"Grooming" fuzzy blankets?

Socks has done this for quite some time and I'm just making sure that it won't make her sick. She licks the fuzzy, warm blankets in the house and purrs and moves her front feet back and forth and has herself a grand old time. I was just wondering, it doesn't seem like she's swallowing any fibres or anything, and she never has hairballs, but could it hurt her somehow? (I guess I'm being paranoid because I've never seen another cat do this!). Is this normal behavior?
Thanks,
~Jenn

Cats that where weaned too early will often suck and knead (the foot movement you see) like kittens. Kneading on a mom's belly will make the milk come. So, some cats will do this for comfort, or if they are comfortable.

Also, some cats may eat weird things, which is called pica. That may be due to some sort of imbalance in their diet.

I'd keep an eye on her, to make sure she isn't "eating" too many fibers when she sucks. That may cause obstructions. I'm sure many others on the board will have more in-depth information on this quirk of your Socks.

Here is a link to help explain some of it.
Unusual eating habits

Thank you both!
I guess I'll just spray her with a water bottle next time she does it. It's very weird, because we don't have many of these blankets out considering it's July, and she takes great interest in them. When they're everywhere in December and January, she doesn't pay much attention to them. I wish I could think like her for a couple of seconds, lol.

Instead of using the water bottle, try one of these ideas instead? Blow gentle puffs of air in her face and see if that startles her out of the behaviour, or take an empty soda can, put a few pennies inside, tape up the top and shake it at kitty when it is suckling. This behaviour is stemming from her early seperation from her mom and littermates (usually) Or sometimes it is just inherent in the kitty as the mom has done it and kitty is just carrying on. Or in some instances it could be a vitamin deficiency.

Originally posted by hissy
Instead of using the water bottle, try one of these ideas instead? Blow gentle puffs of air in her face and see if that startles her out of the behaviour, or take an empty soda can, put a few pennies inside, tape up the top and shake it at kitty when it is suckling. This behaviour is stemming from her early seperation from her mom and littermates (usually) Or sometimes it is just inherent in the kitty as the mom has done it and kitty is just carrying on. Or in some instances it could be a vitamin deficiency.

Click to expand...

Okay, Hissy. Thanks. You are so knowledgable! I already know the blowing in her face won't work though, my grandpa is a retired vet and he suggested the same thing. That's where I got the water bottle suggestion, but I will definitely try the soda can and pennies instead. She was about 8 weeks when she was separated, but I had to take her. The kittens weren't getting good treatment out on the farm, and her litter was mauled by a Rottweiler/German Shepard team shortly after I took her. The people that owned them just didn't care, didn't get any of their momma cats spayed or their tomcats neutered.

If she is not actually eating the fibers from the blankets, or chewing holes, I would not worry. A few swallows of some short blanket fuzz now and then wouldn't be different from the cat swallowing her own fur while grooming. Maybe you can get different warm blankets that are not fuzzy. If the blankets are wool, they could be very attactive to cats to suck on since the lanolin in wool smells a bit like the mother cat's wet fur nipple area.

I would not want to use any adversive technique on a cat who is doing something to find comfort. I would worry it would stress her and cause her to do it more to get more comfort. Or start some stress related behavior such as overgrooming. It it bothers you, try distracting the cat with something pleasurable, such as a fishing pole type toy waving around, or move her slightly from what she is sucking on while giving a the major kitty massage petting session to give her a different way of receiving comfort. I would go more for the last option since it is closer to the mama/baby nurturing feel that the sucking cat is seeming to want to be feeling.

Maybe some things to help reduce stress in general would decrease the sucking behavior (more scratching posts, interactive play sessions daily, special petting sessions daily, high places available for the cat to go on, etc.) If you have more than one cat, adding additional cat things helps (another litter box, a new, separate feeding area, additional places for the cats to go (cat tree, additional window perch, another pet bed, etc.)

Some people think another reason some cats suckle on fabric is to try to get more fiber. I don't know if that is true, at least not in the case of a cat taken too soon from it's mother, but growing some cat grass for you cat will add some fiber and most cats love it. Some cats vomit after eating grass, which is good since it helps clean out their stomachs from any hair (or fibers) they have swallowed to avoid hairballs from forming.

I really don't see any need to stop a cat from occasional sucking on fabrics as part of a cat's happy comfort time. I would keep up with routine vet exams to be sure there is no health problem.

Okay, thanks Galensgranny. Saw Grandpa (retired vet) today and he said it shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Socks is an indoor cat and she's declawed. I've seen pots of "cat grass" at pet stores. Should I consider getting her some of that so she can, uh... clean out her system?

Definately get your cat some cat grass. They love it. However, my cats did not like the wheat cat grass, they just like the oat cat grass. Maybe because I first got the oat grass and they just got to thinking that wheat grass didn't taste right. One of my cats never throws up after eating the oat grass. It seems for him it acts as some extra fiber and roughage to move hair out throught the bowels. So, if you see some grass in the stools, don't be alarmed. The other cats do sometimes vomit up the grass, but often there is hair in the vomit, so that is good. Messy, but good.

One practical tip- the cat grass kits come with a flimsy, lightweight plastic container that winds up getting lifted up and plopped down when the cats really get to chewing and tearing off pieces of the grass. I now plant the seeds in a sturdier container so that won't happen. Not too big of a container, though, as when I first used a large flower pot, one of my cats then decided it would make a nice new litter box!

Originally posted by galensgranny
Definately get your cat some cat grass. They love it. However, my cats did not like the wheat cat grass, they just like the oat cat grass. Maybe because I first got the oat grass and they just got to thinking that wheat grass didn't taste right. One of my cats never throws up after eating the oat grass. It seems for him it acts as some extra fiber and roughage to move hair out throught the bowels. So, if you see some grass in the stools, don't be alarmed. The other cats do sometimes vomit up the grass, but often there is hair in the vomit, so that is good. Messy, but good.

One practical tip- the cat grass kits come with a flimsy, lightweight plastic container that winds up getting lifted up and plopped down when the cats really get to chewing and tearing off pieces of the grass. I now plant the seeds in a sturdier container so that won't happen. Not too big of a container, though, as when I first used a large flower pot, one of my cats then decided it would make a nice new litter box!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. Would a smaller terra-cotta pot be alright to keep it in or are they too tippy?

<<Thanks for the suggestions. Would a smaller terra-cotta pot be alright to keep it in?>>

Absolutely. Just be sure to water it frequently so the soil doesn't dry out.

Okay, thanks. About how much do good kits cost?

I don't remember how much the cat grass kits cost- maybe $5.00. You can also just by oat seeds and grow them in your own potting soil. Sometimes there are packets of the seeds in the pet aisle in the grocery store or places like Walmart. It grows rather quickly.