My adult male(4 years old) will not stop licking the ground/eating stuff off of the carpet. His sister has recently started as well!

[familywhale]

Hi everyone,

I am here out of desperation and frustration. I have had my adult male, Bubby and his sister since they were 16 hours old. He is latched onto me by the hip. He follows me everywhere, sleeps next to me and waits at the window for me to come home from the store most times. He's very possessive. I have four cats in total. Him, his sister and two other cats who are both siblings. The other two, Terp and Mung are about 7 years old and Bubby and his sister Ecco are around 4 now. He's always had behavioral problems when it comes to harassing the other cats, probably out of boredom, but more recently has started licking the ground and from what I can tell he does it SPECIFICALLY when I am present or he follows me somewhere. I have been dealing with this for a while now and it's become like a form of torment having to baby sit him in order to stop him from making himself sick.

I deal with mental health challenges as well as a bad back to the point that it limits what I am able to do physically and spend the vast majority of my time at home with them and make sure to give them all direct love and attention every day, I am meticulous to the point of obsession/OCD about their litter boxes and make sure that they have clean water every single day. I have some long-term issues with my back, so I don't play with them much, but they get a lot of love and affection. Bubby is my "problem" kitty. I'd honestly never change it and would always rather him be here to piss me off than any other alternative as I am very attached to him as well, but it reached a new height last night. I knew it was probably inevitable, but he puked on some of my expensive electronic equipment that I cannot afford to replace. Thankfully, it did not ruin it so far as I know. For context, it was a large amount of vomit and water and then he immediately went to the room outside of mine and let out a large amount there as well. This had to be over-eating/A.K.A. scarf 'n barf. Boredom, I'd think. I live stream and he is particularly inclined to agitate me and do what he can to get my attention when I am talking to my chat. My voice seems to stir up his behavior a good portion of the time. Unless I'm paying attention to him. He is willing to go out of his way to make me angry, just to get my attention and is totally fine with any negative reactions, so long as he gets what he wants. He will scratch my walls and make chalk board screeches, slap stuff off of shelves, claw/climb curtains, pick on the other cats, get up on my desk incessantly and cross right in front of me, sit on my mouse hand, lay on part of my keyboard and position himself so that he can slap the keys with his tail (No joke. He knows exactly where to lay in order to piss me off and get my attention). He likes to wake me up a lot. He's way better about it after years of very angry scolding when I awake to him jumping across my stomach like a spring board, but he still walks across me sometimes.

***(((Something I've noticed. His sister has started doing the licking of the floor//certain pillows where there are little bits of fluff and material on them. Could this be inherited behavior? They both also like to sleep in the doorway to my room and their mom did that while I fostered them. She was also prone to picking on my other two cats. There are a handful of similarities that I've noticed over the years.)))***

As far as nutrition goes, I started them on Science Diet: Sensitive Stomach and Skin a few years ago, thinking that the daily vomiting(3-4 pukes a day back then) may have been attributed to their food. My vet recommended it and I haven't looked back. They all have such healthy coats of fur and I want them to be healthy and happy so long as I can possibly have them with me. They are one of my greatest blessings. The last two weeks, I managed to keep him from puking all but one time, maybe two. That is a miracle in this house. I was extremely attentive to any time that he was near me, watched to see if he was going to lick up a piece of fuzz, hair or stray piece of litter and called him out on it immediately. He follows me EVERYWHERE so it was a lot of work. I've heard that once you become a parent, you never get to use the restroom alone again. Well, the same goes for being a cat dad. It's very irritating at times because I have to stop Bubby from licking the ground while I'm trying to take care of business. It is, at times, beyond infuriating. Last night and his intentional "HEY! I MADE MYSELF SICK! HERE YA GO, DAD!", barf all over my studio mixer was a snapping point for me. I'm miserable having to baby sit him 24/7. I can NEVER not be looking over my shoulder to see if he's licking the ground and it's honestly like torment. I am beyond frustration at this point. I don't know what to do and highly doubt that it's physiological or nutrition-related after all these years. I think it's boredom, but I'm limited physical and my mental capacity to deal with it has all but dwindled. I love my cats as much as ANYTHING in this life and I want the absolute best for them. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I'm thankful to have a place to voice my frustrations.

