# He's licking the walls?!?!



## chimes (Sep 4, 2009)

Today, for some strange reason, smith has started licking the walls in the flat. He seems to prefer just 3 areas, and I'm worried about him ingesting some dangerous chemical - yeah, they were painted over 2 years ago, but I certainly wouldn't like a tongue full of dried emulsion!

Why is he doing this?

and

Should I worry? I can't stop him doing it when I'm out, but...


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## arisilde (Oct 25, 2009)

You could get a kitty cone for when you leave so he can't physically reach the wall. I dunno why he's doing it though. My cat, after living in the apartment for six months, suddenly took a liking to my roomie's speakers. The only thing I could guess is that something's been spilled on it? Eventually Azuri (my cat) stopped licking it, but it took her two days to get out of that faze.


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## ChinaBlue (Feb 3, 2008)

Not sure if the link below will help.

Excessive licking

Could be your cat is bored or perhaps a bit stressed? Try a couple of plug in Feliway Diffusers.


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## tillysdream (Sep 23, 2009)

Hello! 

There can be several reasons for this behaviour...

Behavioural, Pica, stress or anemia (look into all of these).

I have a cat that likes to lick furniture, floors (gotta really watch which products I use), soap and my skin . Had all the tests done as I suspected anemia, but no it wasn't.... Its just something he does, when he can smell certain substances he is attracted to. 9 years down the line he still does it, but find he is attracted to surfaces treated with anything with ethanol glycol/propylene glycol which are members of the antifreeze family. REALLY toxic to cats, but they are attracted to the sweet taste/smell. 

Baby wipes, body lotions, shampoos, furniture polish and cleaning products (the list is endless) contain this, so I have to be very careful what I have used when he wants to 'lick' ....

Maybe you have cleaned your walls with a product, your cat is attracted to?


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## tillysdream (Sep 23, 2009)

arisilde said:


> You could get a kitty cone for when you leave so he can't physically reach the wall. I dunno why he's doing it though. My cat, after living in the apartment for six months, suddenly took a liking to my roomie's speakers. The only thing I could guess is that something's been spilled on it? Eventually Azuri (my cat) stopped licking it, but it took her two days to get out of that faze.


I think an elizabethan collar would be a bit cruel to put on a cat, while owners are out. Especially if turned out to be stress related, the collar would cause more stress imo. And cat would still be able to lick walls...


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## ChinaBlue (Feb 3, 2008)

Perhaps you could spray the particular area of wall he likes to lick with Bitter Apple Spray or a weak vinegar solution - though this obviously will probably leave your room smelling like a chippy!


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## chimes (Sep 4, 2009)

tillysdream said:


> Maybe you have cleaned your walls with a product, your cat is attracted to?


Ha! No, it's a new build (less than 3 years old), and they haven't been 'cleaned', as such.

Two earlier points - we suspect that when we got him he was maybe only 4 or 5 weeks old, rather than 6 as the owner said. So maybe he did leave his mum too early.
Also, he is on his own quite a lot each day - but I try not to leave him for too long at a time. At least until he's neutered.
He's been doing it again this morning. And he bit me when I was stroking him. Grrr:wink5:!


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## vickysheriff (Nov 3, 2009)

Try spraying some orange juice lightly on the walls. My cat HATES anything citrus-y!


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