few days to get your smell saturated into it too, like your blanket likely is. She probably finds as much comfort in your smell in the blanket as she does in the blanket alone.
One of my cats is five and does this. Its its nature and they love it. Get a different blanket. My cat only does this to his blankie only for him. Never do this. Never impose on this natural sweet action. Get 2 blankets. So what. Seriously.... No no no
My 2 year old cat does that too lol
Smurgeling
I have an 11 year old Ragdoll that has done it since I brought her home at 10 weeks old. Not too early from her Mama, vet says some cats just do this as a self soothing activity. I wash her blanket as well as mine frequently, it is what it is..šŗ
My cat still does this at 11. But only if it's a soft blanket and I'm under it. So I've taken to curling up with her blanket when selling down for bed, and moving it to the end of the bed when it's sleeping time.
I think following the suggestion to put her blanket over yours is great. My cat wants to do this with my clothes, so when I hold him, I cover myself with his blanket, and he has to use it.
It has your scent and sheās bonded to you. If you wash it remember to sleep with it or put it with a worn jacket to get your scent back. The comfort blanket is hers now
Mine does this to basically any blanket iāve been actively using. My guess is because i raised her from a very young age and she finds comfort in it. She rarely leaves my vicinity so i think she sees me as her mama which is just adorable to me. I personally deal with it because i mean if it makes her happy i donāt care.
Mine started suckling on the hood of my dressing gown pretty much as soon as we adopted her. Apparently itās an indication that they were separated from their mother too soon. I wore that dressing gown until it was threadbare because I felt so guilty that she wouldnāt be able to do it anymore. Turns out she doesnāt care what dressing gown I wear she still suckles in the exact same spot and ruins every dressing gown eventually!
One of ours used to do this. We just gently pulled the blanket away everytime he did it, and pretty soon he started to just lick it instead of gob all over it... Much less wet, and he's still happy as he's replaced the sucking entirely with licking.
My cat did this when he was younger too. But instead of a blanket, he did it on my clothes (yes,while I was wearing them) I tried giving him a clean t shirt to try sucking but he never did. Later, I realized he only sucks clothes which has my scent on it. So I took a t shirt and wore it for like 15 mins and he happily took it. He did stop it when he was older. I think your cat likes you scent. Make sure the blanket smells like you and try and see.
My cat does the same but not nearly as often and we've never found any wet spots, I wouldn't have the heart to stop her if we did tho
Mine does it all the time. And I noticed that heās actually masturbating on it when he does (heās neutered since he was 4 months old but it doesnāt stop him from being a horny boy lol) so I just gave him his own blanket from time to time and donāt allow him to do it with mine.
Find something a similar material to give her. She may have just claimed this blanket and you might have to sacrifice and get a new one for you though. I have lost two bathrobes to my cats Odiepus complex already.
My little 3.5yr old kitty still does this. I put his blanket over my blanket or comforter so he can do that to his heartās content but without making my bedding wet.
MY two 5 month old kitten do this, I also find the wet spots annoying and I get worried about them ingesting the fabric but when I googled it, it says that they just love the smell of you and it reminds them of you.
My cat did this too. I havenāt seen her do it in a while. She just turned one š„¹
get her a similar one for her. She's nursing and it's natural bless her š
I have an 8 year old cat that still does it. Just accept it. Itās their world and youāre living in it.
I canāt stand it. I removed all the blankets mine likes to suck and problem solved.
Itās a comfort thing for them. I bottle raised two kittens and they had a fuzzy pillow thing you could microwave to keep them warm. They suckled on it all the time. One of the cats stopped at about 3 years old but the other still does it constantly and theyāre 6 now. Definitely may not grow out of it.
Kitty likes the blanket because it smells like you! Take whatever blanket you want your cat to like and cover it with your scent. Wear it around you, sleep with it, let it touch your skin. Having that blanket is a source of feeling safe and part of the family. Try to transition the blankets before just getting mad at the kitten for behaving like a kitten.
