Does Anyone Else’s Cat Nurse In Their Sleep?

[danteshuman]

Mind you I’m talking about my 9 month old cat, not a kitten. He does it most often when he falls asleep nursing on his blanket. He doesn’t do it every time or for long but at least once a week. I think he is dreaming about nursing on his mom when he was a baby or that it is a comfort thing. He was a bottle baby so sometimes I worry I didn’t give him enough of something when I raised him. Does anyone know why he nurses in his sleep? Does your cat do this to?

He also sometimes falls asleep with his tongue hanging out..... which is adorable! Pictures of him as a 2 & 3 month old kitten sleeping with his tongue out.

 

[fionasmom]

I have had kittens who lost their mom or were abandoned grow up to have this mannerism. In fact, I had a fully grown middle aged adult male who would as well.

He is adorable and really does not look like a cat who did not get enough care and affection from you when he was a baby. I don't think that he is suffering in any way.

 

[Genecop]

Most of our cats have been rescues/feral Etc...one of the females will nurse on our shirt or pant leg, she is 5..I’m sure you did a good job caring for her, but nothing can replace a mother cat, and because of that there are often some behavioral nuances...

 

[danteshuman]

He is a boy..... everyone thinks he is a girl! He just thought his name was anything that ended with a y or i at the end of the word . He came for his sister’s name Cami and Sunny or anything like Honey or Bunny etc. So Sunny (Sunshine) became Jackie (Jack Frost.)

Thanks for reassuring me that I didn’t neglect him. I know nothing can replace the TLC they get from mom (except being adopted by another cat to love on them.) I had one kitten that was fading until she was adopted by her StepdDad Merlin; who let her pretend to nurse off of him. Weirdly enough the kitten who nursed off Merlin was normal. Her sister who didn’t nurse, was a blanket sucker. I didn’t have a cat to adopt this batch of kittens and yeah I think his quirks are adorable!! (The runt Nick (Jackie’s brother) got extra bottle time and isn’t a blanket sucker like Jackie & Cami are.)

Here is with his tongue out a little bit has I type this

 

[weebeasties]

I took in a pregnant feral and kept her as well as her three kittens. Her babies have been well cared for and with their mom their whole lives. One of the kittens, Zuzu, still nurses and she's 10 years old now. I think a lot of the time it is just an adorable quirk that causes cats to knead and nurse when they get older.

 

[Silver Crazy]

When I was puzzling out how to get Blue to accept physical contact without getting bitten I would when I walked past where he was lying lick my finger and give his face a quick "wash" over the eyes and top of nose like mama cat would do. He seemed to enjoy it and not attack me but a few days after doing this everyday, I fell asleep on the couch and unknown to me he had climbed up on the couch next to me. When I woke up he was sound asleep and suckling on the side of my hand.
Not the sort of physical contact I was expecting but would take anything at that stage. I think the suckling is a pure seeking comfort thing and I had triggered a kitten /mother memory with the face washing. I think its good and means the cats happy and comfortable.