On a good note, the behavioral issues toward the other cats has become relatively minimal. I'll have to gently remind him once or twice a day not to "romp" on the other cats, but they've even started spending time together in other parts of the house without my supervision/issues there. It used to be so bad that I had to keep a litter box in my room and a bowl of food and water out of easy reach for my little black cat. Bubby has been an incredible challenge to raise and to balance certain parts of my daily living around. I do need to create a plan that will work for my back issues and deep clean this place again. It is not filthy, but it's cluttered and dusty and that seems to be Bubby's favorite "snack" as of late.

Thank you all for your time and any advice pertaining to this situation would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

FamWhale

P.S. A picture of the king of Shit-Asses himself. I love the heck out of this guy.

 

[IndyJones]

Have you tried slow feeder bowls or toys?

Cats do not intentionaly "make themselves sick" if they throw up there is a reason for it that being said, regurgitation is caused by overeating or eating too fast. Are you sure it is regurgitating and not vomiting? Vomiting takes more effort while regurgitating is kind of like a baby spitting up.

Are you able to lock him out of your computer room or put a plastic sheet or a case over the equipment?

It does sound like the bugging stuff is attention seeking so it is best to completly ignore him when he does it. Obviously if it is something dangerous like wire chewing then interfear but otherwise pretend he isn't there and only gove him attention when he is sleeping or otherwise behaving himself.

 

[IndyJones]

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07L73N4KS/?tag=

Amazon.ca


Here are a couple slow feeders

 

[heatherwillard0614]

For context, it was a large amount of vomit and water and then he immediately went to the room outside of mine and let out a large amount there as well. This had to be over-eating/A.K.A. scarf 'n barf. Boredom, I'd think. I live stream and he is particularly inclined to agitate me and do what he can to get my attention when I am talking to my chat. My voice seems to stir up his behavior a good portion of the time. Unless I'm paying attention to him. He is willing to go out of his way to make me angry, just to get my attention and is totally fine with any negative reactions, so long as he gets what he wants. He will scratch my walls and make chalk board screeches, slap stuff off of shelves, claw/climb curtains, pick on the other cats, get up on my desk incessantly and cross right in front of me, sit on my mouse hand, lay on part of my keyboard and position himself so that he can slap the keys with his tail (No joke. He knows exactly where to lay in order to piss me off and get my attention). He likes to wake me up a lot. He's way better about it after years of very angry scolding when I awake to him jumping across my stomach like a spring board, but he still walks across me sometimes.

As for him throwing up a large amount of water/liquid.. that is not "scarf and barf" if it was full of food that was un digested then it would be that he is eating too fast. It may be that he is drinking too much? Do you notice if he is drinking more in a day than normal?

Cats don't do things to intentionally to make us mad or frustrated.. it really sounds as if he is just a bored kitty.
Does he have scratch posts or corrugated cardboard scratchers? My cat prefers the cardboard one over scratch posts with either carpet or sisil rope... if so I would try to move them where he is scratching the curtains and walls.. cats tend to scratch in a high value area (ie near things that are important to them) also if he has a cat tree can you put it near your desk he obviously wants to be near you..
While at your desk if you can have little crinkle balls or mice to throw for him to go chase after that might help as well.

As for picking on the other cats, slapping stuff off of shelves, claw/climb curtains, getting up on your desk incessantly and crossing in front of you, sitting on your mouse hand, laying on part of your keyboard, and positioning himself so that he can slap the keys with his tail... the thing with this behavior is he is just bored and wants your attention. It sounds like he needs more stimulation/play.