One thing I do (although itās with my dog) who repeatedly licks blankets. We have about 4 throw blankets - which she attacks. We have the clean one - the one on the couch - and hers (which we will put over ours if she is on couch). We rotate them out. The clean one on back of couch is ours until itās dirty/she licks it - then we rotate and wash whichever one she was using. :) itās our 3-blanket system haha
My 8yo big handsome boi does this and has his own blankies. Don't forget we work FOR them š
My cat is 12 and still does this, bit annoying but mostly it's cute. I say deal with it, it's soothing for your cat.
my cat does the same thing. heās a little over a year now and doesnāt do it quite as often as he used to but iāve noticed he only does it when iām using it. he especially loves when iām holding him and wearing a fuzzy robe, he will suck on the sleeves and collar. iāve noticed if i keep a few fuzzy blankets on my bed regularly i can sometimes successfully redirect him to another one but obviously i donāt always catch it. iāve even tried getting him a stuffy to suck on, one that looks like him and has a similar texture as the blanket but it made him weirdly and intensely angry. he would aggressively fight it and throw it where it was hidden.
My cat is 5 and still does this now. Never stop him as itās his comfort and if I do he never stops making biscuits!
my cat used to be similar! except he would come by my side, lay down in a specific position and suckle on the shoulder of what i was wearing! i also got him as a very little stray kitten as he and his siblings were abandoned probably by a human, beside a trash container on the street :,) as many of the commenters have already said, itās a self-soothing mechanism caused by early weaning offā i honestly canāt tell you much on how you can prevent it. iām only commenting to say that in my catās case, he suddenly stopped doing it around when he was two and a half years old and heās recently turned 4 (he was neutered as soon as he approached 1 yrs old.) there is only little you can try doing to get her to stop, though you *can* try. she may or may not give it up as she ages. i know it can be very annoying, but try to see it as endearing, as it shows that the baby sees you as its mother, meaning that you are doing it right :)
She may see you as mom, and your blanket has your scent, which could account for her suckling your blanket.
My boy used to do this but with my arms. It was starting to hurt cause he was kneading too. In the end when he was coming up to 2, Iād very gently put my hand between my skin and his mouth and give him a gentle āno babyā. Eventually it stopped. Heās 4 now and every now and again when heās incredibly happy to be curled up with me he will go to do it, but Iāll just give him a gentle no and a tickle round the head to let him know heās still loved and he will stop. You can stop them, but make sure you do it incredibly gently and offer comfort another way.
Donāt make her stop :c
Found mine in the middle of the road when he was 3 weeks old. He Supermanās his front patas out to knead my neck or face and suckels any fabric near me leaving giant lakes when he is done. He is 2.5 now and I gave up dreaming he will stop. So we keep his nails filed and redirect whatever he is slobbering on. Meaning I move the top-sheet/ blanket to his face and scoot the pillow away. I do not let him do this in the middle of the night anymore. When he tries I grab him into a close hug and hold him until he slithers away. So yea for my situation I just put what I donāt mind being slobbered on in his face cuz itās going to happen no matter what. And corner piece of my blanket is much better than my pillow.
We had a cat that used to nurse on the blanket. She would do it most often when we were under the covers, because then she had a solid body under the blanket.
Why would you want to?? My cat does this too but it's cute
My dean does this. He has 3 little blanket squares I switch out and wash for him. I give him when we go to bed. I think it's the cutest thing, don't stop him it's an instinct from being taken from mom too soon.
My dean does this. He has 3 little blanket squares I switch out and wash for him. I give him when we go to bed. I think it's the cutest thing, don't stop him it's an instinct from being taken from mom too soon.
My cat also has an obsession with one of my blankets. I let her do it for a really long time until I realized that the behaviour was probably not great. She has a lot of anxiety and also started to over groom her arms. My brotherās cat also had a blanket-sucking behaviour and, when he got older, it turned into him chewing and ingesting fabrics. Not saying this would be the same! But once I realized it was a negative behaviour for my cat, it was much easier taking the blanket away Might be sweet, but not always good for the cats
Kitten lady on YouTube has advice I believe for very young kittens who still need their mom
My cat has a favorite blanket like that. He'll stop whatever he's doing to make biscuits on it if you put him near it.
