# Licking artificial coals



## Emma Rose (Dec 10, 2015)

For a while now my cat has been licking the artificial coals in our fire. None of our other cats do this (we have three in total). He is about 5 years old - possibly 6, and eats whiskers cat food. I was wondering if this is a behavioural thing or if it was something to do with his health.

Any suggestions would be great because we don't know what to do.

Side note: if this effects anything, he often pees outside the litter box on clothes and shoes.

Thanks!


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello @Emma Rose and welcome 

From what I can gather artificial coals are often made of vermiculite, an inorganic, sterile, non-toxic material which is capable of holding water. I wonder if your cat is licking the coals to get moisture off them? The moisture would be released into the coals by the burning of the gas.

Hopefully you mean he eats Whiskas pouches and not Whiskas dry food? Even so, Whiskas wet food is not a great food, as it contains grains as fillers and added sugars, which cats do not need. But it is balanced in terms of vitamin and mineral content, so unless your cat is underweight or has other symptoms such as e.g. poor coat condition, his habit is probably not caused by his diet. Though no doubt he might benefit overall from having a better quality wet food.

There is a condition called Pica, where the cat licks or eats unusual objects (some of which can be harmful). Does he eat or lick anything else odd?

The peeing outside the litter box could be due to him avoiding the box because he associates it with discomfort. Have you had him checked by the vet for a urinary tract infection ? Or he may have feline cystitis. Peeing on soft items such as clothes or bedding is common where there is cystitis.

Or he could be soiling as a means of scent marking as a stress response to the other two cats he lives with. How does he get along with the other two cats and how long have you had him, compared with the other two cats?

If he _is_ scent marking then the cause will be competition with the other two cats for resources and territory. To try and resolve it you would need to provide multiple resources, so the cats do not feel so much in competition with each other. This means plenty of litter boxes, and spread them around the house.

For 3 indoor cats you should be providing 4 litter boxes already, as that would be the minimum required. But as one of the cats has the soiling problem I would provide 5 litter boxes. They need not all be large boxes, as long as they are spread around in 5 different areas.

Other resources to supply several of are water bowls, cat beds, scratching posts and pads (several in every room), high up places to sit (e.g. tall cat trees or shelves up the wall), and attention/affection from their human companions.

There should also be 3 separate feeding stations, if not in separate rooms, then at different heights in the same room. Your cat who is soiling might feel happier being fed on a table or worktop, out of sight of the other two cats.


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## Emma Rose (Dec 10, 2015)

Thanks for responding!

To answer your questions, we usually keep the tap in the bathroom dripping because they like to drink running water. We also leave out some normal water.

He does eat the whiskas pouches, so I shall look into getting some better quality food. We also leave out some Iams dry food that the other cats don't like as much as he does. I know that a cats stomach is designed for wet food, but this is I case they are hungry when we are out.

Besides licking the coals, he sometimes licks the sofa. I haven't noticed him eating else anything out of the ordinary.

We have an older male cat who we took in first, and then we got a female cat and the male cat who I have been talking about a year after the first. He doesn't tend to fight apart from play fighting with the female.

I have read and re-read all your tips and will try them out,
Thanks for all the help!


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

My April licks plastic bags


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Cookieandme said:


> My April licks plastic bags


I believe cats licking plastic bags is not uncommon, and the theory is that one of the chemicals used in the manufacture apparently has a slightly meaty smell to it. I caught two of my cats in the past licking plastic bags (clean ones) they'd fished out of the recycling bin, and then trying to eat them! I am very careful nowadays how I dispose of plastic bags.


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## Cookieandme (Dec 29, 2011)

I leave a pack of nappy sacks on the worktop for the disposal of litter and she licks those, if a plastic bag is peeping out of the pedal bin, licks that as well. As for the meaty smell - very odd for a cat who will only eat pork


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