Generally speaking, while cats are indeed adorable creatures, they would behave in a rather eccentric manner every now and then. Given the pet well-known reputation for unpredictability, you don't really have to worry too much about the quirky behaviors of your fluffy friend. Your cat have a compulsion to lick, suckle and chew blankets? That is a bit annoying but no big deal. However, in certain cases, there is a good chance that something is wrong if cats are repeatedly drawn toward nonfood items around the house. Prompt attention is essential in order to ensure that your pet is in good health.
"So why do cats lick blankets anyway?" you might wonder. In case you are searching for a straight answer, this article is for you. Right down below is all the information about wool sucking and fabric eating in cats that you need to know. Overall, a lot of things could make your cat become obsessed with licking and chewing blankets in its immediate vicinity. Nonetheless, once you get the hang of the fundamentals, it's not too difficult to do away with that behavior. just put what you learn here into practice and the situation would likely improve in a blink of an eye.
What Motivate The Average Cats To Lick And Chew Blankets
As mentioned above, there are multiple probable causes behind the cat's obsession with blankets. That also means the answer to the question of "why do cats lick blankets" varies greatly from case to case. Here are a couple of reasons why ordinary cats got attracted to blankets as well as fabric items in general.
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Pica Disorder
In case you don't know, pica is used to describe the urge of eating inedible items and pica in cats is far from uncommon. Most of the time, pica disorder signifies serious deficiencies in the current diets and urgent treatments are absolutely necessary. Without being treated properly, pica could form several blockages in the intestines and that is quite dangerous for your cats. Take your pet to a veterinary clinic if you suspect that it has pica disorder. Until the vet gives an all-clear, hide every item that your cat could chew on including the blanket to be on the safe side.
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Spilled Foods/Drinks
It goes without saying that cats have a keen sense of smell so they should be able to detect spilled foods and drinks with ease. Therefore, if you get your blanket stained with certain scents by mistake, your fluffy friend would jump on that piece of fabric whenever it could. Fortunately, this is easy to solve, all you have to do is to wash your blanket and that is it. If your pet keeps revisiting the blanket, you could spray the fabric surface with repelling scents so the cat is no longer draw toward it. Even better, make sure that the room is seal tight so the mischief-maker is simply unable to get to the blanket and cause problems.
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Anxiety
Once exposed to sudden changes and new environments, cats tend to feel stressed and they would do anything in order to relieve their anxiety somewhat. Most female cats repeatedly groom themselves and sometime the grooming might reach items that are located around them including blankets. To take care of the licking and the chewing, you must tackle the cat's anxiety first by playing with it. Cats crave unchanged routines and regular habits so if you look after your cats, things should get better after a short period of time. Consult with the vet if you ever consider using medications to reduce your pet anxiety.
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Express Happiness
While relaxing, cats often knead on anything that carries the scent of their owner and in many cases, your blanket just happens to be nearby. Among the answers to the question of "why do cats lick blankets", this is the considered to be worry-free. Since your cat would continue to knead throughout its life, some training sessions are needed if you want to keep your blanket safe and secure. Aside from that, there is literally nothing to worry about as your cat is not suffering from physical/mental ailments.
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Compulsive Behavior
Once you manage to eliminate all the causes above, you probably do have to accept that your cat just likes to spend time licking blankets. There is no special meaning behind it and overall, as long as the pets don't ingest the fiber strands, occasional licking is quite harmless. That being said, if you feel that the licking is causing trouble, you could always count on the vet to help you alleviate the problem. In many cases, a combination of specialized drugs and stress reduction exercises should cure compulsive licking without much difficulty.
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Stopping Your Cat From Licking Blankets: Top 5 Tips And Tricks
Now you know every answer to the questions of "why do cats lick blankets", let's check out some solutions.
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Spray The Blanket With Detergents
Cats have an excellent nose so if they detect weird aromas, they would likely not come close to your blankets. There are many choices but make sure you don't get bothered by the smell of the detergent you choose.
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Give Rewards For Good Behaviors
Hand out some treats whenever you see that your pet decides to leave the blanket alone while in its vicinity. That should let the cat know that if it refrains from licking and chewing the fabric, it would be rewarded.
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Cuddle Your Cat More Often
Incessant licking often caused by a sense of insecurity and by playing with your cat regularly, you should be able to eliminate the accumulated anxiety. Take things slowly at the beginning so you don't cause more stress by mistake.
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Set Up Some Vantage Points
Cats love observing from high places so if you could arrange vantage points throughout the house, your pet would stop paying attention to the blanket.
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Buy Chewing Toys For Cats
An easy way to make your fluffy friend leave your blanket alone is to give it a more attracting target. Nowadays, you could get chewing toys from many stores and if things proceed smoothly, they should keep your cat busy.
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