We know cats spend a lot of time licking themselves clean. But what if your feline pal is the type to lick everything, including the furniture, your skin, and even the family dog?
There are fairly normal reasons why some cats lick everything. Unfortunately, the behavior may also be a sign of a medical problem, especially if we’re talking about obsessive licking.
Examining this weird licking behavior can go a long way in helping you understand your cat better. So let’s dive in!
Why Your Cat Licks Living Things
When a cat isn’t licking themselves, they’re licking other living things, from their beloved humans to every other fur baby you’ve opened your home to. But why, exactly, do cats do this? Let’s find out!
Expression of love
If you’ve ever lived with a cat, you know how irritating their sandpaper-rough tongue feels on your skin. This doesn’t mean they lick you to make you miserable, however.
Cats lick their humans to show affection. It’s likely this behavior and its inherent meaning are learned from their mother. Mother cats lick their kittens not only to groom them but also to show them affection; when those kittens grow up, they express their love for you by licking you.
Many cats lick their fellow pets for the same reason. So if you catch your cat licking your dog, be glad that they get along so well!
And if your cat licks a human or pet they aren’t familiar with, it’s likely they’re trying to establish a social bond and make friends!
Grooming
The cat tongue is covered in strong, tiny spines known as papillae, which transfer huge amounts of saliva to the fur and all the way down to the skin. Papillae allow the tongue to remove dirt and other substances from the skin and fur; they’re why cats are such effective self-groomers.
Therefore, when a cat is licking their humans and fellow fur babies, they’re essentially cleaning them. Whether or not this actually helps is another matter!
Territorial marking
Cats are rather possessive of things that “belong” to them, and that includes the members of their adopted human family. Therefore, your cat licks you to mark you as theirs. Should another critter smell you, they’ll know you’ve already been claimed by your cat.
Is your cat licking your pet gerbil? Don’t worry, they’re not trying to eat Mr. Biscuit. They’re simply saying, “This here rodent is owned by me, so you’d best leave him alone!”
Attention seeking
Cats seek the attention of family members for various reasons. Maybe they’re hungry and they want you to know it’s time you fed them. Maybe they feel you haven’t been giving them enough affection. Or maybe they just want to be petted. Whatever the case, they can catch your attention by giving you a good ol’ cat lick.
Taste testing
Is your cat’s tongue getting touchy with your skin? Maybe your pet smells and tastes something good on you!
If you recently ate or cooked a meal, you likely have hundreds of microscopic food particles on your skin, and your curious feline friend wants to sample their taste.
It’s also possible many cats lick humans because they enjoy the salty residue of our sweat.
Self-soothing coping mechanism
Many animal species, including the domestic cat, engage in licking behaviors to relieve stress or anxiety.
When a cat is licking themselves, hormones known as endorphins are released into their bloodstream. Endorphins relieve pain and give the cat a sense of well-being.
In other words, cats lick themselves to feel good so they can cope with emotional distress. When a cat is licking you or another pet, they may be doing so for the same reason.
If a cat is feeling pain in a particular part of their body, they may lick that body part in an attempt to eliminate the pain.
Why Your Cat Licks Inanimate Objects
While your feline friend may lick you or another critter on occasion, many cats also lick things that neither move nor breathe.
Let’s explore the reasons why a cat licks various inanimate things.
There’s food everywhere!
“Why does my cat lick the furniture? The floor? The bed sheet?”
Maybe they want a taste of something that smells delicious. From visible crumbs to microscopic traces of your dinner, small food particles are everywhere in your house.
Have you ever accidentally dropped food or drink on the floor? Your cat can smell its residue, enticing them to give the floor a good licking. If your last meal was particularly fragrant, chances are tiny bits of its odor-causing ingredients have latched onto various surfaces in the dining room (or wherever you ate your meal).
Wooden floors and walls are adept at absorbing delicious scents. Carpet fibers are great at trapping pieces of food. Scents can also attach to other types of surfaces such as plaster and stone.
Other cats are drawn to humidity. Is your cat licking the shower curtains? Perhaps they’re just trying to hydrate themselves. Cool tiles are also known to have small amounts of moisture.
You can curb such behaviors by making sure your fur baby is well-fed and has easy access to drinking water. You should also regularly clean your house.
If you observe your cat likes eating non-edible items, contact a vet as this could be a symptom of a health issue. Also, letting indigestible objects remain in a cat’s stomach can cause a potentially life-threatening blockage.
Territorial marking
A cat may be marking their territory by leaving their scent on an item within a space they’ve claimed as their own. Most cats secure territory by rubbing their body against a surface. However, they can achieve the same thing by licking a surface. A cat that’s threatened by a strange animal or human guest is more likely to resort to this behavior.
As every cat’s tongue is rough, furniture can be damaged when cats constantly lick them. This is a source of great frustration for a lot of cat owners.
Exploration
One way cats explore the world is through their tongue. If you’ve just brought home something new, such as a new armchair, your cat may lick it to figure out what it is.
Another cat may be intrigued by the armchair’s smell. Another may enjoy nibbling on it due to its fascinating texture or taste. This can prove dangerous if your cat decides to bite off and swallow bits of the furniture.
Cats are even known to lick brand-new litter boxes.
Wool sucking
Does your cat keep licking things like the bed sheets? How about the blankets, pillows, or your clothes?
Some cats engage in a behavior known as wool sucking, which is the sucking or licking of fabric (usually wool). Wool sucking is soothing to felines, possibly because it reminds them of cuddle time with their mother and littermates during their kittenhood. A cat kneading fabric with their mouth is likely reaching for the same effect.
