Owner Asks Internet for Advice After 7-Year-Old Cat Develops Strange Habit

A cat’s unusual behavior that started six months ago confused its owner, forcing them to take to social media to ask if anyone else has seen their feline companion do the same.

In a post on Reddit by user bigmamjimjam on March 25, the cat’s owner shared photos of the feline holding onto a blanket that was twisted up in a spiral in his mouth. The 7-year-old cat only started doing this habit six months ago. So why now?

Amanda Campion, a clinical animal behaviorist, shared with Newsweek that she believes the cat in these photos is doing a self-soothing behavior, which can be learned at any point in a feline’s life. The cat might have done it one day and realized it felt good, soothed him, or gave him a dopamine hit.

Meanwhile, the owner came to a similar conclusion after seeking help and told Newsweek via Reddit messaging: “We think he does it as a way to comfort himself, he makes it into a little spiral then uses it as a pillow. Very cute!”

Campion explained this behavior is not harmful to the cat and that owners should not disrupt this self-soothing behavior. However, alarm bells should go off if the cat starts to eat the fabric.

She added that the cat holding the blanket in his mouth is stimulating and can give him a throwback to when he was a kitten with his mother.

As an animal behaviorist, Campion said she would work with the owner to determine why the cat started six months ago. Maybe there was a change in the cat’s daily life then. She hypothesizes that the cat might have become anxious if the owner went away on vacation or the cat started feeling pain in his mouth and became stressed from the pain. But, it is hard to determine why without speaking to the owner.

The cat making a spiral with the blanket is similar to when cats knead or make biscuits as people like to call it. Both are self-soothing mechanisms that could be used to cope with pain, stress, anxiety, or boredom. And if those are all ruled out, it can make the cat feel good.

“Cats never do anything by accident,” Campion said.

Reddit Users React

The Reddit post quickly gathered attention with users sharing photos of their cats doing the same thing with their blankets. The post so far has over 17,000 votes and 678 comments.

“He’s moved on from biscuits to croissants,” joked one Reddit user.

“He looks like he takes his job very seriously,” wrote another. Cats are always serious when it comes to working in the bakery.

A third added: “I don’t know why, but that’s impressive.”

Another Reddit user posted: “It’s part of his biscuit ritual so maybe it’s something to do with how he’d nurse as a kitten?? Interesting.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our “Pet of the Week” lineup.