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I have a pair of kitties, about 4-6 months old. One of them sucks his tail. I had noticed him some time ago walking around all the time with the last inch or two of his tail all wet. The kids told me why, but I just sat and watched him do it for the first time. He laid down, and groped around for his tail for a moment, them started kneading his pillow rapidly, and rooting as if he were nursing. Then he started making really loud sucking noises. He's nursing on his own tail!
Anyone ever come across this behavior in a cat?
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Apologies. I didn't even think google when I posed the question.
You all are far more entertaining in any event.
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think its sucking hard enough to get milk?
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I think it was separated from its mom too early, and it is trying to still suckle. Sometimes they do it into adulthood as sort of a comfort or anxiety-reducing thing. One of mine still goes for ear lobe, and he is almost 7.
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We used to have an adult cat that did that with objects (socks, scarves, towels, etc.) that she'd get a hold of an drag through the house while sucking on them. Once she reached her destination with them she'd leave them there and go on about her normal business. Getting tired of finding our clothes and things all over the house we stopped leaving our stuff where she could get to it and left an old jock sock out for her to call her own. Weird, I know.
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I think it was separated from its mom too early, and it is trying to still suckle. Sometimes they do it into adulthood as sort of a comfort or anxiety-reducing thing. One of mine still goes for ear lobe, and he is almost 7.
That's my guess about the nursing behavior. I fostered a kitten years ago that nursed on people's neck; I had a roommate in college whose kitten sucked the bath mat, and continued to do so as an adult.
