Gingersnap is now a Wool Sucker
June 4th 2009 21:00
Gingersnap with his brother on his favourite red cushion.
I’ve been noticing Gingersnap has new habit: wool sucking. He loves to lie on top of the red cushions on Brett’s lounge. The cushions have little strings across them. Gingersnap will grab one of the strings with his mouth and suck on them.
I didn’t pay much attention to this habit apart from pulling the strings out of Gingersnap’s mouth in case he swallowed them until I read about it in a book. According to Psycho Kitty: Tips for Solving Your Cat’s “Crazy” Behaviour by Pam Johnson-Bennett, wool sucking can refer to the sucking and kneading on anything, particularly woollen-like objects such as blankets, sweaters and socks. I’m sure then that cushions also qualify.
Johnson-Bennett says cats wool-suck because they were weaned prematurely. She says she has seen many wool suckers who had been separated from their mothers at an early age. That is, under eight weeks old.
Could Gingersnap have been separated prematurely from his mother? In the case of my boys, this theory does not necessarily apply as his brother Butterscotch has shown no interest in wool sucking. And, as far as I know, they came from a breeder. I doubt the breeder would have let his/her kittens be weaned at such an early age.
For more on Psycho Kitty, check out the link below:
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
They dont have to be weaned early to do it. The kittens we have now are nearly a year old, one doesnt care and doesnt do it, the other STILL tries to suck on mum and when she says no, baby will suck on anything.
I think it comes down to being a sook.
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
It's funny that you say that as Brett is always saying Gingersnap is the sookier of the two. My only concern is the risk of choking or damaging his stomach.