# Licking: Blinds, Leather, Duffel Bags, etc.



## lucidblue (Aug 1, 2005)

Hi. I'm new here. I have an almost 4 year old female Bengal cat. Her name is Ripley. In the last year or so, she has started to lick the blinds. She does it continuously and it's extremely annoying. Recently, she started doing it when I go to bed (for years she has just gone right to bed when I do, but not lately). Why would she be doing this?

Also, my boyfriend's cat will continuously lick leather coats, duffel bags... really anything that makes a noise. Nothing he does will get his cat to stop. 

Anyone have the same problem or know what could be causing this?

Thanks


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## Meowmie (Jun 4, 2005)

Since something like this can be health related or behavior related, first it might be a good idea to have both cats checked out by the vet (get a physical exam and have some bloodwork done) to make sure anemia or a blood disorder is not involved. If they get a clean bill of health, then take a look at the diet, it may not meet all their nutritional needs. Changing to better quality food may bring improvement in the behavior. 
If you still have to work on the problem, then after that you may have to concentrate on the behavioral aspects. The behavior may just be the result of boredom, a fascination with certain materials, or it can be a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive disorder. 

In many cases just not having access to certain items will solve such problems, so make leather coats, duffel bags, etc inaccessible.
I'm not sure how much good treating the blinds with deterrents would do, but it may be worth a try.

In addition to a health check, improved diet, and putting away items and treating items with deterrents, you can also try daily play sessions (with particualr attention to a play session right before bedtime) with both cats to give the cats something fun to do and to tire them out. 

If none of these measures make any difference, please ask your vet to refer you to a behaviorist for professional help and advice.


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## katgrl82 (May 31, 2005)

I have a cat that used to lick the blinds too, I don't know why. Ever since we moved into a new house, he has stopped this. He also used to lick the speakers too. Watching him lick the blinds was kinda funny, but weird too because he would sit on the window sill and lick the inside of the blinds, so you could see this kitty tongue licking away through the blinds.


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