# Why is my cat licking our concrete path?



## yapwest

My 8 year old neutered male cat keeps licking our concrete path which gets covered in a greenish substance over winter. He has started being sick, going off his food and passing loose motions. Is there likely to be a connection?


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## Ali82

Yes it's possibly connected in one of two ways. Firstly certain deficiencies can cause them to lick and eat inedible substances of which concrete / stone is one. I think it can be linked to anaemia but that may be me mis-remembering. Secondly it's possible that there's something on your drive that he likes the taste of but that is making him ill. Either way it sounds like he needs to be seen by a vet.

Good luck and please keep us updated with how he's getting on


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## Ianthi

Agree about it being a sign of anaemia or other mineral deficiencies so you do remember correctly Ali! Definitely a vet visit for some bloodwork.

Good luck


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## chillminx

My cat loves licking the stones on my sandstone patio after it has been raining. He also licks the rain water off the wooden backdoor step. 

He is aged 15 and has CRF, and has been tested by the vet for all kinds of other conditions including anaemia, results all negative.

He has waterbowls and pet fountains everywhere, inside and outside the house, all of which are filled daily with filtered water, but he prefers rain water.


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## yapwest

We cleaned the path but he continued to lick it every time he went out. As days progressed he started vomiting, mostly bile and became very subdued. We took him to the vet 3 times in 7 days and he was given anti sickness, vitamin supplements and anti biotics. Some days he improved then he would get worse. By day 8 he had stopped eating, drinking and weeing so he is currently at the vets for observation and medication. A lump has been found in his abdomen which could be a furball - or not. We are not insured so a £300 scan is unlikely.


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## LDK1

yapwest said:


> We cleaned the path but he continued to lick it every time he went out. As days progressed he started vomiting, mostly bile and became very subdued. We took him to the vet 3 times in 7 days and he was given anti sickness, vitamin supplements and anti biotics. Some days he improved then he would get worse. By day 8 he had stopped eating, drinking and weeing so he is currently at the vets for observation and medication. A lump has been found in his abdomen which could be a furball - or not. We are not insured so a £300 scan is unlikely.


Have the vet tested his poo for parasites, Giardia, T. foetus, etc? Of course, it may well be something else as a lump has been discovered, but it's an avenue worth exploring if it hasn't been done already. That wouldn't explain the path-licking though.

I hope it's nothing serious, best wishes.


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## Treaclesmum

Sory to hear about the lump, I hope they can find out what it is. How much would it be for him t have an op?


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## LDK1

yapwest said:


> A lump has been found in his abdomen which could be a furball - or not. We are not insured so a £300 scan is unlikely.


Just looked up Anaemia/path-licking on Fabcats.org and it looks like there are quite a few different reasons for this so it could take a bit of work to get to the bottom of it.

anaemia in cats

Could you arrange a payment plan with your vet? Or maybe see if any animal charities can help? I don't know if a scan is the only option - maybe someone will come along whose knows more about this kind of situation.

Best wishes.


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## Ianthi

yapwest said:


> We cleaned the path but he continued to lick it every time he went out. As days progressed he started vomiting, mostly bile and became very subdued. We took him to the vet 3 times in 7 days and he was given anti sickness, vitamin supplements and anti biotics. Some days he improved then he would get worse. By day 8 he had stopped eating, drinking and weeing so he is currently at the vets for observation and medication. A lump has been found in his abdomen which could be a furball - or not. We are not insured so a £300 scan is unlikely.


It sounds the lump was discovered in the last few days and not when you first took him to the vets? Did they carry out a physical examination on your first visit? If this is the case then a malignant mass is unlikely to form in this short timespan. As you say this mass, depending on location could well turn out to be something like a hairball and constipation is another possibility. Only time will tell so an ultrasound may not be necessary at all.

I'd be interested to see if anaemia was revealed in the bloodwork as the licking concrete would make me very suspicious of this. If the vitamins were B12 then this is used in the treatment of anaemia.


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## SharonC

I hope all is well.

Get your cat tested for AIHA. Tom has this and licking paths was the first clue to a long road of tests and finally a diagnosis. I cannot stress how important it is to get him tested and quickly.

But anaemia is just a sign, and could be a whole host of things. Hopefully nothing serious.

Hope the lump is nothing xx


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## yapwest

After 2 nights at vets Charlie was discharged on Sunday a.m. He is now eating/drinking/weeing/pooing/grooming as normal but subdued. He's on twice daily Katalax and Famotidine and a special diet. We are trying to keep him inside although the vet didn't make any suggestions.  He's not been sick since Friday. He lost a lot of weight last week and vet said the lump wasn't obvious on 1st exam. No bloods taken as yet. His eyes are bright - no 3rd eye. He looks alert and is happy to be handled around his tum. Another vet appt on Tuesday evening but for now it's looking good.


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## Ianthi

Glad to hear he's better! Good to hear no mass detected initially. I suspect he's subdued after his stint at the vets!

Frankly, I am surprised the vet has run any bloodtests given the symptoms. There are other indicators of anaemia ie pale gums I wonder if this was the case here?

What are his suggestions so far?


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## LDK1

Glad to hear he's a bit better. It must be a bit frustrating not knowing what the actual problem was/is. Did the vet not give any potential reasons for his symptoms?