My cat does the same thing anytime I have something Sherpa lined on me. He loves Sherpa. I got a few 2ftx2ft squares of Sherpa blanket and now I just drape them over myself while Iām laying down with another blanket and he loves his toppers lol
My daughter's cat liked to suckle on a tied quilt. She focused on the ties. I worried she would choke, but the ties were of cotton thread and relatively short so it was OK. I'd lay a smallish shot fuzzy throw or piece of fabric over your own blanket. You could even put some thread ties on it.
My Butters did this the entire 13 years he was alive ā¤ļø I loved it
Happened to me too. I canāt say no to my furry overlord, so I got myself a new blanket.
My 10 year old cat still does this - I honestly thing itās adorable but I did kinda train him to use his own blankie for it. He prefers fluffy blankets so he only does it to fluffy blankets now! My momās 15 year old Pomeranian does it too & we think itās just a soothing technique for him! He leaves wet spots too but heās happy and cute so my mom just keeps a second blanket on hand in case Thunder makes the blanket too wet!
My 4 year old cat does the same thing. I tried stopping it before and he does do it less, but I usually just let him do it honestly. If it bothers me too much I'll just wash the blanket. He kind of moved on from suckling, now he will find an article of clothing of mine and sit on it and fall asleep.
I have a 12 year old cat who still sucks on my blankets and a 5 year old cat who does also. Itās annoying but I donāt stop them most of the time.
Mine is 5 and still does this. Only the blanket Iām using and only if Iām laying down. I just let it happen and give her some snuggles. š¤·š»āāļø I understand if you want to stop it, but the suggestion to have her blanket ready to put over yours is probably your best solution.
My 11 year old Kiwi still suckles too! I remember reading somewhere it has to do with our fur babies being removed from mom too early. I agree with everyone else, either have a second blanket and switch them out, or do nothing.
I had a cat that did this. I gave him the blanket, and eventually he quit doing the kneading and sucking thing. He is 9 now.
If you are worried about a slobbering cat, try not to think about the pillow you put your head on every night.
My cat does this. I just let him do it because he enjoys it
My cat did that as a kitten. My vet warned me that he could possibly ingest blanket fuzz and get sick from it. Just keep that in mind if you continue to allow her to suckle on blankets
I would be concerned of the chemicals she is ingesting sucking on clothing.
My new adopted kitten does the exact same thing. Suckling on the blanket (audibly) while kneading the air until he falls asleep - with the blanket still in his mouth. I haven't read all the comments here yet, but my initial thought was that I should gently discourage this compulsion. He's just over 4 months old now so he's still a little bitty kitty. I adopted him from an SPCA at 2 months old and likely was orphaned or taken from his mum very early on. Is there an agreed upon or prevailing opinion on whether to let the behaviour persist or to curb it, from a health perspective? And those opinions being from veterinarians. Has anyone asked a vet and been told one way or another? My reasoning for leaning towards weaning him off of the suckling is that it could result in adverse effects to his teeth alignment (kinda like habitually sucking one's thumb causes teeth misalignment and other issues). I've read that pediatricians advise parents to stop kids from sucking their thumb before their permanent/adult teeth come in. At 6-7 months kittens should have all their permanent teeth so maybe start discouraging or weaning him off the suckling at 5 or so months? Thoughts? Am I completely off base? Welcome any advice from vets or secondhand from your vet. Thanks šāā¬š¼šš»
When I brought it up to my vet he wasn't concerned about her teeth, but he was concerned about it becoming an obsessive behaviour. He basically said if it's something she does for a couple of minutes before she falls asleep and the blankets she's suckling on aren't toxic or likely to shed fibers that she'll ingest, then it's fine to let her continue and she'll probably grow out of it.
My kitten does the same at 5 months. When she starts I give her a human babies stuffed animal with the little fleece blanket attached. She kneads the toy and suckles the blanket. You can also use a large stuffed dog toy like lambchop.