Cat that licks edges.

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Angela St.Aubin - 06 Nov 2005 19:54 GMT

Hi,
One of my cats does something that has always confused me,. so I figured I
would ask about it here.
He licks things. I know a lot of cats do, but I dont mean food things, or
plastic, which he does, but he is constantly licking the edges of things. Of
anything, a book, a table, a wall, anything with a definite straight edge.
No matter what material it is made of, and he does it for minutes at a time.
I dont understand why he does this. Does it just feel nice on his tongue? It
sure doesn't seem like it would.
Thanks

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cybercat - 06 Nov 2005 20:27 GMT

> Hi,
> One of my cats does something that has always confused me,. so I figured I
> would ask about it here.
> He licks things. I know a lot of cats do, but I dont mean food things, or
> plastic, which he does, but he is constantly licking the edges of things. Of
> anything, a book, a table, a wall, anything with a definite straight edge.

Look closely. Is he actually licking or just rubbing his face on these
things?
(Around here we call it "lipping" things.") If the latter, he is marking
things with
the scent glands he has in the sides of his face and mouth.

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Angela St.Aubin - 07 Nov 2005 15:57 GMT

> > Hi,
> > One of my cats does something that has always confused me,. so I figured I
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> things with
> the scent glands he has in the sides of his face and mouth.

No, he is 100% definitely licking them. I can see his tongue going and hear
it. I mean, he, like all cats, also rubs his cheeks on things too, but this
is something different he does.

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cybercat - 07 Nov 2005 16:25 GMT

> No, he is 100% definitely licking them. I can see his tongue going and hear
> it. I mean, he, like all cats, also rubs his cheeks on things too, but this
> is something different he does.

I see. I thought it was worth asking. The "pica" Megan mentioned is
the same thing you hear about when you hear about pregnant women
and kids eating dirt and paint chips. It is a disorder caused by a vitamin
deficiency. There was a cat someone posted about in this group who
kept licking the painted driveway, and he was indeed dead in a matter
of days from whatever the deficiency is. Your cat needs vetting for sure,
but I have to say, the "pica" possibility seems slim because your cat
only goes for things with defined edges, which is certainly a shape thing
and not a content matter. Good luck and keep us posted.

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PawsForThought - 07 Nov 2005 22:27 GMT

> (Around here we call it "lipping" things.")

LOL...we say "sharpening her (or his) face"

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cybercat - 08 Nov 2005 04:35 GMT

> > (Around here we call it "lipping" things.")
>
> LOL...we say "sharpening her (or his) face"

lol! I like that. My baby tabby MUST lip things when she
is petted. It is like a reflex/compulsion.

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zuzu22@webtv.net - 06 Nov 2005 20:43 GMT

>he is constantly licking the edges of
>things. Of anything, a book, a table, a
>wall, anything with a definite straight
>edge. No matter what material it is made
>of, and he does it for minutes at a time.

Has your cat tested negative for leukemia? If so, has he ever been
tested for Hemobartonella (Feline Infectious Anemia)? If not, it would
be worth getting him tested as this kind of behavior is often correlated
with anemia. I recently worked with a woman whose cat exhibited the same
behavior yours does, and he did test positive for both Leukemia and
Hemobartonella and died a few weeks later. I don't mean to alarm you,
but it is always best to rule out these things before assuming it's just
an odd behavior. If it's not health related, it could be a form of Pica.

Megan

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Angela St.Aubin - 07 Nov 2005 15:57 GMT

> >he is constantly licking the edges of
> >things. Of anything, a book, a table, a
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Megan

No, he has not been tested for either of those things, at least not recently
anyways.
What do you mean by pica?
He has been doing this since I got him, it is not a new thing, he has always
licked edges of everything.
I will have to have the vet test him when I can manage it.

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No More Retail - 07 Nov 2005 17:18 GMT

Pica means basically eating non-food items . On a personally note I would
take the cat to the vet for a routine examination. This is one of those
behaviors that either is benign or a tale tail of something serious

Below is a link about it

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/our_pets_for_life_program/cat_behavior_tip_she
ets/eating_strange_objects_such_as_feces.html

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