How to stop my cat from suckling blankets

oreoandxena

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So my cat is over a year old now and most websites say this only happens with kittens so I'm unsure why this is still a habit. We got her when she was around 3 months old but someone else owned her before that so they could have potentially taken her from her mum too early which is why this began in the first place. At first we let her knead us and suckle as much as she wanted and thought it was quite cute that she saw us as her mum and it meant we were doing a good job. However, when she suckles she dribbles EVERYWHERE. She only does it on blankets that we are using so thankfully it's limited but it makes them go quite gross after a couple of suckling sessions and also feels gross when you accidentally rest your hand on one of the huge wet patches she leaves.

She went through a phase of not sitting with us for a few months so it wasn't an issue anymore but she's now trying to sit with us again and I feel my preventative measure are a) putting her off resting for long periods of time and b) not working. Essentially when I see her head drop to begin suckling I just put my hand in between her face and the blanket. She then tries to go for another spot and I keep my hand following her until she gives up, but generally she'll then leave and lie down somewhere else. I thought eventually she'd lose the habit after not being able to do it for a long period of time but she doesn't seem to want to quit. Are there any other methods I can try to see if it'll stop her from suckling as I really do want her to sit with us but we also only have one blanket and I'd rather not have cat saliva all over it constantly haha!
She's also a Domestic Short Hair if that helps at all.
Thanks!
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. Some cats will suckle all their lives. She is still young, so she may eventually stop. But, why don't you buy her a couple of small blankets of her own to suckle? You can rub them on her so they have her scent/smell on them, and if/when she suckles your blanket that you don't want her to use, redirect her to her 'own' blanket. You can even try something like this - Home.
 

Neko-chan's mama

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Hi. Some cats will suckle all their lives. She is still young, so she may eventually stop. But, why don't you buy her a couple of small blankets of her own to suckle? You can rub them on her so they have her scent/smell on them, and if/when she suckles your blanket that you don't want her to use, redirect her to her 'own' blanket. You can even try something like this - Home.
This. I had a cat that suckled flannel. I took one of my old flannel shirts and cut off the sleeves and buttons. That was her nurse blankie. Whenever she tried to suck something else I gave her the blanket.
 

flybear

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I have a failed foster who is 3 and occasionally she still tries to suckle on our ears lol ... the behavior has lessened significantly over the years and we tried everything to discourage it - but when she feels extra cozy or insecure ... she needs to be on somebody's chest for a long and tight hugging session ...
 
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