My cat bites the carpet, not her leg. Is it bad behavior or health?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Havarti. It is good that you do not see any skin lesions. Increased licking or grooming can mean she is itchy. Many times this will lead to skin wounds or hair loss. If this is not the case, she could be nauseous. This can be demonstrated by increased licking, especially the carpet. Finally, licking can be a nervous habit. If her behavior continues, then I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. I hope this information helps!

Sometimes this behavior can be related to boredom, anxiety or a desire to play roughly. There are a few things you can do which may help. Try enriching her environment. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and/or switch the food to Royal Canin Calm. During the play time, if she seems like she wants to play rough, try to encourage her to wrestle with a stuffed animal. You may also try feeding her from a food puzzle and/or hiding food around the house for him to find. Most cats response best to combination therapy. The veterinarian can also prescribe medications which can help with behavior. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If there is no medical reason such as fleas or food allergy and it is behavioral there is medication to help. She may notice another animal or cat outside that is new that is stressing her out and causing her to do this more, There may be a new neighbor with a dog that she smells passing by the door increasing her anxiety. You can start with feliway diffusers and sprays to help in side the apartment. You can also talk to your vet about anxiety medication to start her on to decrease this behavior.

Hello. This could be a behavioral issue, or a behavioral issue plus paronychia ( skin infection around the nail/claws ). Even though you do not see anything unusual, a veterinarian can examine the skin, do a skin impression to see if there is a population of bacteria or yeast organisms present around the nail beds. An appropriate treatment can then be started. Often, this could also be an indication, & the only evidence of, an allergy. Allergies can come from the food or the environment & can be challenging to distinguish in cats with mild symptoms. So it is very helpful to get professional help with this. Good luck & thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello. The last time I saw a situation like this, we x-rayed the leg & saw a BB shot pellet ( & no, these little shot pellets of leave no or a very tiny wound ). Once removed, the chronic irritation & infection completely cleared up. So get this x-rayed to see if something is indeed there. If not, it could be some other foreign material that may respond well to antibiotics. Good luck & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Your kitty is likely a nervous or stressed cat, especially if stressful events (new neighborhood cat, new boyfriend, new baby, mvoing, removing or adding furniture, new puppy , etc.) have happened before she started the excessive licking. This licking pattern would be typical for overgrooming. Your vet needs to rule out parasites, fungal and bacterial infections. If there is none of these then you can try to help your cat by removing anything stressful in the house that can be removed and placing Feliway dispensers in the areas she spends most of the time. Feliway is a pheromone that makes cats happy and takes away stress. You will need to do this for at least two months before you will see success. If this does not work, then your vet can do some medication trials to see whether she will stop the overgrooming.

I would be concerned such a dramatic change in character could be due to pain and discomfort such as from spinal, dental or arthritis pain. A full physical exam is recommended as soon as possible. Try to monitor and see if any particular actions are triggering the behavior as this may narrow down the possibilities