What does Cat Suckling Mean?

January 19, 2015 9:57 AM

We just adopted a new kitty Croque Monsieur aka Crocket and so far, he's doing really,really well. However, he does something which is very strange - at least I've never seen it before. He suckles. And I mean, he suckles a lot! We've only had him since Saturday afternoon and I've seen him suckle his favorite toy quite a bit, as well as a kitty blanket and my jumper!

It's VERY cute, but I'm worried it might be a nervous thing! His foster parents said it started when his two siblings were both adopted and he was left behind. So maybe it's related to a feeling of abandonment or bereavement?

Apart from the intense kneading and suckling, Crocket is doing VERY well in his new home, he is eating and has used the litter box. He's affectionate and playful, he doesn't seemed phased by his new surroundings at all and seems to be adjusting very well (Much better than our other cat (Binky) who took weeks to even vacate the bedroom!)

Binky and Crocket haven't formally met yet although Crocket is VERY excited there's another cat in the house - this is easy to tell!

Is there anything I need to watch out for specifically regarding the nuzzling/suckling? Like I said, it's something I've never seen before and not familiar with - so I'm not sure how to approach it or even if it's something to worry about. Any helpful ideas/ reading materials/ anecdotes much appreciated! What does it mean? do I need to worry?

posted by JenThePro to Pets & Animals (17 answers total)

My cat did this a lot as a kitten, and still does it sometimes on blankets that have some texture to them. My understanding is that it's a result of the cat being weaned from its mother too early, but it's nothing to be alarmed about. Kneading and suckling are biologically intended to get milk from mom, so I've been told it's a comforting thing to them, like a baby sucking its thumb.

The only problem I've had with it is that I have to be careful about the textures of things I buy, because I know when Imogen will suckle them. :)
posted by anotheraccount at 10:02 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Echoing WCityMike: taken from mother too young.
posted by anadem at 10:06 AM on January 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

He's adorable! And yes, it's probably a self-soothing thing and he will grow out of it.

Maybe you should dedicate a special binky (blanket or toy or whatever) for him to suckle on so he doesn't ruin your clothes, etc.
posted by vickyverky at 10:07 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yup, weaned too early, but it's not a problem, at least not for him. Our perfectly healthy and happy cat Dr. Wily has been doing this for the 1.5 years we've had her.
posted by ignignokt at 10:09 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Whoa, Croque Monsieur looks just like Dr. Wily!
posted by ignignokt at 10:11 AM on January 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

Weaned too early. Kneading is more part of the domestication process -- it's much more common in cats. There's not much you can do, just make sure he has safe things to do it on. (If it becomes compulsive, you can see a vet.)
posted by jeather at 10:15 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yup, weaned too early, poor thing.

If you want to have some fun, get him some kitten milk and feed him from a bottle. (That's what I'd do, because I'm insane.)

He's a lovely boy and I'll bet he's totes fun!
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:17 AM on January 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

Very common and they don't always grow out of it. I had two different rescued cats, both of which did it until they died, around age 14 or 15 or so.
posted by gaspode at 10:17 AM on January 19, 2015 [3 favorites]

Best answer: You just reminded me of my coolest, most favourite cat ever, who did this his whole life. He would climb into your lap, wrap his arms around your neck, purr loudly and suck your earlobe. He just go on and on and then switch to the other ear... if you tried to gently pull him off, he'd sink his claws into your neck. He'd do it to company too, walking into the living room, usually picking out whichever guest was most uncomfortable with cats.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:23 AM on January 19, 2015 [35 favorites]

My cat did this his whole life. The vet said it was a harmless self soothing thing, he said it was a sign they are happy & feeling safe/relaxed. My cat liked to do it to wool items the best, & loved a sheepskin rug. One of my dogs, a Rat Terrier, does it to polar fleece blankets in his bed, every night as he's falling asleep.
posted by wwax at 10:49 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

My first cat, Micron, was the last to leave his mother at around 12 weeks, so something of an outlier here, but he would suckle the end of his tail at any opportunity. He was not a small cat (hence the name) but would curl up as small as he could on any available lap, pin the pesky twitching tail end between two mighty paws, start treadling away and sucking and purring like a buzz saw until he dropped off to sleep. By the end of his life, the black tail tip was bleached light brown. It was definitely a source of comfort and because he liked people, I think it was all linked in his cat brain - lap = suckle = sleep.

A friend's cat (part Siamese) used to suckle jumpers and they were told it was to do with the lanolin in the wool and / or a Siamese trait. So take your pick.

Cats are really quite strange folk.
posted by Martha My Dear Prudence at 11:57 AM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Smurgling!

Or as we always called it, making biscuits.
posted by fiercecupcake at 12:12 PM on January 19, 2015 [2 favorites]

When Mr. Esther (in my profile) and his bros were tiny, they would do this except to each other's... um...butts. I found the whole litter when they were three weeks old, so early orphaning was the problem, and Esther has grown into 100% happy normal kitty cat who we can embarrass with tales of his wanton youth. Don't worry about it, enjoy your pretty new baby!
posted by theweasel at 3:44 PM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

Awww, so cute.

My cat does this too and always has. She was definitely weaned too young. But it seems to make her happy. There are only two things to watch for. One is blankets with long loose threads. Our cat used to be really into this one blanket that had long fibres, and one day I found a long thread trailing from her butt. It was disgusting, and it also worried me that threads inside her intestines could get wrapped around something and cause a blockage. So she only gets to suckle non-woven blankets now.

The other thing is something you maybe can't do much to prevent, but I've had some unfortunate moments awakening in the night to little teeth and claws sunk into sensitive parts of my body (neck, armpit, boob), suckling away. Armpits are the worst.

Oh, and she gets especially excited by stinky gym clothes, so my husband has had to learn not to leave his on the floor, or she'll wear holes in them with enthusiastic suckling and kneading. This is probably a net win for our household's hygiene.
posted by lollusc at 5:59 PM on January 19, 2015 [1 favorite]

The thread/string thing is a real concern for cats for the intestine reason lollusc mentions. Try not to let your cat play with string. If they do, you are supposed to cut it off as it comes out the butt, not pull it out.

One of my cats once grabbed a string that had been used to tie up meat off my mother's counter and we could not get it from him. It disappeared. We panicked, but in the end nothing ever came out his butt so either he digested it or he got bored and the 110 pound ate it instead.
posted by jeather at 5:33 AM on January 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

DOG. 110 pound dog.
posted by jeather at 7:11 AM on January 20, 2015 [1 favorite]

Kneading is a perfectly normal cat behavior and not really a sign of anything other than a happy cat. I've owned cats pretty much continuously my entire life and I've never encountered one that didn't do it at least some of the time, regardless of when they were weaned.

The suckling thing is more unusual. The only one I've known that did that was orphaned and bottle raised (so obviously weaned way too young by circumstance). It's just an odd habit, most of them seem to have at least one!

As long as the cat is otherwise fine, isn't putting dangerous stuff in their mouth and it's not causing you any problems I wouldn't worry too much.
posted by Kimmalah at 7:46 AM on January 20, 2015