Licking Obsession

[1 bruce 1]

I'm probably completely missing something, but we have a girl here about 10 years old that has been an obsessive licker since she was a baby. We fostered her litter and the Mama cat, and the kittens weren't weaned until Mama cat told them to get a job and drop-kicked them out of the nest, so I don't think this is a "removed from Mom too soon" issue.
She licks our hands, she licks cloth objects (clothes, furniture, etc.), she obsessively grooms the other cats, and usually develops this half-lidded far away look in her eyes. Sometimes when obsessively grooming the others, she'll snap out of her far-way place and give them a hard angry bite and hiss at them.
It's not really a problem (aside from wishing she'd quit biting the others when her trip is over), but it's kind of weird and I was curious if anyone has any ideas as to why she does this, or if it's just one of those cases of "...it's a cat."

 

[RajaNMizu]

Hey there, I'm sure you've ruled out any possibility of licking places because they itch or hurt and because she does it to others, hands, objects etc. it's most likely providing a comfort much the same way people bite their nails when stressed. Either there's a current reason for her anxiety or there once was and she's continued the behavior because it's become pleasurable and that reinforced the behavior.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

.
1 bruce 1 - One of the long-time regulars - @golondrina - asked a very similar question recently:

Cats Grooming And/or Petting Their Humans
.

 

[NY cat man]

We have a cat that does much the same thing. When I pet Bashful, she will lick my hand or arm, sometimes giving a little 'love bite' . The only time it's annoying is when I'm sitting in my chair, and she will get up on the back and lick the top of my head- and I don't have that much hair to begin with.

 

[1 bruce 1]

RajaNMizu and 1CatOverTheLine my sincere thanks!!
What gets me is that when she's over bathing other cats, she sometimes delivers quick, sharp non-hurt-y bites like she's prepping a killed rabbit or bird for eating or something weird like that.
She's a cross of an enigma and a possessed being I'm pretty sure.
I won't be closing my eyes when I sleep tonight

 

[RajaNMizu]

Mizu usually does that. Raja's the groomer of the duo and Mizu will usually start playing with her when she's had enough of bathtime by giving her playful nips.

 

[susanm9006]

RajaNMizu and 1CatOverTheLine my sincere thanks!!
What gets me is that when she's over bathing other cats, she sometimes delivers quick, sharp non-hurt-y bites like she's prepping a killed rabbit or bird for eating or something weird like that.
She's a cross of an enigma and a possessed being I'm pretty sure.
I won't be closing my eyes when I sleep tonight

I think she is giving the cats what are called love bites. You see it all the time with cats grooming. Lick, lick, lick, bite. It isn’t usually hard enough to start a fight or stress out the other cat.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Mizu usually does that. Raja's the groomer of the duo and Mizu will usually start playing with her when she's had enough of bathtime by giving her playful nips.

What's strange is the cats are obviously anticipating this by tensing up, leaning back and pinning their ears, but when she doesn't bite they lean into her and seem to love it.
One of our dogs gets bitten in his stifle because he's either too trusting of her or too dumb to learn.. She delivers a bite, then the dog runs to me whining in protest when she gives him a hard bite.
This happens often, 4-5 times a week.
Sometimes men just don't learn, am I right?
I'll add, she has never left a mark or a puncture wound or anything that makes me think she's gone serial killer, so that's good. No bloodshed is a good thing.
She doesn't do the bite thing to humans, which is also good. She's done this weird "OMG LOVE U" grooming thing on my arm, my jacket, my pant leg, or my hand but doesn't lose her cool and send it into a bite.
Does this mean I'm "alpha"?......

(.....uh no. When you clean barf off your new rug and don't really mind, and pick a random turd out of the window ledge and have an adorable Baby Girl fall asleep in your lap while you're reading and don't move for 4 hours because she's just so damn cute, newsflash...YOU ARE NOT ALPHA OF ANYTHING. )

 

[NY cat man]

Don't you realize that we exist to serve our mast- er, I mean cats?

 

[1 bruce 1]

Don't you realize that we exist to serve our mast- er, I mean cats?

You know, when I was scooping boxes the other day and had a Hitchcock movie in the making (9 cats, in their respective spots, paws neatly folded, eyes aslant....watching me...silently judging me...) I wondered the same thing.
Top of the food chain my ass.

 

[NY cat man]

Much as I enjoy this sparkling repartee, it the time of night when I turn into a pumpkin, so to all: Good night

 

[1 bruce 1]

Much as I enjoy this sparkling repartee, it the time of night when I turn into a pumpkin, so to all: Good night

I pushed forth to become a jack o lantern. They have big mouths, like me.
But animals are hungry and I need to hoist my butt up to get them fed.
Good night (and a pleasant tomorrow) to you as well!

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

You know, when I was scooping boxes the other day and had a Hitchcock movie in the making (9 cats, in their respective spots, paws neatly folded, eyes aslant....watching me...silently judging me...) I wondered the same thing.
Top of the food chain my ass.

Yours watch? Mine 'help' me mostly by trying to re-bury the clumps as fast as I find them. Either that or providing a fresh deposit in the specific box I'm cleaning at that moment.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Yours watch? Mine 'help' me mostly by trying to re-bury the clumps as fast as I find them. Either that or providing a fresh deposit in the specific box I'm cleaning at that moment.

