Litter Licking - not anemic

Hello! I was not sure whether to put this in Health, Nutrition, or Behavior so please feel free to move it

My kitty, Jesse (4 yr old male tabby) has been licking litter occasionally off the floor for months...almost since I've had him. He only does this when he's hungry, and never directly out of the box (just the little bit that ends up scattered on the floor next to it). I sweep the area religiously - basically every time he uses the box, so there isn't a lot to lick up but he still tries and licks the floor.

I took him to the vet this week because of both this issue as well as intermittent vomiting - he'll vomit every couple weeks or so, sometimes less often. Both the vet and I suspected anemia as litter licking is a common sign of it, but his bloodwork came back perfect. No anemia or electrolyte imbalance or anything else amiss. So I guess my question is...does anyone here have a similar experience with a non-anemic cat that just...likes the taste of litter? 

Iwould definitely change the type of litter in hope of changing this habit.  Not sure what you are using now, but if it's the clumping type, that can't be good for him.  That may be causing the occasional GI issues.  As long as all his test results came in fine, I wouldn't think he has a medical issue. 

As to transitioning him to canned food, have you seen this article?  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade    Believe me....it CAN be done.  I did it.  I transitioned four free fed kibble cats to scheduled meals of canned food only.  And now they won't even touch kibble if I put it out for them.  Seriously.  But the secret is finding the right canned food.  And I'll be honest, THAT is ever changing.  Now all my cats like something different, I swear I have more cat food in my pantry than people food .  All different varieties and flavors.  Some pates,some chunks, some slices, etc.  So try goin to the pet store and buying one of every can until you find something that works.  My guys ALL really loved Soulistic until they got sick of it during the transition. They'd probably like it again, now, 'cause it's been a couple of years since I served it 

Thanks for the suggestions!

Yea its the regular clumping clay type of litter that he uses. With my previous cat, I tried switching him to the corn litter and noticed he was using the box much less (I guess holding it in until he really had to go). Hopefully Jesse will be a bit more receptive to it. Though I'm afraid he'll just start eating the corn litter 

Yea its been an ongoing battle with the wet food. I've been trying to buy different brands and types of food...every time I go to the pet store I pick out something new hoping he'll like it. So far, the only success I have is with fish/salmon flavored foods, which I know aren't good to give too often, but that's the only type he'll eat pretty willingly. I've tried sprinkling bonito flakes on top (doesn't like them) and also crushing up his favorite greenies treats and sprinkling on top (nope!). I've ordered flortiflora as I know many cats like it, so I'm going to try that as a topper and see how it goes. He doesn't even like Fancy Feast or Friskies! I have had some moderate success with Nutro Max Cat (only the chicken and lamb flavor) so I've been trying to work with that one, though he never really finishes it. I may pick up some Soulistic today to see how he feels about it as well as some different types as I've mainly been sticking to pate style.

There are other types of litter too, Yesterdays News is one.  Made from recycled paper and says it's safe if ingested

Thanks though I'd strongly prefer the clumping kind for a few reasons. I tried pellet type litter with my previous cat and it was a huge mess and we both hated it haha. I didn't like how it was hard to tell when he had went and how much urine was being outputted (I like to monitor that stuff). Going to try out the WBCL and see how he does with that. The good news is I may have made a little headway with the wet food. He seems to like the Fancy Feast grilled (and by "like" I mean that he eats most of it as opposed to ignoring it completely ). Not the best food in the world but I'll take it haha. Going to try to get him a few different varieties of that type and see how he does.