Cat licking slate

[rumpled]

My fat female cat, who is part goat, is now trying to eat the fireplace hearth. I checked for bugs, but no. Part of the stone is wearing away from her licking it. It is not really easy to remove access.

We call her the goat as she has chewed pieces off wooden chairs, eaten plastic, rubber bands etc. She loves envelope glue.

She is, of course, a poor eater in her own bowl but will polish off her brother's bowl in a heartbeat.

Anyone familiar with slate licking?

[nikkibonbon]

i have a fat cat who has also eaten or licked wood or plastic but never stone. i am no vet but maybe its a compulsive behavior from the boredom of living as an indoor cat. Have you ever watched that tv show my cat from hell? cats have all sorts of odd behaviors. has it made her sick? is she a strictly indoor cat? or maybe she has one of those strange addictions you hear people having when they are addicted to eating brick or chalk or what ever..also maybe she has a vitamin deficiency and so shes seeking something to fulfill her craving because the cat food esp from walmart is poorly made. i was walking through walmart and saw a sign yesterday that purina soft dog food has been recalled..scary. ive heard that the brand blue cat/dog food is what we should be feeding our pets.

[AnnieBrooke]

I would look at her main diet and buy a really well-balanced cat food.  I once had a friend whose cat was driving the family crazy with begging at the table, and it turned out he was giving her only hamburger and cream as a diet.  Once he gave her a more balanced diet (he actually consulted with the vet, but finally just bought a high-end cat food and also gave her a vitamin every day) she stopped begging.  She was in fact malnourished (though didn't look thin).  I only mention this because you say your cat is fat.  Fat is not always a sign of a diet that has everything in it that an animal (or person) needs.  It can be a sign of a diet with too many carbs and not enough protein, and possibly lacking in various vitamins, minerals and enzymes that kitty needs.  Also you could try sprinkling some enzymatic powder on your cat's food along with a good balanced cat food and a vitamin.  Good luck!

[Jade59]

Ha, here's the link I forgot to include...

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/unusual-cat-cravings

[rumpled]

Sounds right. Thanks. Agh. Hard to know what she will go after next.

[Jade59]

Hi there...it sounds like you may have a "Pica" kitty on your hands.  I'm sorry, I don't have time to go into detail, so here is an educative link for now...