Licking
Licking:
If
a cat persists in licking a given part of its body, it probably
means that it has a wound, foreign body, or perhaps an abscess is
forming. The owner should examine the localized area to ascertain
what the problem is. Licking, however, is a normal technique of
self-grooming and is quite normal when not obsessively confined
to one area of the body.
Why
Does My Cat Lick Me?
Q:
Being a first time cat owner, I have a question: Why does my cat
lick me? Is it for salt or whatever taste is on my hands or is a
sign of affection or all of the above?
A: Yes, your
cat licking you can be "all of the above" but most often
it really is a sign of affection. Another way of showing affection
is gently biting on your nose or your face. Also, looking at you
and slowly blinking her eyes is a way of saying "I love you."
You can respond in the same way, if you want.
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Taste
and Your Cat
It appears, cats have a greater sensitivity to
taste than people. They have about twice the number of smell receptors
in their nasal passage the humans and have different culinary preferences.
While the nose provides information on the subtleties of odor and
flavor, it’s the tongue that does the
most of the work of tasting. On the tongue’s
surface their are tissues called papillae that hold many microscopic
clusters of taste-sensitive cells (taste buds). When your
cat eats a mouthful of food, its saliva dissolves some of the chemical
components in the food, including salts, acids, and sugars. The
taste buds detect these dissolved chemicals and signal the brain
by way of three pairs of cranial nerves. Because taste buds on different
areas of the tongue vary in their sensitivity to particular types
of chemicals, the brain can identify a taste based on the pattern
of signals it receives.
Your cat’s tongue has other talents
beyond tasting. It also senses texture and temperature and acts
as a ladle to pick up liquids and tiny food morsels. As with
all animals, during swallowing, muscles at the base of the tongue
pull on the hyoid apparatus, a set of small bones in the throat.
These bones then shift forward, closing off the windpipe with a
flap of tissue called the epiglottis.
The cat’s tongue has a rough surfaced
sandpaper texture. This is created by the stiff, curved filiform
papillae in the tongue’s center. This rough surface helps cats
during grooming. But this textured tongue also aids in feeding.
Wild cats use their tongues to remove feathers or fur from their
prey and to lick meat from the bones. Oddly enough, the only other
domestic animals that have raspy tongues are the vegetarian cow
and its relatives.
While we know quite a lot about the structure of the feline tongue,
we know considerably less about its tasting abilities. After all,
your cat can’t tell you whether it perceives something as sweet,
sour, or bitter. Nevertheless, scientists have tried to assess the
gustatory sensitivity of cats by training them to discriminate between
plain water and water mixed with sugar, salt, or some other substance.
The results of these taste tests suggest that cats can detect sour,
bitter, and salty tastes, but not sweet ones.
Cats appear to be sensitive to the taste of water itself. While
humans generally consider water to be tasteless, cats show a high
sensitivity to natural variations in water flavor. This may explain
why certain cats are picky in their drinking habits. Our family
cat, Kelly, will only drink running water from the tap. I know of
other cats that will drink only from unmentionable sources!
Do cats have a sweet tooth? Many people say their cats show a district
preference for sweet foods like ice cream, cookies, and fruit. .The
evidence may be misleading. The textures of these foods - called
mouth feel - may actually be more important that their taste. For
example, the desire for ice cream , may be due to its iciness and
creaminess - not its sweetness. It’s also possible that dessert-eating
cats are simply mimicking owner food preferences. Unfortunately,
owners don’t always set the best example for their cats. Many
human foods contribute nothing to feline nutrition and health -
and some foods may actually be harmful. Our hospital pet "Cricket"
loves cranberry juice, mandarin oranges, cranberry-orange muffins,
and of course cat food. Go figure!
As your cat goes about deciding which foods it likes, it weighs
several factors. The odor, taste, and feel of a food in the mouth
seem important . Cats will often choose foods with lots of meat,
a powerful aroma, a high fat content, a combination of soft and
crispy textures, and a temperature of about 98 degrees. This is
about the temperature of fresh killed mammals.
Cats also prefer variety in their diets. If they have a choice
between two equally palatable foods, one familiar and the other
unfamiliar, most will eat more of the new stuff - at least for a
few days. Eventually, of course, the new stuff becomes as mundane
as the old stuff. This feline preference for novel foods probably
explains why so many types of cat food on supermarket shelves. It
may also account for the "finicky" reputation of cats.
But this infamous dietary pickiness may be more fabled than real.
Most cats eat heartily even with only one item on their menu - unless
they are ill.
Although your cat may prefer variety, there’s a downside to
an ever-changing diet. Some cats may suffer indigestion or allergic
reactions after eating new foods. And animals with certain medical
conditions may need to stay on a prescribed diet. An occasional
change of pace is probably fine for healthy cats.
We recommend feeding the higher quality -priced cat foods. You
get what you pay for. The reasoning behind this is simple. Pet foods
that are less expensive are inconsistent in their ingredients and
probably are using more by-products and less quality protein sources.
I definitely would ask your veterinarian for recommendations as
to the type of foods they endorse. Feeding dry foods also may help
with your pet's dental needs by cleaning off some of the plaque
buildup.
If you’ve ever had such a bad cold that it totally clogged
your nose and sinuses and made your favorite curry dinner taste
like cardboard, you know that losing your sense of smell and taste
can put a real damper on your appetite. The same seems to be true
of cats.
If your cat is ill and stops eating, it could suffer serious repercussions
from even a mini-hunger strike. Cats that quit eating for several
days can become weak and dehydrated, and prolonged fasting can lead
to a condition called hepatic lipidosis, a dangerous accumulation
of fat in the liver. Therefore, if your pet has not eaten for several
days, see your veterinarian immediately.
To assist your sick cat in eating and, after consulting with your
veterinarian, you may attempt the following:
Feed a very smelly food, such as sardines, tuna, or liver.
Heat up the food slightly. This will increase the aroma.
Hand feed your cat.
If it still is not eating, seek veterinary immediately.
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