Could you harness train him and take him for walks, this would help drain some of that energy. I'm also going to attach a link to another thread I posted in that has some jackson galaxy videos of playing with your cat.. he has a technique called boil and simmer and I promise I use this technique with my girl and it works to wear her out. The first video is my kitty and I playing using his technique it is 6 videos pasted together and in slow motion you don't need to watch this as it is close to 10 minutes and it doesn't show the simmer part of the play because that is the down time.. I included my video because my cat went from not playing with wand toys st all until I saw his videos and utilized his tips. So my video is just proof any cat will play even if they previously seemed uninterested. If you do decide to watch part of my video it shows exactly how into playing she is and by the end she is exhausted and ready to eat then sleep lol

Help! - Increasing Frequency of Aggression from Siamese

Thank you so much! Juju harming my sister less but harming me and my aunt more - I’ve never thought of the two as being consequential, but it makes a lot of sense. I’ll be asking my sister to reflect on herself, and I’ve also been self-reflecting - I think I’ve been providing Juju with the same...

thecatsite.com

I hope these tips help

 

[familywhale]

Have you tried slow feeder bowls or toys?

Cats do not intentionaly "make themselves sick" if they throw up there is a reason for it that being said, regurgitation is caused by overeating or eating too fast. Are you sure it is regurgitating and not vomiting? Vomiting takes more effort while regurgitating is kind of like a baby spitting up.

Are you able to lock him out of your computer room or put a plastic sheet or a case over the equipment?

It does sound like the bugging stuff is attention seeking so it is best to completly ignore him when he does it. Obviously if it is something dangerous like wire chewing then interfear but otherwise pretend he isn't there and only gove him attention when he is sleeping or otherwise behaving himself.

He stops, repeatedly gags and then vomits. I may have to get a slow feeder and monitor how much each of the other cats get as well. He's 18lbs vs. the other three that are between 6.5 and 7 lbs. Very hard to stop him from being greedy, even when distributing catnip every once in a while. I can lock him out of my bedroom(where I have my computer), but he claws at the door and rips up the carpet outside of it while meowling the whole time. Most likely separation anxiety, even if he's doing things to irritate me for attention. Thankfully, I've "Bubby proofed" the house, so there's nothing dangerous that he can eat that will really harm him. I will work on ignoring him, but it is very very hard. He will get up where my clothes are hanging and stand up and dig his claws into my nice shirts, rip up pieces of the wall that I plastered and the main thing that I don't want him doing is licking the ground/carpet any time I'm near, but he's not getting enough attention. That and over eating leads to the barfing.

 

[familywhale]

Amazon.ca

Amazon.ca


Here are a couple slow feeders

Right on! Thank you!!!

 

[familywhale]

As for him throwing up a large amount of water/liquid.. that is not "scarf and barf" if it was full of food that was un digested then it would be that he is eating too fast. It may be that he is drinking too much? Do you notice if he is drinking more in a day than normal?

Cats don't do things to intentionally to make us mad or frustrated.. it really sounds as if he is just a bored kitty.
Does he have scratch posts or corrugated cardboard scratchers? My cat prefers the cardboard one over scratch posts with either carpet or sisil rope... if so I would try to move them where he is scratching the curtains and walls.. cats tend to scratch in a high value area (ie near things that are important to them) also if he has a cat tree can you put it near your desk he obviously wants to be near you..
While at your desk if you can have little crinkle balls or mice to throw for him to go chase after that might help as well.

As for picking on the other cats, slapping stuff off of shelves, claw/climb curtains, getting up on your desk incessantly and crossing in front of you, sitting on your mouse hand, laying on part of your keyboard, and positioning himself so that he can slap the keys with his tail... the thing with this behavior is he is just bored and wants your attention. It sounds like he needs more stimulation/play.

Could you harness train him and take him for walks, this would help drain some of that energy. I'm also going to attach a link to another thread I posted in that has some jackson galaxy videos of playing with your cat.. he has a technique called boil and simmer and I promise I use this technique with my girl and it works to wear her out. The first video is my kitty and I playing using his technique it is 6 videos pasted together and in slow motion you don't need to watch this as it is close to 10 minutes and it doesn't show the simmer part of the play because that is the down time.. I included my video because my cat went from not playing with wand toys st all until I saw his videos and utilized his tips. So my video is just proof any cat will play even if they previously seemed uninterested. If you do decide to watch part of my video it shows exactly how into playing she is and by the end she is exhausted and ready to eat then sleep lol