So if you catch your cat licking or gnawing on your bed sheets, clothes, or any other type of soft fabric, they’re probably wool sucking. Early weaning may make a feline more prone to this behavior. Thankfully, it’s a habit most cats eventually outgrow.
If your pet won’t stop wool sucking, they may have undiagnosed medical problems, so contact a vet for help.
When Licking Is a Sign of a Problem
As we’ve established, cats lick everything for various mundane reasons.
So how do you know when this behavior is no longer normal?
Generally speaking, excessive licking is a clue something’s wrong with your cat. So if you observe your cat licking and biting the sofa over and over for hours, the behavior should tell you their health has been compromised.
Even self-grooming can be an issue. Cats devote between 30 and 50 percent of the day to preening themselves. But if they keep licking the same spot so that their actions result in skin lesions, then your cat likely has a problem.
Below are the possible issues behind cats’ obsessive licking.
Medical issues
Cats groom frequently because they’re hygienic animals. However, obsessive licking could also have medical causes.
Dry skin, for example, can develop during the winter to cause your cat discomfort. A cat will then attempt to relieve this discomfort by licking the offending dry patches of skin.
If the excess licking occurs after your cat spends time lying down on the grass or near a plant, they may be reacting to an allergen. Allergic reactions can cause extreme itchiness that your cat will try to relieve by licking the irritated body part.
An older cat with a neurological disorder may be driven to lick their own fur until specific spots go bald.
If a cat grooms their tail head nonstop, they may have a flea infestation.
If your cat isn’t displaying easily identifiable symptoms of health problems, you won’t know your cat is suffering until you observe significant hair loss or sores in the areas they keep licking.
Pica
Does your cat lick and swallow non-food items? They may have a condition known as pica.
According to the National Eating Disorders Association, pica is “an eating disorder that involves eating items that are not typically thought of as food and that do not contain significant nutritional value, such as hair, dirt, and paint chips.”
Pica is dangerous for many reasons. As stated earlier, indigestible objects can get stuck in the stomach to cause an obstruction – a potentially deadly situation that requires emergency surgery. They can get lodged in the throat to cause choking. Sharp objects can cause internal injuries. Cats can also become infected with intestinal parasites after eating contaminated soil.
If you suspect your cat has pica, seek veterinary aid. Improving your cat’s diet, giving them safer chewing alternatives, and granting your pet lots of opportunities to relieve boredom through play can all help prevent pica.
Nutritional imbalance
If your cat won’t stop licking a non-food item, they may be trying to obtain from it the nutrients that their diet doesn’t provide them with.
A nutritional imbalance is among the chief reasons behind odd feeding behavior. In fact, a diet lacking in crucial nutrients can lead to the aforementioned pica. Make sure to speak with a vet so they can recommend a well-balanced diet for your cat.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
If your cat’s licking becomes extremely repetitive, they may have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
OCD is often stress-related. For instance, if you recently moved the entire family to another house, the resulting anxiety caused by the disruption to your cat’s life could encourage excessive licking. Another cat may be constantly stressed because they have a volatile relationship with one of the humans in the house.
Some cats develop mental disorders as they age, so don’t be surprised to see older cats resorting to this type of behavior.
Compulsive behaviors may also have a genetic component. This explains why some cat breeds are more prone to excessive licking than others.
Seek help from a vet or animal behaviorist if your cat exhibits compulsive licking. While OCD can’t be cured, nutritional supplements and prescription medications can reduce or even eliminate its symptoms.
Stress, anxiety, or boredom
Psychological issues can make a cat lick everything obsessively.
As previously discussed, licking releases endorphins that make cats feel relaxed and happy. Similarly, behaviors such as sucking on and kneading wool can help soothe an emotionally distressed feline.
So if your cat is excessively licking plastic or munching on your sweater, they may be trying to cope with stress or anxiety. Such psychological issues can be caused by major life changes, such as the departure of a beloved human, moving into a new home, or the sudden emotional neglect a cat may feel when a human baby joins the family.
Boredom is another issue that can encourage strange and destructive feline behaviors. If a cat doesn’t get to play much due to extremely busy humans or a lack of playmates, they may try to entertain themselves by licking everything.
To prevent such issues in your cat, give them scratching posts, toys, and maybe a security blanket or two. You should also find time to play and cuddle with your cat so they feel loved.
How to Treat Excessive Licking
How you treat your cat’s odd habit depends on the issue troubling them.
The first most important thing to do is have a vet examine your cat. Treatments exist for many health issues. For example, antihistamines are used to treat allergies. Moisturizers can solve dry skin concerns. Medication and surgery can cure or manage neurological disorders.
To ensure no germs harm your cat, make sure to clean your cat’s things regularly, including their litter box, food bowl, and favorite toy.
A vet-approved, nutritious, and well-balanced diet can also improve your cat’s behavior.
Fur parents can help cats with psychological concerns by giving them structure. For example, you can set aside a space in your house for your cat only, then fill this space with items they love, such as their toys and bed. You should also dedicate a specific amount of time each day to play with your cat.
Cats enjoy affection from humans, so shower your fur baby with love. Also, consider welcoming other cats to your home so your kitty has companions to socialize with when you aren’t available.
Cats Lick Everything: The Conclusion!
Cats spend most of the day grooming themselves, but they may also lick their humans, other pets, or even inanimate objects. Most of the time, the behavior is normal. Sometimes, however, it signals an underlying problem.
If your cat’s licking is excessive, don’t hesitate to seek veterinary advice. Your fur baby’s health will benefit from your quick and decisive actions!