Is this normal behaviour? 1 year old cat sucks blanket.

[gaks]

Hey, there! I'm new on this forum. 

My 1 year old kitty that I've found few weeks ago sucks a blanket like this:


I've recorded this video today. It sometimes does this for 10-15 minutes. 

Is this normal behaviour? Should I do anything about it? 

 

[skyefoxx]

My old cat used to do this all the time and I've seen plenty of others who have done the same.  I think it's a happy/calming behavior for them. I never did anything to stop my cat from doing it and he lived nearly 20 years.  I think the only thing I would get concerned about is if your cat starts ingesting too many cloth fibers from doing this.

 

[vball91]

Some cats just do this. It's more common in kitties who were separated from momma kitty too young. It's not harmful, more of a comforting gesture, like the kneading. The kneading and sucking is what they would do with momma kitty while nursing. As mentioned above, I would just make sure that the blanket is clean and doesn't shed too many fibers.

 

[di and bob]

It's normal, some cats just do it a lot more then others. It's a 'comfort' thing and they do it because it relaxes them and makes them feel good.Like vball91 says above, sometimes it's from them being weaned too young, but my Casper does it a lot and he nursed for over 6 months! (Mom had another litter when he was a little over 2 months old) He joined right in and mama never tried to stop him!

 

[roguethecat]

of course, they will always choose your most expensive blanket 

My sister's Othello used to suck on her nightshirt. She's glad she got him to use blankets instead.

 

[skyefoxx]

Yeah, my cat insisted on clothing as well... we were never able to break him of the habit!    >___________<

 

[genevieve]

Our cat Bob sucked blankets every chance he got.  He lived to be almost 17.  He also got into his purring so much he drooled everywhere during a purr-fest. I think it's all pretty normal.

 

[mani]

There you go, @gaks.. a whole heap of blanket-sucking cats..

I've had two cats that have done it.  And yes, they like to suck quality items..

 

[redcat57]

When I was a kid, my best friend's cat sucked on clothing when you held her. My friend named her Baby, and she sucked her whole life.

Our boys Pip and Domino, started sucking on a specific blanket a little over a week after we got them. They were shelter kittens fostered by our friends. Their foster mom said they didn't do it when they were wth them. It is possible that she didn't have the magic "mom blanket" that they chose - a plush, black, sherpa one.

They have never sucked anything but the "mom blanket". They are a year old and they still suck occasionally. When they were younger I had to wash "mom" pretty frequently or the blanket got gross. They don't appear to ingest fibers.

When we got Sophia 6 months later, she watched them suck, but didn't join in. She would cuddle next to them on the blanket. I think their sucking tapered off when Sophia started grooming them. Or it may just be because they were getting older.