He is VERY affectionate, purring before I’ve even touched him. In the evening though he tells me that NOW is when he wants me to fuss him and then will lay on his back right against me so that I can rub on his tummy and his back toes will be curled up in his blissful pleasure. After a short time he will then begin to self-suckle and this is what’s shown in the above video. He will use his side, his rump or even his forearm.
This suckling resembles the suckling that a kitten would do when feeding from their mother and is often accompanied by the front paws “kneading” as they would to encourage the milk flow during a feed. With this side suckling though not seen in the video, Louis will knead the air, his claws going in and out. It’s really similar to how human babies love to suck on a dummy or thumb.
I had a female Sphynx cat do this same self- comforting - however, she stopped completely after having had her first litter.
I’ve also had moggy cat’s do this too, one used to like a nylon bedspread and would make it wet with her saliva, which would dry hard. She would move to new areas each day. Another cat liked a particular jumper.