Why Is My Cat Licking The Floor. Licking the floor could be a sign that your cat is stressed, anxious, or bored.
However, this may be normal behavior for your pet and could simply indicate that she’s attempting to get your attention with her actions since cats and other animals interpret the human responses as reinforcement.
If this is the case and your cat has been licking the floor for a few weeks now, this behavior may develop into an infection.
Where she feels compelled to lick any surface she comes into contact with including fabrics, clothes, and anything else that might draw her attention more than originally intended.
Why Is My Cat Licking The Floor
Cats are known for their strange and downright bizarre behaviors. Not all cats, of course, but there is an element to our feline friends that gets them involved in some very peculiar habits. Oddly enough, however, it never fails to make anyone wonder what the reasoning behind those kitty-cat attitudes is. Sure, licking a smelly old shoe would make any dog a little weird-looking when one could go for something a lot more appealing.
Nevertheless, cats can’t help but do the things they do and this is especially true when it comes to some of the rather odd things that occur when cats lick.
Cleaning Product
Although not typically an issue for humans, cats’ fascination with floor cleaners can be problematic.
Cats seem to be attracted to Bleach which means there could potentially be harmful chemical spills if a cat were to ingest drain cleaners and floor cleaning products.
If you have any issues with cats, we suggest avoiding using these types of cleaning products entirely.
We at Caloric lick recommend using household cleaners that are safe for your pet’s natural condition such as gentle scrubs or mild dishwashing liquid.
Flavor
Hopefully, you’ll agree with me that licking the floor isn’t appealing to anyone’s taste buds. Cats and dogs, for example, have very diverse appetites.
Their well-honed senses can detect earthy scents that will pique their curiosity, such as composite flooring. Concrete flooring, like plastic bags, can contain substances that your cat finds enticing, or they can taste minerals, salts, and moss.
Flooring Materials
If a cat is attracted to the smell of plastic, wood, or cement, the material is not going to please the pet. Some cats are very particular about their food.
They refuse certain things. Often they may even turn up their noses at some new additions to their diet – this is normal and they will learn to like it in time with patience and persistence on your part.
Thirsty
Cats may lick the floors if they are thirsty, or if there’s a small amount of liquid or condensation on the ground. One of mine will also lick a plate on top of a sink even though she has a water bowl.
This is because sometimes they don’t like their water bowls and I know others who prefer plant leaves to their water bowls although make sure they always have clean fresh drinking water available to them since this shouldn’t be considered as an alternative.
Something Yummy On Floor
You can bet that if you drop food on the floor, your cat’s not going to stay away from it. In fact, she’ll probably dig in once the food has moved on.
It’s a known fact that cats have an extraordinary sense of smell and some would say even more than average humans.
My cat sometimes gets raw chicken offcuts as a treat. They often end up dragging the chicken chunks from their bowls onto the tiled floor.
Unsurprisingly, once the chicken is gone, they start licking the tiles which apparently still somehow taste like chicken.
Final Words
It is usually more than common for pets to lick their paws, so pet owners are expected to be aware of this fact and do not jump to conclusions about any potential health concerns that may arise. Pet owners should record the frequency or what else happened before or after the licking of feet. One diary example is keeping track of when in the day your dog tends to show signs of licking as well as how long it lasts and what might have triggered this behavior.