Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted on the "Behavior Problems" board about my 7 month old calico kitten Sammie. She's been hissing and being gloomy and not as energetic, and I just thought about something tonight. For the past couple of weeks she's been doing something strange. Whenever she's laying down or getting ready to go to sleep, she lays on a blanket or anything soft or furry (something that would resemble a cat), and she does this motion where she looks like she's nursing. She pushes on the object she's on with her paws back and forth while she sucks or chews on the object, and I've noticed that she'll keep doing it until she goes to sleep. Is she trying to nurse because she misses the mother cat? We got her and her brother when they were 8 weeks old, which is usually plenty old enough to be weaned. Is this what is going on? Please help.

-Steph W.

I have had cats that pretend nurse their whole lives. Not sure why they do this. Some say it's because they left their mother to young. Some are saying 8 weeks is to young now and it should be 12 weeks.
I guess it depends on the cat. I found Tucker when he was 4 weeks old and he has never nursed on anything. And Gabby has been with me since she was about 5 weeks old; she also doesn't nurse on anything.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Moxie, Gabby and sometimes Tucker

I rescued my kittie, Chopper Boo, when he was 11 weeks old. To this day he will try to nurse on one of my other cats. Only one will tolerate his nursing behavior for about 5 minutes then lick his head really hard and walk away. Chopper is a year old now and only tries to nurse on one of my two cats and he jsut picks any spot to nurse, the thigh, the belly, the chest! It's hilarious and I always watch to see how long the other cat will tolerate it! LOL! The vet says nothing is wrong, that they do this when they feel comfortable and relaxed and may do it all their lives! Some outgrow it, but it is mentally good for them because they only do this when they feel safe.

I am very concerned when you mentioned the lack of energy. Has the cat been to the vet recently? I would recommend a vet check because of this one thing coupled with the change in her behavior.

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Smile, it will make them wonder what you are up to!