My cat suckles and kneads people when I'm gone. Why does she do that?

It's possible Spirit may feel a bit anxious when you're gone. Cats can become clingy and exhibit the behaviors listed when they are feeling anxious. A good first step is always to schedule a vet checkup and rule out any possibility of illness that may be causing these behaviors as well. That said, if Spirit checks out healthy, there are a few things you can do to help. When you leave the house, playing a soothing talk show on TV or on the radio can help, as well as placing pheromone diffusers/calming collars on spirit to help her relax. You can also get her more used to you leaving by only leaving for a few minutes, then coming back. Make sure to not make a big deal out of the event when leaving, so she doesn't anticipate it and start to become anxious. A good play session to get her tired out before you leave can also help reduce anxiety as she'll likely just want to sleep while you're away. If the issue continues, or worsens, talking with a veterinary behaviorist may help as they can create a more tailored plan and see what's going on in-person.

True separation anxiety is not horribly common in cats. But the signs would that your cat shows distress when left alone or separated from you (or other people she's attached to). You might be self-inflicted trauma, excessive vocalization, urinated or defecating inappropriate places, lack of appetite, withdraw, over grooming or (less commonly) destructive behaviors. She might be hyper focused on you when you are around or vocalize/follow you when you prepare to go. It's important to check for a medical reason for any of the symptoms you're seeing (for example, if there are litter box issues, it could be separation anxiety, or could be related to illness or cystitis or many other causes). Generally, videotaping what she does when you're not home is helpful in diagnosis, and then a full blood panel (CBC, blood chemistry, urinalysis, fecal test) and exam to check for medical issues. I hope that gives you some idea about if your kitty is effected and how to proceed! Good luck!

Suckling/biting and kneading a blanket can be a stress-relief response or natural soothing response in some cats. It often looks like and mimics suckling behavior seen by kittens nursing their mothers. It is possible that Kittu is feeling a bit stressed out by something (new pets, new people, new things in the home, etc), or is just doing it because it is enjoyable. If you are worried about the blanket being ruined, you can try to divert her attention with a comforting petting or brushing session, or even have some fun with a toy as a distraction instead. If Kittu seems stressed out, pheromone diffusers/collars can also help reduce stress and tension.

Kittens, particularly those as young as Freddy, continue to emulate behaviors they performed on their mother's when they nursed. The kneading is the physical movement kittens must make on the teats of the queen in order to get the milk. The suckling on the blanket is the same in that they are emulating nursing behaviors. It is also possible there is something on the blanket that tastes good! There is nothing to worry about in my opinion so long as Freddy is a healthy, happy kitten otherwise.

Sometimes this can be a sign that the kitten was weaned to early or that it is feeling stress. Kneading and sucking on fabric is a way to soothe themselves. The kneading shouldn't pose a health hazard, but the sucking can certainly lead to ingestion of too much foreign material which can lead to an intestinal obstruction. If you find that Ollie prefers one blanket or type of material, try to keep that away from him. You may want to also give him some extra one-on-one time or extra exercise in the form of play to keep him occupied. Here is a good article with a few more tips: http://www.catbehaviorassociates.com/wool-sucking/

Poor Wally! He may just be a very talkative cat. This will likely improve with time. In the mentine, you may want to try some feliway diffusers and spray in his favorite areas. Feliway is a cat pheromone that helps to calm some cats. It doesn't work on all cats though. You could also try some catnip as this may make him happy while you are away. Again, not all cats react the same to this. Finally, you can look into calming essential oil diffusers but you want to make sure you get one that is safe for cats. You can look into doterra or www.oilyvet.com for safe choices. If the anxiety gets really bad, I would have your vet prescribe an anti-anxiety medicine. I hope this helps!

This definitely sounds like a behavior problem and that your cat is acting out because of your recent move and having to be alone during the day. The first thing I would do would be to not allow her to sleep in the same room as you. This way she will not be able to urinate on you at all. I know this will be difficult but if you do this along with some other tactics I'll lay out below it will hopefully alleviate the problem. Try adding pheromone diffusers around the house. These can help relieve any stress your cat may be having. Add an additional litter box to the room you usually sleep in. Even though Jane will not be in your bedroom at night for a couple weeks it will help her get used to the idea that there is a litter box in there she can use as opposed to going on your feet. Finally, you may want to consider a visit to the vet just to rule out any underlying issue like a urinary tract infection. It is unlikely since she's only have the specific episodes of going outside the box but I would check to make sure. You may also want to talk to your vet about a daily, long term anti-anxiety medication (like fluoxetine) if her anxiety is not improving over time. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!