Skin condition...or something worse?

[huskerlaw]

My 2-year-old cat, Riley, just started doing this: whenever I scratch his back (right on his spine, at the base of his tail) his head whips around, looking for the nearest lick-able surface, and he starts licking like a madman.

He stops the second I stop scratching him. And he looks really perplexed by his own behavior.

Is this some weird skin condition? Or...and I'm nervous because of the location here...something with his spine?

[MsTryska]

1. I dunno.....

but my cats both do this....

at first it was the base of the tail, and it turned out both were a bit dehydrated at the time because of the kibble they were on - but there coats showed it too.


but now, my older cat, when i get his spot (usually somewhere along his spine which he can't reach cuz he's fat) he'll lick me.

it might jsut be the nerve endings there - like we get uncontrollable giggles when someone touches our sides.

[Samurai_Writer]

2. It's a reflexive action

All my cats have done this, some more than others. My old momma cat, Nightmare, used to love to be scratched there.

[MaggieSwanson]

3. Damien does this, too.

If he can't find anything to lick, he waves his little head around with his eyes shut and a look of sublime happiness on his face.

I think of the licking as another reflex, like if you hit a dog's sweet spot and they scratch the air above your hand. Cats groom with their tongues, and often groom away an itch rather than scratching it.

[MaggieSwanson]

7. Here's my boy Damien...

[huskerlaw]

8. Awww

he's so cute!!

Thanks for your reply. :)

[sleepyhead]

4. Could be feline hyperesthesia.

Many cats are very sensitive in that area of their spine. Some find it pleasant to be petted or scratched there; others find it annoying. It's not pathological, just a hypersensitivity of the local nerve endings under the skin.

[demnan]

5. I'm sure this isn't the case with yours

but my cat Howard when I was young exibited the exact same behavior. It turned out that he had fleas and had an alergy to them that affected his skin. This was in the early 1970's. This was before the days of really good flea treatments, Howard was an indoor/outdoor cat and I was a teenager. I ended up having to bath Howard for his fleas and allergies. He was such a gentle cat, and I think it made him feel better and he let me bath him. But your cat may have a skin irritation that you need to see the vet for. Today they have better treatments for fleas, allergies and other things in cats than in Howard's day.

[huskerlaw]

9. Thanks for the reply

My cats are indoors only, so thankfully it's not fleas. I'll keep watching the area for any signs of irritation.

[mike_c]

6. I've had several cats that do this, including a couple of my current crew

One would whip around and lick/chew right where I was scratching, and I always joked that I could get him locked into a reflex loop if I got him to work just the right spot. Unless you're finding lots of scabs, damaged fur, or bare spots, I wouldn't worry about it.