x Pets of GeekGirlCon: My Cat Sucks | GeekGirlCon

Pets of GeekGirlCon: My Cat Sucks

So, I have this cat. If I showed you a picture of him, you might think he is just a long haired black cat, albeit an exceptionally beautiful one, but you would be wrong. A picture isn’t enough to convey the silky softness of his fur with its subtle tones of red that shine in the sunlight and the few stray strands of white on his chest. Nor would it convey to you the depth of his absinthe eyes, dilated with playful excitement. No, a photo would never do him justice. 

We called him Sophistikitty after this.
Description: A black kitten lounging on a coffee table with a glass of white wine and a kindle while a fire smolders in the background.

His name is Loki, but he goes by many other nicknames in our house: Bub, Bublin, Mister Baby, Brother, and many, many others. Loki is the best cat ever! But Loki also has this weird habit—Loki sucks. Loki sucks on shirts, like a baby sucking on a bottle. He has from the minute we brought him home as a kitten.

At first, I was beyond confused by this behavior. I’ve had cats all my life but had never encountered this behavior before. After a few months, I grew worried and did a little research into the matter. What Loki does is called “wool sucking,” even though he almost exclusively chooses my cotton shirts. 

There are several reasons why Loki might wool suck. The most likely reason, I found, was that Loki was weaned from his mother too early. This makes a lot of sense. When we adopted him, he was barely eight weeks old. I will always remember the day he joined our little family. It was the middle of July and it was stupid hot outside. We went to a local no-kill shelter in the height of kitten season. This shelter had kittens coming out the wazoo! Everywhere you looked there were dozens of baby cats ranging from 6 weeks to 6 months old. They had so many that they had to put up temporary kennels in the lobby to hold them all. I am a cat lady, so this was my idea of heaven and I wanted to take them all! I had gone into a few rooms to play with some kitties, but none of them felt like they were mine. Then I stepped out into the lobby and I saw him: a black ball of fluff with greenish-yellow eyes in a kennel all alone. I was done. Dazzled by cuteness and the instant cosmic connection, I told my boyfriend that that was the one. The shelter attendant asked if we wanted to play with him a bit to make sure we were a good match. Nope, I didn’t. I was completely certain. 

Business cat is open for business!
Description: A back cat, wearing a red and green plaid tie.

The people at the shelter gave us a temporary cardboard carrier and we put him in it. I left the top open while we did the paperwork, because it seemed mean to shut him in for longer than I needed to. He was so fearless. He kept popping his head out of the box to stare at my boyfriend and me. His shelter name was Jeff… It didn’t suit him at all. Then the shelter lady began to give us a rundown of his (brief) history. Jeff (Loki) had been separated from his mother at four weeks because of a bad upper respiratory infection, which is common in cats. Though he had gotten better, he had been kept in isolation so he didn’t infect other cats. He had only been placed in the kennel for adoption that day. 

Can you imagine? This poor, adorable kitten had been taken from his mother before he could even eat solid food. He must have been so scared… sick and alone, with no other cats to comfort him or teach him how to be a cat. This separation and isolation may be a big factor in Loki’s sucky behavior. Not only did he still want to nurse on his mom, but it also provided him a sense of comfort in a new, scary situation.

Description: A black kitten sitting in a bathroom sink, looking at the camera expectantly.

I may have made a mistake by indulging his behavior. But how could I not? It was the only time I could get him to purr! And, this is going to sound weird, but it was like a bonding time for us. It let us get to know each other. And we needed each other—he needed a home, and I needed a friend. My house was often empty because my boyfriend was spending the majority of his time at work and school. I was also suffering from terrible anxiety at the time and, now I realize, Loki was too. So really, when Loki would suck on the shoulder of my shirt it was comforting to us both. The sucking gave him a new nickname—Oedi-puss.

I took Loki for a checkup at the vet a while later to get some flea meds and vaccines. I mentioned the sucking to the vet, and she assured me that he would eventually grow out of it. He did not grow out of it. It’s been five years and he still sucks all the time. 

He doesn’t even notice…
Description: a Black cat with cat litter coating its nose.