I have a certain boy fascinated by anyone stealing poop from the boxes. He hangs out on a nearby cat tree, squinty eyed, then uses his paw to try to smash my face into the box. He's succeeded about 50% of the time. Jerk.
Again I say....top of the food chain my ass.
And yah, what is it with this "new box demands everyone takes a dump" idea. Whenever I scoop boxes I haul the load outdoors and when I return there's about 20 brand new piles of steaming turds.
Repeat after me..."Top of the food chain my ass".
But we don't mind too much, do we?

 

[RajaNMizu]

Sometimes men just don't learn, am I right?

Hmm...I have two sons. I might take the sometimes out and just leave it at that.

Now I'm going to have Master of Puppets playing in my head all day, thanks!
"...obey your Master, MASTER!"

 

[Notacrazycatlady]

I have a certain boy fascinated by anyone stealing poop from the boxes. He hangs out on a nearby cat tree, squinty eyed, then uses his paw to try to smash my face into the box. He's succeeded about 50% of the time. Jerk.
Again I say....top of the food chain my ass.
And yah, what is it with this "new box demands everyone takes a dump" idea. Whenever I scoop boxes I haul the load outdoors and when I return there's about 20 brand new piles of steaming turds.
Repeat after me..."Top of the food chain my ass".
But we don't mind too much, do we?

 

[1 bruce 1]

So after I sat here and watched this girl obsessively groom her bro for 35 minutes, then deliver a sharp bite and a hiss, I mentioned it to spouse, and the response was "she does that to herself minus the bite. Over grooms, I mean. Remember the allergy stuff?"
This is the cat that has developed allergies in the last few months. She grooms herself til her belly is sparse with hair. We treated her for allergies and it did help (her belly isn't bald) but she is still a heavy self groomer as well as over-grooms the others.
Is she crazy or is this something that should be dealt with? I wonder if she's upset because Baby Girl is no longer anyone's "baby" but mine and is now a confident adult that has little to no fear of anyone or anything.
She (groom-happy girl) is our Queen Bee, and aside from Baby Girl is the only female in the house colony. Is she feeling threatened by this up and coming "big girl"?
(Also it probably doesn't help that BG recently had a birthday and I took pictures and attempted to put a silly party hat on her and made her a special meal, but the other adult cats on their birthdays get very little. I suck.)

 

[KarenKat]

Lol, I'm not sure that they understand birthdays or get jealous of special hats. But now I want to see these pictures, though.

Our Olive overgrooms somewhat - she started out as an outdoor kitty that was grooming every time I saw her awake. Her first vet visit they noticed some hair loss that the vet mentioned was common with flea allergies. Since moving indoors only, the grooming has calmed down. But she still grooms way more often than the boys.

Olive isn't close enough with the boys to even attempt grooming them, although she will occasionally try and groom me. If she gets my face, she tries to continue until I shoo her off. If she gets my long hair she gets weirded out and stops. No nipping or hissing though, so I can't really touch on that.

 

[1 bruce 1]

Lol, I'm not sure that they understand birthdays or get jealous of special hats. But now I want to see these pictures, though.

Our Olive overgrooms somewhat - she started out as an outdoor kitty that was grooming every time I saw her awake. Her first vet visit they noticed some hair loss that the vet mentioned was common with flea allergies. Since moving indoors only, the grooming has calmed down. But she still grooms way more often than the boys.

Olive isn't close enough with the boys to even attempt grooming them, although she will occasionally try and groom me. If she gets my face, she tries to continue until I shoo her off. If she gets my long hair she gets weirded out and stops. No nipping or hissing though, so I can't really touch on that.

It's strange because she's never done the pause and bite thing on a person, only another cat or a dog.
She's a love with us, and very aloof with strangers but once they're her friend, she runs to the door to greet them.
I'm kind of worried now this grooming thing is stress and she's upset because Baby Girl is a force and acts like a crazed lioness 23 1/2 hours a day, leaping at this, pouncing on that, or (as she's doing right now) lying flat on her back, little back feet in the air and front paws tucked into her chest and staring at me like "Y U upside down?" (Why is this cat so cotton pickin' cute...)
Queen Bee is going on 11 and is slowing down just a bit, and I wonder if she doesn't feel threatened by this young interloper who might someday overthrow her Queen status.
Queen Bee isn't over confident, but Baby Girl is, and from what I've learned lately that non-confidence is probably more being weirded out by the idea that someone might take that status someday. That upsets me.

 

[KarenKat]

I understand that. Our 10-year boy Trin is displeased with the interloper in his house, and I would assume he has an "alpha" personality. The thing is, though, he's a terrible klutz and not very good at knowing how to cat. Our aloof Gohan, at 7, has ruled the roost by default even though he tends to shy away from interlopers like Olive.

When Olive first joined us, I had a lot of guilt at upsetting the applecart and causing the Original Gatos too much stress. I think part of it is our human sensibility of "fairness" - Queen Bee was there first, therefore she should get priority and keep her status. Baby Girl is new, and therefore needs to earn her place and should be respectful. But cats just don't work like that, and I think we all find it distressing.

lying flat on her back, little back feet in the air and front paws tucked into her chest and staring at me like "Y U upside down?" (Why is this cat so cotton pickin' cute...)

Oh man, I definitely need pictures now!