My cat is an 11 month old female, spayed and injected, house trained and was weaned properly....?

Question

....when she left her Mother, but she suckles on our furry cushion like she's feeding from her Mother and tries to chew anything at all, mainly plastic and I am a bit worried as I have never seen this before in a cat. She was the runt of the litter and we also have her brother of them same litter.

Sensible answers only, thanks in advance!! xx

Answer 1

This is usually seen in kittens that were taken from their mother too early..before eight weeks of age.

Some cats, though, just seem to need more sucking and oral stimulation, just as some children suck their thumbs till they are four or five years old, and some never do at all. It's a way of self-comforting.

Since you probably can't break your kitten of sucking, the thing to do is find something harmless for her to suck on and have it available to her when she's tired or whenever she is most prone to sucking. Most dog toys are quite sturdy, so you might try one of those. She may have very definite ideas about what is suitable, though...maybe something fluffy, maybe something rubbery, etc.

At the vet hospital where I work we board a cat who sucks on one of the toes of a hind foot when she is sleepy.

Answer 2

She's comforting herself. They remember that comfort from there mom. My sister's cat will do the same and he's about six years old now. He doesn't suckle but will use his front paws and knead something soft. Some cat's do and some cat's don't. It's nothing to worry about.

Remember you still have a kitten and they do get excited when they are playing. What I did for my cat is I took one of my old cotton socks and filled it with cat nip, tied it off and BINGO a cat toy. I filled the sock to about the anckle so I had enough room to tie it off. She's using the second sock now. She will lick it and will put it under her body. I think for her it's a comfort thing. You can use a smaller sock , like a child's sock. My sister read an article about just this. It's made smaller and you can get it wet and they really go for that too.

My cat would roll around with sock when she was younger. She's now 25 yrs. but still gets into her comfort zone. It has always been in the kitchen and she has never taken to another room. It's always there for her.

This may work for you cat the chew on. It's not unusual for frisky kittens to chew anything in front of them.

The question of plastic bags came up the other day. I thought my cat was the only one who would chew on a plastic grocery bag. I found out my cat wasn't alone on that one.
Like I said then, I think they like the feeling. She likes the chew, but if I start puting the grocery bags away she runs like the wind (she still can do that). She doesn't like the noise.

Your kitty sounds very norma. They'll run after your feet when you walk to another room and start chewing if they can get away with it. She may need a little discipline or reminder by saying NO with some praise after if she minds you. She'll start getting the jist of it.

Some kittens/cats are just more active then others. It may take 25 years, but eventually she'll settle down. They catch on pretty quickly what NO means. THE END

Have fun and enjoy ............

Answer 3

Many cats will do this behavior until the day they die. It's like thumb sucking. It makes them feel all snuggly like they did when they were babies.

Some will suck on rugs, stuffed animals, other pets (not necessarily cats), and on people,or their clothing. Some just suck their own tongue.

Others don't suck at all. They just knead away with their paws, up and down, like they're on a strange exercise machine. My cat prefers pudgy people. If you're squishy, you'll get a massage.

I used to have a cat who nursed on my female dog.

The cat was 3 months old when I brought her home, and although weaned, was still nursing mom whenever she got a chance. My dog never had puppies, was kind of a crazy nut. She loved that kitten, so on the first day home, it started to nurse her, she let it. They never stopped.

Best answer I can give: It comforts them.

Answer 4

We had a lovely grey fluffy girl who loved to snuggle up to me, tread with her left paw and suck the large pad on her right paw at the same time. For all the World like a baby sucking its thumb.
She died aged 18, still "sucking her thumb"

Answer 5

I wouldn't worry too much about the cushion, but don't let her eat plastic as it contains all sorts of nasty chemicals.
If you're worried your vet should be able to give some advice.

Answer 6

She may just think you are her mommy. I have seen cats do this before -- when cats kneed for instance, and most do, it is kind of like harkening back to kittenhood. She is just being a a vicious baby probably.

Answer 7

My friends male cat dose this on her pajamas top, i found this very strange but it comforts him, its just like when cats scratch there nails when there getting comfy, don't worry, i would say she will grow out of it but she probably wont, my friends cat is 5 years and still dose it.

Answer 8

my friends cat still suckles but he suckles on the staff dog lol and he,s over one year old dont think its anything to worry about he.s just finding comfort.......

Answer 9

It is quite common actually, they do this when they feel tender and cuddly. Nothing to worry about.

Answer 10

Don't be concerned, it comforts her.