Help! - Increasing Frequency of Aggression from Siamese

Thank you so much! Juju harming my sister less but harming me and my aunt more - I’ve never thought of the two as being consequential, but it makes a lot of sense. I’ll be asking my sister to reflect on herself, and I’ve also been self-reflecting - I think I’ve been providing Juju with the same...

thecatsite.com

I hope these tips help

Excellent! Thank you for the information and links. I really do believe it's boredom and a ploy for attention. My phrasing of "him trying to make me angry" isn't accurate. Him doing things in order to the get the attention he wants and to curb his boredom is exactly right! I can't walk him in this area. I'm right by main street and there are periodically stray dogs around. I couldn't take the risk of him being hurt. I may sound frustrated, but I love this guy more than anything in the world and just want to live peacefully with him and for him to be healthy and safe. I worry about his stomach with so much vomiting.

I don't have the funds or resources to afford great things for them to play with. I've been daydreaming about getting him a cat tree or setting up platforms around the house from them to climb to and from for years. I will watch the videos and see if I can come up with some toys myself in order to interact with them. A daily regimen of playing with them would make me feel better about myself as a cat dad and be really good for them as well. I will definitely check the links and watch each video.

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

 

[arr]

I agree with the others, I think he is bored. Could you add some ways to give him extra stimulation that don’t require you to play with him such as: bird feeders outside of windows, perches in windows, cat shelves and climbing poles on the walls, cat trees, cardboard boxes, packing paper, cat tunnels?

Not knowing the nature of your back injury, would it be possible to spend some time each day using a wand toy with him? You just sit or stand upright while waving the toy around.

I think a deep clean is a really good idea. Cats can be like little children in the sense that if they find something, it goes straight to their mouths. If at all possible, everything should have a place, laundry picked up and put away, no little objects laying around other than cat toys, basically go around and do a cat proofing, like if you had a toddler. And if at all possible, keeping things swept and vacuumed to prevent fur and lint accumulating that he can eat.

Again, not knowing the nature of your back problem, perhaps you can’t do all of this, but just doing what you can do. Especially the extra environmental enrichment.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

Excellent! Thank you for the information and links. I really do believe it's boredom and a ploy for attention. My phrasing of "him trying to make me angry" isn't accurate. Him doing things in order to the get the attention he wants and to curb his boredom is exactly right! I can't walk him in this area. I'm right by main street and there are periodically stray dogs around. I couldn't take the risk of him being hurt. I may sound frustrated, but I love this guy more than anything in the world and just want to live peacefully with him and for him to be healthy and safe. I worry about his stomach with so much vomiting.

I don't have the funds or resources to afford great things for them to play with. I've been daydreaming about getting him a cat tree or setting up platforms around the house from them to climb to and from for years. I will watch the videos and see if I can come up with some toys myself in order to interact with them. A daily regimen of playing with them would make me feel better about myself as a cat dad and be really good for them as well. I will definitely check the links and watch each video.

Thank you for taking the time to respond!

You're more than welcome. I can tell you love him from your first post. I also understand having a bad back as my daddy has had multiple back surgeries.

Have you noticed if he is drinking more than normal?

Is he on dry or wet food?

I think if you are able to sweep and vacuum it should help with his licking things off the floor.

Honestly wand toys are what I use for my kitty and I play with her until at the end she is just laying there not wanting to play anymore by using the boil and simmer technique.

 

[IndyJones]

The slow feeders i linked also provide some mental stimulation. Particularly the top one with the mazes and bubble in the center. He has to forage to get the food which is fun for him, and fun for you to watch.

I have been through the whole scarf and barf thing with Kabuto. In his case hyperthyroid related but bubble sounds a bit young for hyperthyroidism.

 

[familywhale]

You're more than welcome. I can tell you love him from your first post. I also understand having a bad back as my daddy has had multiple back surgeries.

Have you noticed if he is drinking more than normal?

Is he on dry or wet food?

I think if you are able to sweep and vacuum it should help with his licking things off the floor.

Honestly wand toys are what I use for my kitty and I play with her until at the end she is just laying there not wanting to play anymore by using the boil and simmer technique.

