Cat constant licking

by Susie
(Missouri)

I have a 3 year old cat that in general has awesome behavior, but one thing he does,really concerns me. I work overnight and often during the days I will crash out on my futon and not my bed. I sleep with my head and feet in the same direction each time, and my cat constantly licks the futon where my feet have been. I have noticed that he only licks the area when I pull the blanket up over me, and if he sees me watching he darts under the futon and hides. He will randomly stick his nose into my house plant and try to eat the leaves, but for the most part he has no strange habits. The cat lived with my brother in another residence when he was very small, so I had thought maybe its something he feels connected to. Anything you can tell me would be appreciated and I would like to know if this has any long-term health risks. Thanks...

Reply
Hi Susie

i can't see that there is much to worry about here really. cat's can have some strange habits, and they are simply habits sometimes.

there is a cat condition known as Pica, which is where cats like to eat non food stuffs, but it normally means they like to bite cables etc.

As you know cats use their sense of smell a lot more than we do. And they and have smell sensor in the back of their mouth too. it may simply be that by licking the futon where your feet are the cat is getting a good smell of you, which they like as it makes them feel safe and secure. Also the eating of plant leaves is quite common mine do it too sometimes.

i can understand how you may find this behavior worrying and thats understandable but I don't think there is much to worry about here.

If you are at all concerned that the licking is very excessive, then i would have him checked by a vet to make sure that his teeth etc are all fine in case there is a problem there.

best wishes kate