# Any ideas on why my cat won't stop licking the wood burner?!



## AShetlandBitMeOnce (1 March 2022)

Pog (cat) won't stop licking the wood burner and I am wondering if this means she is likely to be deficient in something. I would blood test her as she's only started doing it in the last week or so, but she has to be sedated and it's a whole ordeal as she becomes murderous at the vets. I don't like to put her through too much as she's an old lady now.

Bit of history, she's coming up 23yo I believe and was traditionally fat her whole life but at the end of last year we discovered she had thyroid issues as she had lost weight so she is now on medication for that, she's slightly under weight now but nothing concerning. She also has metacam as and when she's looking a bit stiff. Eats well, very vocal still, as energetic as usual, normal poo and no vomit.

Does anyone have any ideas?


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## Pearlsasinger (1 March 2022)

I had a cat that licked the concrete floor in my porch.  Vet said that was a well-known sign of a mineral deficiency (sorry, it's years ago, can't remember what)  I would speak to your vet, they might know what it's a sign of, without a blood test.   I must admit that here it would be a sign of a dust addiction!


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## ycbm (1 March 2022)

Cast iron tastes sweet,  like sweet iron bits for horses,  I believe. 
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## PurBee (1 March 2022)

It might be pica - a habit of consuming/licking strange items due to (mostly) iron deficiency.

what are the colour of gums/inner eye line like?…pale-looking also suggests iron issues possibly. As a very loose visual cue.

Funnily enough, my male cat outdoor hunter, just been wormed for tape, and he started licking a cloth i have with my tools that recently was mostly used to wipe-up paint/decorators caulk….he was obsessed with it, so had to remove it. I wondered about pica/iron deficiency/parasites potential link. He eats so much wildlife/fresh blood i cant see how iron deficiency is possible really….Have you wormed yours recently?


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## SOS (1 March 2022)

ycbm said:



			Cast iron tastes sweet,  like sweet iron bits for horses,  I believe.
.
		
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Cats can’t actually taste sweet things. Well they can but they don’t register it… love weird cat facts. 

I would say either brought on by some sort of deficiency or it’s become behavioural. Is she prone to licking random things? My cat is very licky and likes to “clean” lots of things, especially clothes or pillows.

Is she on a complete diet? I’d guess so to make it to 23!


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## ycbm (2 March 2022)

SOS said:



			Cats can’t actually taste sweet things.
		
Click to expand...

Love this forum for learning new things every day! 
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## AShetlandBitMeOnce (2 March 2022)

Thanks everyone! She has monthly check ups for her thyroid medication so I’ll ask the vet to look into any deficiencies then. I also wont use the fire in the meantime!



SOS said:



			Cats can’t actually taste sweet things. Well they can but they don’t register it… love weird cat facts. 

I would say either brought on by some sort of deficiency or it’s become behavioural. Is she prone to licking random things? My cat is very licky and likes to “clean” lots of things, especially clothes or pillows.

Is she on a complete diet? I’d guess so to make it to 23!
		
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She has as many sachets of Felix wet food as she wants to eat, plus 24/7 access to Go Cat biscuits. Probably not the best diet but I just haven’t fixed what’s not broken.

she is licky but never usually to random objects so worth looking into I think


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## Micky (21 March 2022)

Its called Pica..google it, and chat with your vets on the phone, something else may or may not be going on with her..bloods and an examination would be needed..


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## Goldenstar (23 March 2022)

It might be the rough texture of the cast iron she likes .


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## AShetlandBitMeOnce (23 March 2022)

Goldenstar said:



			It might be the rough texture of the cast iron she likes .
		
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Possibly, she is a lickey cat but it just seems bizarre that she hasn't shown an interest in it in the last 10 years we have owned it, only in the last few weeks. 
I am inclined to think it has something to do with her Thyroid meds, she is due in for bloods soon so I am waiting for that result. She has also developed a bald patch on her back. She eats intermittently but is still a sensible weight, if not the fat she was all her life till now. I would be questioning QOL to be honest as she also has arthritis which is becoming more and more evident, but mum has last word on that and mine and her opinions on this are very different so it is what it is.


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