Best wishes and keep us posted


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## yapwest

Ianthi - have seen 3 different vets owing to continuity problems at the surgery. Will try to find out more on Tuesday's appt. Have successfully kept him indoors Sun/Mon but he has just vomitted and is also sneezing and has developed a watery eye. Apart from this his demeanour is much improved and he seems much brighter. All very strange.


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## yapwest

4 weeks since Charlie became poorly we are still in a cycle of him throwing up furballs, then retching bile for several hours afterwards. He then becomes subdued, sleeps or hides and won't eat/drink. He improves after having anti sickness jabs and starts eating again then after a few days the whole cycle starts again. He's been seeing the vet several days a week. The lump has moved slightly. He's lost a lot of weight. So another vet appointment on Monday with a view to investigative surgery on Tuesday.


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## Misi

Oh poor Charlie. I hope you can get to the bottom of this quickly. It all sounds rather worrying. Hope his surgery goes okay and you can get a diagnosis and him treated. Best of luck!


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## LDK1

Thanks for the update.

Have they ruled out the need for blood tests then and given you any idea as to why he was licking the path?

As Misi says, I really hope they find the cause soon as it's been ongoing for a while.

Keeping fingers crossed for you and your cat, best wishes.


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## yapwest

By Sat p.m. his anti sickness jab had worn off and as usual he started vomiting again at 2 hourly intervals. He looked so ill I didn't think he'd get through the night. He sleeps in our utility room at night and we got up Sun morning expecting the worst but he was lively and hungry for the first time in ages. He grazed throughout the day and wasn't sick. This morning he seems perfectly well. He has a vet appt this p.m. but hopefully they'll decide against surgery. So perhaps it was a furball that had accumulated over months which has finally passed - if so, we can now manage the situation with appropriate diet and medication. Will post again after vet appt.


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## yapwest

Charlie was put to sleep on Good (?) Friday. Blood tests proved inconclusive so he was to have a scan after Easter. Despite medication his symptoms continued. Some days he'd rally a bit and ate/drank but he was in very poor shape and was hiding under the bed most of the time. We'll never know if he had cancer but if the scan hadn't revealed cancer, he would have had surgery and the vet said he would have had to be opened up from top to bottom and was too feisty to cope with post-op collar/stitches/drugs. He was an 8 year old rescue cat which we adopted 9 months ago and it seems likely he was mistreated in the past resulting in him becoming aggressive when being handled. He would have been impossible to nurse after surgery. I am devasted at his loss which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Rosie, our 20 year old beautiful silver grey tabby who died 9 April 2011. I shan't be contributing to this forum again but my thanks go to those concerned who posted.


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## dagny0823

I don't know if you'll come back on here to check your thread, but I did want to say that I'm very sorry that Charlie didn't make it. It's heartbreaking when you try so hard for them, and they seem to rally, but in the end there's nothing really to be done. Sounds like Charlie had a rough life before he found you, so I'm glad that his final months were spent with people who loved him and cared for him, so he was happy at the end before he went to the Bridge.

RIP little guy. Run free chasing butterflies.


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## LDK1

yapwest said:


> Charlie was put to sleep on Good (?) Friday. Blood tests proved inconclusive so he was to have a scan after Easter. Despite medication his symptoms continued. Some days he'd rally a bit and ate/drank but he was in very poor shape and was hiding under the bed most of the time. We'll never know if he had cancer but if the scan hadn't revealed cancer, he would have had surgery and the vet said he would have had to be opened up from top to bottom and was too feisty to cope with post-op collar/stitches/drugs. He was an 8 year old rescue cat which we adopted 9 months ago and it seems likely he was mistreated in the past resulting in him becoming aggressive when being handled. He would have been impossible to nurse after surgery. I am devasted at his loss which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Rosie, our 20 year old beautiful silver grey tabby who died 9 April 2011. I shan't be contributing to this forum again but my thanks go to those concerned who posted.


What?! That's terrible! 

I'm am very, very sorry to read this. 

Take care.


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## Ianthi

I'm so very sorry ( and shocked ) to hear about Charlie. I had hoped for a better outcome for you both.

RIP Little Man


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## yapwest

Thanks guys. He was my 6th cat in 35 years. We had a good 7 months with him after he had learnt to trust us and he settled in really well. He was such a character and the most intelligent cat I've had and it was heartbreaking to watch him deteriorate so quickly. The vet wouldn't have euthanased him if she had thought there was any hope, but she and her colleagues were convinced nothing could be done for him. Our home feels quiet and empty without him - his ghost is everywhere.


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## LDK1

yapwest said:


> Thanks guys. He was my 6th cat in 35 years. We had a good 7 months with him after he had learnt to trust us and he settled in really well. He was such a character and the most intelligent cat I've had and it was heartbreaking to watch him deteriorate so quickly. The vet wouldn't have euthanased him if she had thought there was any hope, but she and her colleagues were convinced nothing could be done for him. Our home feels quiet and empty without him - his ghost is everywhere.


It's very difficult when you adopt a rescue cat/kitten regarding what his medical history might have been. I have two adult rescues. You did all you could, but the illness may well have been related to his past.

All you (or anyone) can hope to do is make sure he has the best life he can whilst he's with you - and I'm sure your cat would have been as happy as he could have been in the time he had 

When you're ready, you may want to give another cat the same opportunity of a better life 

Best wishes.


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