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Ok, not to send an alarm here but my baby won't stop this "lovin' herself". Every time I walk in room, I catch her if she's not asleep. I try to play w/ her, brush her, etc. yet she licks herself (even where i just petted/kissed her) as if to say, "I need to cleanup the imperfection of you touching me".
Is this normal? I may overread this but it drives me nuts, as I assume she licks in chemicals from rugs, etc. I worry of this but have no idea to stop it.
Excessive grooming is fairly common but not normal. She should see a vet. She is grooming herself excessively as a coping mechanism, either as a response to stress in general or to an underlying medical condition.
Movintime, I am not sure exactly what you are saying. Are you saying that your cat grooms herself all the time to the point it really is excessive, or is she grooming herself when she changes positions, or from you touching her? Has this been a new behavior? And keep in mind, with the change of Seasons, cats groom themselves more.
And as long as you don't use chemicals on the rugs themselves, there is zero chance that she is getting chemicals from grooming. Unless you count the actual rug fiber itself, and depending upon what the rug is made out of, which I don't know at this point.
I have some real groomers here, that actually will glare at me if I dare touch them after they have meticulously licked themselves, making sure every strand of fur is purrfect.
Sorry I didn't see this thread right away.
Last edited by Garden of Eden; 02-01-2011 at 06:31 PM..
Cats lick themselves after you touch them to taste you. It's bonding behavior.
If you are seeing bare patches or sores then there is something to be concerned about and a trip to the vet may be in order. Food allergies or an anxiety disorder can cause this kind of licking.
Perhaps she has dry skin, try adding some fish oil to her diet a few times a week, and be sure to brush her daily to distribute her natural oils and remove loose fur.
Other wise it may be she just likes being clean.
PS I have a cat who licks a triangle of fur to very very short, over her abdomen. She rarely licks it to bareness or sores, but if I do see a sore starting I have a special ointment from the vet to use for 10 days. The Animax clears up the sore in about 24 hours, and the 10 day regimen does break the habit for a couple of months.
However she does always go back to it eventually. Usually she just keeps the fur there very very short, so her pink skin shines through, I call it her Pink Triangle.
If the problem is severe, and food allergies, flea allergies and other physiological problems have been ruled out, a medication such as amitriptyline (used as an anti anxiety/behavior modification in cats) may be needed.
<edit> PS If you are concerned about her ingesting chemicals wipe her fur down with a damp cloth once or twice a day. Do you use fabric softeners in your laundry? She could have an allergy to something like that, also. Use a hypoallergenic laundry detergent and if you use a fabric softener run an extra rinse cycle. Run an extra rinse cycle anyway, can't hurt. No dryer sheets.
Last edited by catsmom21; 02-02-2011 at 04:00 PM..
Hi all, well I'm semi-recovered from my bday () so I'll regroup here. Garden & catsmom, she kinda licks when she is alone too long or if I come in her rm & then kiss or pet her or if I stop petting here she licks area. I dont think its abnormal ***** yet have no idea, as my worry-wort mind thinks she's ingesting all gunk, etc.
So...who really knows as we all inhale or eat bad things but humans dont lick themselves clean (well at least most I know, tho I bet some do ).
She has porphyrin stains tho from licking, & is a tuxedo, yet is browning her fur out in some areas due to licking/staining.
Really? I always thought they were trying to get rid of the "dirt".
LOL And here all along I thought it went along these lines....."How dare you disturb my fur which I spent all day long, getting just purrfect! Now I have to redo everything I spent hours on, just because you wanted to touch me!" (Haughty look of distain) LOL LOL LOL
Last edited by Garden of Eden; 02-03-2011 at 09:46 AM..
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) so I'll regroup here. Garden & catsmom, she kinda licks when she is alone too long or if I come in her rm & then kiss or pet her or if I stop petting here she licks area. I dont think its abnormal ***** yet have no idea, as my worry-wort mind thinks she's ingesting all gunk, etc.
).
