What, if anything, is the meaning of my cat's new behavior (see details)?
Asked by
wildpotato (
15224
)
April 7th, 2013
from iPhone
He is eight years old. In the last three days he’s begun licking his front paws and legs furiously whenever I scratch his back by the base of his tail. He’s always loved being scratched at that spot, and has always done the bow-down, but this frantic and seemingly compulsive paw-licking is new and quite weird. Is it just a cat thing, as this board suggests? Or is he trying to tell me he needs his anal glands expressed, or something?
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
6 Answers
I think he probably does need to go for a good checkup. I wouldn’t begin to know how to diagnose this behavior, but clearly something is bothering him. My cat is 11, and whenever he starts exhibiting unusual behavior for more than a few days, I take him to he vet.
My old cat used to do the same thing! When she was really young she fell off the fridge and permanently damaged her tail/butt area. Ever since then when she was scratched or even just petted near that area, she licked her paws furiously, almost obsessively. Judging from my experience with her, it could be a sign that your cat is in pain around that area. I’d definitely take him to the vet. Good luck, keep us updated!
I just came to say the same as @mangeons (who is my daughter). Our kitty did that when she was unhappy with whatever we were doing, and in that particular case, she was unhappy because it hurt. :(
This kind of behavior is called displacement activity.
from wikipedia
Displacement activities occur when an animal experiences high motivation for two or more conflicting behaviours: the resulting displacement activity is usually unrelated to the competing motivations. Birds, for example, may peck at grass when uncertain whether to attack or flee from an opponent; similarly, a human may scratch his or her head when they do not know which of two options to choose. Displacement activities may also occur when animals are prevented from performing a single behaviour for which they are highly motivated. Displacement activities often involve actions which bring comfort to the animal such as scratching, preening, drinking or feeding.
In this case it may be a response to pain while being stroked by you. It hurts, triggering defensive mechanisms, yet the cat cannot show those reactions with you.
It may not hurt to check with a vet to see if the cat has a reason for pain in that area where you scratch it.
Response moderated
I would never try to explain feline behaviour. I would nonetheless take the creature to a vet for assessment.
Answer this question 
This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.
Composing members:
0
