blanket sucking...

[mesiecat]

Granted Frankie was taken away from his mother, too young, at 4 weeks. He had an upper respertory infection and the vet wanted to start him on antibiotics, before he got worse. He will be three in August, and he still nurses on his blanket. It is an afghan which stays on the sofa. He will pull it down, from the back of the sofa, and he loves it when someone is under it. He will go and kneed the blanket, while sucking and purring. The he will come up to me and purr.
The vet says he has "issues", don't we all? Does anyone think it will harm him to continue this behavior? Sometimes the vet get to new age.

[K & L]

I really don't see how it would harm anything with this behaviour. As long as it makes him happy and content, what's the harm?

[Barbara]

I am sure it doesn't harm him. I have known another kitty like that -he was absolutely ok.
BTW Filou left his mom when he was 14 weeks old which was not too early. However he sucked his younger (but bigger) adoptive brother Tigris' fur for at least half a year before he decided to be an adult

[mesiecat]

Frankie thinks his older brother is his mother. I swear I am going to Guiness Book of World Records. A neutered male cat is a mother to another neutered male cat. Mac will wash Frankie, while holding him down, he also comes to investigate anytime Frankie squeals, like when he is being froomed or having his nails clipped. I have to clip his nails, because if anyone is ignoring him, he will pat at you with a paw, and scratch. He doesn't understand when I squeal, and Mac doesn't come to investigate.

[Edwina's Secretary]

My mother had a dog who would sometimes suck on a certain afghan. His eyes would glaze over --- like he was on a drug trip or something.

He lived to a ripe, old, well adjusted age!

[wolflady]

How old is Frankie now? I really don't see this as a problem. This is just an issue that will come up when kittens are taken away too early. Growing up, my family had a calico cat that sucked on her paw. She did this her entire life, and she was otherwise just fine. As long as Frankie is happy, that's all that matters! What a cutie-head!! Be sure to kiss him for me!

[rosethecopycat]

Is there any wool in the afghan? There are wool suckers out there, especially meezers. My Meezer, Snowy, nursed on a faux lambskin, and you know where it got him? ON T.V. !!!! (he won some money)

He eventually stopped after his first year, I miss those days....

[mesiecat]

Thanks for all the answers. Frankie will be three in August, and he is not a wool sucker. The blanket is acrylic. I offered him a wool one, and he loves this one, it matches his eyes. And yes, his eyes glaze over, its better than catnip.

[Catsnclay]

From what I've been told, and I believe its true, male cats are more mothering than older female cats. Why you say?!! I don't know but our Fluffy (around 14 years) has always taken the new ones under him. When Lucky was a baby he washed him and snuggled with him, and when we got Yoshi, Fluffy became his surrogate mother. To this day I will see both Lucky & Yoshi go up to Fluffy, nudge his head then drop to the floor and want to be groomed.

Fluffy is our "mother" cat. he likes to groom Tim & I, too!

[L. Wayne]

Happy Cat, my other flame-point Siamese nurses all the time. Usually I'll be sitting down in front of the TV, and he will come up to me with his front paws on my pants, and want to jump up on my lap. Once up there he will lay across my lap and begin to knead and nurse my shirt. Happy is a good pet, and I adopted him because of his need to nurse. Remembering at the shelter last winter when I first picke him up out of his cage, he immediately began to nurse my shirt. He is the one of the originals who plays with Chrissie cat's game of chase and ambush. I figure that he was taken from his mom at too early an age, and on some cats, this indellibly marks their memory. Usually I have found that males with this behavior pattern, as objectionable as it is at times, are some of the most lovable furkids. And Happy cat remains one of my favorites.

One time I tried to discourage his need to nurse. I sprayed cologne on my shirt. All this did was make him angry and mistrustful. So, I did not attempt to discourage him any more.