I can always tell when Loki wants to suck. As is with many males, when a mood overtakes him…he will not be denied. His eyes get very round, until there is almost no green left. His tail gets puffed up and he swishes it back and forth vigorously. He is already purring as he approaches me. This is a special purr—it has a trilling undertone to it that is meant to tell me that he needs attention now. It doesn’t matter to him what I’m doing at the time, it simply can’t be more important than snuggling. He will walk over whatever I have in my lap and hug me. He presses into my chest and nuzzles at me with his velvety muzzle. And then comes the noise. When Loki sucks he is loud! The insistent snuck snuck snuck fills the room and tells everyone what he is doing. His tail whips back and forth as drool spreads over my shoulder and his claws knead my chest and tummy. 

For a long time we tried to discourage Loki from sucking. We tried to play with him, we pushed him away, we closed the bedroom at night. But no matter what we tried, and we really consistently tried, he would force his way up to suck. Recently my boyfriend and I decided it was time to give up the fight. So now when Loki wants to suck I let him. It isn’t hurting him to do it, though his claws sometimes hurt me. But I grin and bear it. I will wrap my arms around him and hold him close as his cat spit permeates my clothing. When I get right down to it, it isn’t only soothing for him, but for me too. Loki needs me like nothing else on this planet needs me. Loki may suck, but he is my fur baby. 

Stealthy…
Description: A cat attempting to hide under a bed, thought his back legs and tail are clearly visible sticking out from the dust ruffle.

Rebecca Anglesey
“Rock On!”

Rebecca Anglesey

One of Becca’s earliest memories is watching her mom play The Legend of Zelda on their NES. Fascinated by the storytelling medium of video games, Becca became an avid gamer. From MMOs like Final Fantasy IVX to catching them all in Pokémon, Becca loves the experience of watching a good story play out. This love of storytelling didn’t just stop at video games. Becca loves watching movies and television shows, and of course reading almost anything she can get her hands on! Favorite stories include Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Star Trek, Sailor Moon, Lord of the Rings, and a whole lot more. Becca is a native of the PNW. She was born in Aberdeen and worked as a pastry chef in Seattle for 10 years before returning to school. She recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Washington Bothell and is looking forward to her next adventure.

12 responses to “Pets of GeekGirlCon: My Cat Sucks”

  1. fluffy says:

    I used to have a cat named Toby who loved to suckle, and thought that my nose was a suitable thing to do it on. Fortunately he’d give me plenty of warning, by drooling all over my face first.

  2. Penelope Grossman says:

    My black cat Tabitha would also suckle;often on the side of my dressing gown by my chest, or on my pillowcase or the sheet, but invariably as close as she could get to me.
    She, too, liked to hide under the bottom of the bedspread, and jump out to surprise us.
    Otherwise she was quite an independent character, going off on long expeditions.
    I still miss her.

  3. Neil Cafferky says:

    Our big black boy gets attention in four stages:
    He stares
    He pushes his paws
    He scratches
    He bites-hard enough to hurt but does not break the skin.
    I want one like yours
    Neil

  4. Barbie says:

    My sweet Harry, found in a sack in a dumpster with three siblings, is now three and still sucks on my nightgown when he needs extra comfort. situations I don’t mind a bit. It’s just giving him what he needs when he needs it.

  5. Heather says:

    You are so lucky! My boy Patches used to do much the same. I miss him with such an ache in my heart. I wish I could find another like him, but then I correct my selfishness by realising that all kitties are equally beautiful. They all have that little (or big) something that makes them so endearing. Cats are thus such masters of wowziness; most if us are completely under their spell 😻😻

  6. Becky Canfield says:

    just saw this story and it’s so nice to know other people are on the same train. My kitty, LJ(aka Baby Face) found in a Walmart parking lot wanted to do this almost right away. She’s 6 now and when she hears my alarm clock go off she comes up for her morning cuddle & suckle. But it can ONLY be my left earlobe! Then a little drool goes in my ear and it’s gross, so even when I complain I secretly love it because I’m her person.

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