He does drink a lot of water at times. Not always, but there are times he vomits just a bunch of water and miniscule amounts of kibble. I've got them on Science Diet: Sensitive Stomach and Skin(Dry food). My back is in dire need of surgery. I can't be on my feet for more than a few minutes without agonizing cramps and pressure on my sciatic nerve(lower left). Lately it's been both sides of my lower that are giving me grief. I really do love Bubby as much as anything in this life. I want what's best for him always. I'll see about getting to the Chiro and doing a thorough deep clean around here soon.

 

[familywhale]

The slow feeders i linked also provide some mental stimulation. Particularly the top one with the mazes and bubble in the center. He has to forage to get the food which is fun for him, and fun for you to watch.

I have been through the whole scarf and barf thing with Kabuto. In his case hyperthyroid related but bubble sounds a bit young for hyperthyroidism.

I'm sorry to hear about Kabuto's condition. I hope he or she is okay. I think Bubby's just quite bored. He has so much energy and no real way to burn it. I'm going to see about creating a playing regimen. I am super good on caring for their litter and water bowls. Next goal: Be an engaging and fun dad. If I can get some extra funds, I'll get one of those play feeders. Haha! That would be really fun to watch and hear them smack the kibble around.

 

[familywhale]

I agree with the others, I think he is bored. Could you add some ways to give him extra stimulation that don’t require you to play with him such as: bird feeders outside of windows, perches in windows, cat shelves and climbing poles on the walls, cat trees, cardboard boxes, packing paper, cat tunnels?

Not knowing the nature of your back injury, would it be possible to spend some time each day using a wand toy with him? You just sit or stand upright while waving the toy around.

I think a deep clean is a really good idea. Cats can be like little children in the sense that if they find something, it goes straight to their mouths. If at all possible, everything should have a place, laundry picked up and put away, no little objects laying around other than cat toys, basically go around and do a cat proofing, like if you had a toddler. And if at all possible, keeping things swept and vacuumed to prevent fur and lint accumulating that he can eat.

Again, not knowing the nature of your back problem, perhaps you can’t do all of this, but just doing what you can do. Especially the extra environmental enrichment.

Definitely bored! I am too greedy/selfish to let him out, but I can improve our environment and work with him to keep him happier every day. It's going on the goal list. I love the idea of bird feeders outside of the windows. That's a bit out of reach for me right now, but I would LOOOOOVE to create some perches and platforms for them to climb on. I do have some cardboard boxes in here and toys everywhere. Cat tunnels would be so fun too! My back is pretty messed up. I'll have to do it over a period of time, but I'm absolutely down with getting things in good order in here. Would make me feel a lot better too. It's not stinky or filthy in here, but I absolutely live the bachelor life and it's a cluttered mess in certain areas.

 

[heatherwillard0614]

He does drink a lot of water at times. Not always, but there are times he vomits just a bunch of water and miniscule amounts of kibble. I've got them on Science Diet: Sensitive Stomach and Skin(Dry food). My back is in dire need of surgery. I can't be on my feet for more than a few minutes without agonizing cramps and pressure on my sciatic nerve(lower left). Lately it's been both sides of my lower that are giving me grief. I really do love Bubby as much as anything in this life. I want what's best for him always. I'll see about getting to the Chiro and doing a thorough deep clean around here soon.

Do you have anyone who would come and offer support and help with vacuuming and sweeping/mopping the floors?

I ask because I know my daddy can't vacuum or mop he can sweep but it is hard on him. His entire spine top to bottom is fused with a cage.. he has no movement in his back at all. He is in pain all the time. I understand how bad back pain is.
I also understand mental health issues all too well. Mental health challenges can be crippling by itself then throwing back problems on top of that is hard and I understand all of this. Do you have a therapist? Let me rephrase do you have a good therapist that actually listens to you? Do you do any kind of physical therapy for your back?

As for Bubby, do you think it is possible he has acid reflux? If you can try to elevate his bowls.
Also a slow feeder like the one attached will help if he does eat fast. Although I don't think he is scarffing and barfing his food because his vomit would have all the undigested food in his vomit but just incase here is a slow feeder would help I provided links to 2 different types. One is under 10 bucks the other is around 15 bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009WPXKUQ/?tag=thecatsite

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9WT5KBW/?tag=thecatsite