tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post9161761665896119547..comments2023-05-25T08:37:17.035-04:00Comments on Now I'm A Three-Legged Cat: Stressing outLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02062878945102029110noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3209764979934983124.post-32923624033003463672010-01-22T06:20:30.665-05:002010-01-22T06:20:30.665-05:00When Larky first arrived in our house, we noticed ...When Larky first arrived in our house, we noticed she had an obsession with licking even trying to suckle us. We thought it was down to weaning and she'd grow out of it. 2 years later she still licks and suckles my inner elbow. <br /><br />I've looked it up in a number of books (since I work in a library!) and the only reference I found to constant licking made a lot of sense, and sounds like it could be related to Bella and stress.<br /><br />They said that licking is linked to endomorphines in cats and it can produce a drug-like pleasure if they over-lick. And, once used to it, they will continue to do so. So it may be she's using the licking to override fear and stress, but that it may stick with her. No idea if it's true, but it at least someway explained that Larky is doing it for some weird reason completely unassociated with weaning (since we know she was weaned fully when we got her, and raised in a happy family group!)<br /><br />As long as I keep Larky's claws trim I can bear the licking, it's the milk treading that gets me every time!arbitraryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08971235851191808868noreply@blogger.com