Obsessive licking when hungry

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Justyn

Justyn

Member Since 2016
Hi all, my sugar cat Socks has been a licking things since he's been diabetic - anything of any sort of plastic (and now glass) he licks and licks and licks... He licked things a tiny bit before diagnosis (like plastic bags once in a while), but has increased SO much with his journey of Diabetes.. Seems that the only time he's obsessively licking things is a few hours prior to his feeding schedule of every 12 hours. He hardly ever licks things in the first 6-8 hours after eating.. I sure wish I could feed him three times/day, but his sugars are so confusing as it is that im still trying to get him regulated.

I haven't updated his numbers but I check his BG before every shot.. Lately he's been ranging from around 260 PS, to (possibly bouncing) of 500 PS. No Ketones though!

ANYWAY, does anyone else's cat do this? His sugars have been higher in the PS readings lately, and it seems like he's been licking more - so i don't know if he's licking because his sugars are high, or if licking plastic could be contributing to higher sugars because I read that most plastics are made with corn starch or something corn-based, and corn is carbs... I have literally tried hiding every plastic in our house, and didn't see different results exactly, but he could have still been finding some (like the tags on an extension cord) that i didn't cut off yet..
 
My cat will lick the salt on the basement walls when he's dehydrated, he's doing it a lot less since his BS are normal. Usually it's a sign to me that hes sugars aren't well controlled. The excessive peeing that they do when they are hyperglycemic makes them lose a lot of salt and can make them lick random things in an effort to get salt.
 
Poor little guy. Pica in cats is the urge to eat or lick or non food items. It's not uncommon. From pets.webmed.com -"Cat pica is also associated with feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus and it may be triggered by conditions like diabetes or brain tumors." It can also be caused by dietary deficiencies. Basically the body is craving something and will turn to eating/licking non nutritional items in search of what is is lacking. Sometimes it is just behavioral though too.
I personally had pica when I was severely anemic, I chewed ice day and night, which I later learned was a symptom of anemia. I would sit there in the middle of winter, all bundled up, even wearing a scarf around my neck inside the house, just chewing on cold ice. Horrible craving.
Maybe if you think it's due to hunger, you can give him a small snack between feedings to see if it it helps. Most believe several small meals a day is better at regulating the BG than 2 large meals a day anyway.
I would worry about any chemicals on the plastics he could be ingesting too. I thought most plastics were oil based.
 
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Your cat is not unique. My girl does the same thing. She has licked the outside packaging of paper towels, plastic bags etc. when she's been ravenous. She doesn't do it most of the time but if she is low or higher than usual, that's definitely one of the clinical signs I see.
 
Thank you all for the replies, wasnt notified via email so didnt seem them until now! My poor babe's sugars are still not controlled after 6 months... we think there's something underlying thats affecting them, as ive had him on different low carb foods and all still end up producing high readings/bounces... I have noticed that he licks crazily when his sugars are high, and its a nice indicator when he's not licking - as his BGs are usually around that 300 level pre-shot.. He's not peeing large amounts anymore and not hanging around the water bowl so i think hydration-wise he's ok, but may be a combination of Pica and behavioral habits. Not a bother but just curious why he's been doing it - glad to hear im not the only one with a licky-cat!
 
its good that you can see a correlation between hunger and licking funny things. it doesnt sound like its dry mouth, though its possible, but you say there seems to be no deyhdration so i'm thinking its more to do with food.

i too suggest snacks or small meals in between meals. mr b is a grazer and that seems to work better for us. when i've pulled his food and given him scheduled meals, our BG doesnt fare any better, so we stick with grazing.
 
oh wow, defintely would like to try that... mostly have tied his food with his shots.. his BGs have been so confusing.. updated my spreadsheet..
 
Boo also chews plastic stuff like garbage bag strings or christmas ribbon bows when he's very hungry. I feed him 6 or 7 times a day so it doesn't happen very often any more.
 
I've read here about these behaviours in the past:

Squalliesmom said:
I have had several cats who did this, and one who would actually eat the chips, too, if she got the chance! As far as thin plastic bags go, the bags they use in grocery stores are coated with a very thin layer of animal fat to help keep them from sticking together; apparently cats must be able to smell it, it certainly attracts them! I have a civvie who will eat them, she will also eat the gel pads that grocery store butchers put under meat when they package it. I have to be super vigilant to make sure she can't get them - she will go garbage-diving for them!
Click to expand...

Another thread mentioning the subject:

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dial-anti-bacterial-soap.160662/


Mogs
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My civvie (same one who eats bags) has decided that the "snow cloth" that we use under the Christmas village and the manger is a great treat. I have had to trim off any of it that was hanging down, and now she is noshing her way through the village proper. I am terrified she's going to end up with a serious blockage.
 
Yikes. Might be time to put away the village.

People with cats eating unusual things... Try putting a bit of b-12 methylcobalamin sprinkled on the food. Might help if their hct levels are dipping toward anemeia and causing pica.
 
JanetNJ said:
Yikes. Might be time to put away the village.

People with cats eating unusual things... Try putting a bit of b-12 methylcobalamin sprinkled on the food. Might help if their hct levels are dipping toward anemeia and causing pica.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll try that! She eats all sorts of weird things, she scares me to death!
IMG_1631.JPG IMG_1634.JPG
And, as you can see, she also eats in some very strange positions!
 
Thanks for all the replies, and oh my gosh that is just the funniest eating position ive seen! My bub Socks gets VERY lick-y the half hour prior to food time but its been manageable!
 
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