Cat Cleaning Itself
My boy cat has an issues with over cleaning or violent grooming. He can go into it at anytime but I also noticed if I stroke my cats back he starts to clean himself savagely. whenever I stroke, pet or scratch my cats back he begins to salivate and then starts cleaning itself very hard. I have seen cats clean themselves before and this is not the same. Almost if Kitty is attacking himself with his tongue. When he is in the process the only thing that can break his attention is a spray from the water bottle. I have tried a few things like if I hold him from cleaning himself he will just poke the tongue in and out and in and out. This is some very odd feline behavior. I have had a few cats in my day and have not seen anything like this before. Has any cat owners seen this or have any Ideas about treatment options.
Comments for Cat cleans itself savagely
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Cat that is under cleaning by: Anonymous I have a slightly ditsy ginger tom called Henry who is very affectionate. Demands attention at all times. Gets very jealous of any attention given to my two Scottish wild cats and my mobile phone strangely. However he is a constant source of amusement and frustration. Every-time he goes out though he comes back filthy and it can be days before he cleans himself. I don’t have this issue with the other two. Has anyone else experienced this and found a way to encourage him to groom. He’s 2 now so no longer a baby.
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Sorry to hear by: Becky Hi, I’m sorry to hear that; it really does sound as though she had OCD bad. What a great shame for you, your husband and your family. It’s completely understandable though, if the family is scared of her, then she’s not much of a family pet (and unfortunately in severe cases like this, family does have to come first, as well as the health of the animal). I hope that this does not put you off more cats, as they really can be wonderful pets.
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The Answer – Cat OCD by: Becky I too have a cat which has ‘OCD’! My kitty, Tom who is now 4 & 1/2 years old, will often (no nearly the whole time he is awake), sit down and clean himself from top to bottom; he will also do this if anyone strokes him and gives him love (even though he wants to be loved)… So, looking into this and speaking to my vet, I have been told he suffers from OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). Now when I first heard this I thought my vet had gone mad, but, if you look at the facts, it is true! My kitty had a very bad start in life; shortly after he was born he contracted a server case of cat-flu, which left him blind for 2 weeks. I rescued him when he was 6 months old, and he has always cleaned and licked himself since the day he came home. He does this as way of relaxing himself and finds comfort in doing so. He would have most certainly started doing this when he was very young due to health issues and the stress he was under.Don’t worry, this is perfectly fine and he should be allowed to do so, for as long as he wants. The only time that this should be a cause for concern, is if he is licking so much that he has bald patches or starts to have skin problems; if this occurs you should take him straight to your vet. However, you should probably take him anyway if this is concerning you. I hope this helps.
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Cleaning itself by: Anonymous It is Kitty OCD obsessive compulsive disorder. LOL
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weird licking cleaning behavior by: Anonymous I have had several cats that do this. If you’re touching them on the base of their tail or their hindquarters, you’re likely hitting a sensitive spot and kind of overstimulating them. Not a big deal, but be careful because some cats will get so overstimulated they’ll turn around and bite or scratch.
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Cat cleans itself savagely (possible explanation) by: Phineas My name is Phineas and I do this savage licking as well. I don’t do it all the time?primarily during the spring and fall. My vet thinks that I might be having an allergic reaction to pollen and molds, which explains why it happens in the spring and fall. She tried to give me Benadryl but I foamed pink at the mouth, went glassy eyed, and scared my humans to death. They haven’t done it to me again and we aren’t sure what to do next. I know that they are disturbed by this behavior but I can’t help it and once I start, I can’t stop.
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Petting Trance by: Anonymous My cat hides in the my bedroom and when I go to into the bathroom, she comes straight to where I am and wants me to pet her,when I scratch her on the back and base of tail, she starts with the tongue going in and out and falls into a trance with the pupils of her eyes becoming little slits. She meows and gets real stiff…and sometimes she meows so loudly that I mimic her and she sounds like she’s saying “momma”. She will mimic me back. She also has bitten me once very hard out of reflex I think of the scratching feeling so good. She twitches her tail at me to scratch her and when I do, she turns herself around and faces me and starts the trance thing…she falls over many times and just lays there while I finish scratching her…then she gets up and continues meowing until I do it again…it’s very comical. Is this normal?
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cat reaction by: Tasha Maybe your cat is reacting to a hand soap or lotion that you use. If I am putting on hand lotion, my cats will smell my hands and recoil.