Female cat suckling nipples

Question
I have a 10 month old spayed female "tuxedo" kitten. I adopted her from a shelter at 6 months and was spayed at 7 months. I only have the one cat and she's fairly active, although she'd rather snuggle with me that play a lot of the time. She's really sweet and inquisituve, which leads to some naughty behavior, but we're working on that. Her unusual behavior did not start until after she was altered. At first I just thought she was bathing and then I noticed she spent a lot of time in one spot, her nipple area. She seems to enjoy it, purrs very loudly and kneads whatever she is laying on. SHe does it for several minutes, takes a break and does it some more. I have never seen this kind of behavior in a cat, especially a female. I'm not too overly concerned, except that she feels the need to lay right next to me or on my lap while she does it. And she does not like to be disturbed while doing it, if I move her head, she goes right back to it.Is this within the normal limits of cat behavior, should I consider contacting a behaviorlist?

Answer
Hi Janine,

I would not call this in any way 'female masturbation'.  This is normal and a common comfort behavior.  I would call it more excessive grooming that anything, and you should only be concerned if you see redness or rawness on her nipples or a loss of fur.  As far as her doing it while she's beside you, you can either sit somewhere else or pick her up gently and move her.  But I certainly wouldn't be concerned unless one of the aforementioned symptoms occurs.  Best of luck!

Best regards,

Holly Martin
Cat Care & Behavior Specialist
Texas A&M University
B.S. Animal Science