Question
Percy and Mountie
My boyfriend and I adopted a male cat, Percy, from a friend almost a year ago. She had to move back home and couldn't take him with her, and she that said when he was a kitten her boyfriend abused him (hit him, threw things at him, he has a permanent eye injury from a set of car keys). Not sure about his vet history or even his age because she didn't tell us too much (we're thinking he's a little over 2 years). We already had a male cat who is 3 old, and they get along well. Anyhow, he tries to climb in our laps and lick us non-stop. He is extremely affectionate and trusting of strangers; he will sit on anyones lap who stops by, but he just can't sit anywhere without licking. We love him, but can't eat, drink, use the laptop (of course he is here now) because he is always trying to be there. When we're sleeping, he climbs on top and tries to lick any exposed skin, so we usually have to lock him out. Unless HE is sleeping, we aren't safe! We've tried blowing in his face, flicking his nose a bit, flicking water at him, and usually end up pushing him to the floor but he comes right back. We're getting very frustrated and don't know what to do about it anymore. Please help!!
AnswerGayle,
It troubles me deeply to hear about the extent of abuse that this kitty has endured. I am concerned about the link between violence towards animals which has been shown to escalate to violence towards people. It is a good thing that this kitty lives in a safe environment because thousands of animals become victims of domestic violence every year. There is a sad, but solid link between animals who are abused and children or spouses who are the targets of violence. I have rescued a number of abused cats and kittens over the years. I have found that cats coming from situations like you describe tend to be fairly insecure. Percy may have some psychological damage from the physical and emotional abuse that he endured while living with one unpredictable human and another who was powerless to stop the abuse. The licking may be an obsessive or compulsive way that he has developed to deal with anxiety and tension in an unpredictable environment in his past. You could try offering Percy cat grass to chew on or even switching him to a hairball/indoor food formula, a couple of teaspoons of cooked squash, roughly one medium sized leaf of lettuce well washed, approximately 2 whole snow peas roughly chopped, or a tablespoon of canned pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie mix in the can, the pureed pumpkin that you would have to add eggs, spices,etc to make pie with it) sometimes a bit of fibre can help to alleviate the oral fixation and the veggies I mentioned tend to be well accepted by most cats. Sometimes these issues require more direct intervention so seeing if a holistic vet thinks that these issues can be treated with homeopathic and herbal remedies or even some dietary changes as well as conventional medicine is worth the effort. Medically you can try either asking your vet for a referral to an animal behaviorist and trying to start a behavioral program that will help to make licking less of a habit. Your vet may be able to do some blood work and tests to see whether the licking is a symptom that relates to a medical condition (although I doubt it stranger things have happened). You could also approach your vet about treatments with anti-anxiety/antidepressant drugs. I would recommend that you do your research before you make your decision to pursue treatment with psychotropic medications as they are not without risk or side effects. If you find that Percy's passion for licking extends to inanimate objects you can apply bitter apple or another similar product which will taste bitter and generally quell his need to lick objects. Sometimes cats who were weaned too early exhibit this behavior. If Percy wasn't weaned when he was taken from his mom it could explain the oral fixation that you describe. He may be acting similar to human children who suck their thumbs when they feel insecure. Generally it is fairly rare for cats to lick humans and when they do they are essentially giving accepting us into the cat world. I am concerned that if Percy has picked this habit up out of insecurity that locking him away from you may actually cause more anxiety and have the opposite effect of what you are hoping for. Another relatively inexpensive remedy that you can try is a homeopathic remedy called Bach's Rescue Remedy which is a blend of flower essences which is designed to soothe and reassure. Rescue Remedy can usually be purchased in health food/natural health stores. I recommend that you try a dosage of about 10 drops of Rescue Remedy in fresh water every morning. This remedy won't hurt Mountie and you may find that it is very helpful to Percy. Please feel free to keep me updated on how Percy's licking problem progresses as I would be interested in hearing what works to help him feel more secure. I am hoping that you are able to calm him sufficiently so that he doesn't feel the need to lick constantly. I do hope that this information helps. If you have any further questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me again.
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