Comments on: My cats know I'm made of meat!!

Question: My cats know I'm made of meat!!

Mutant — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:32:01 -0800

Potentially gross question about two cats that like the taste of human flesh.

So Mrs Mutant & I adopted two kittens last February.

Black, female, affectionate, playful, keep the rodents at bay, all good cat stuff.

One small concern: both cats like the taste of my flesh.

Mrs Mutant & I both like to use our MacBooks while chilling before sleep. Perhaps three months ago we noticed that both kittens, while lying on our bed with us, would for long periods of time sniff my toes (it gets grosser).

Then we noticed (well, I noticed) a few nights later that each would try to nibble on my toe flesh. Repeatedly. Not trying to bite off chunks of flesh, but careful, small cautious nibbles of the flesh. Seems like they both pay the most attention to the space in between my toes, but each will bite and nibble and lick (warned you it was gross, but there is worse) my feet for as long as I let them.

Very insistent, very focused on my toes, I've been woken up by their behaviour.

So what's up?

I've been around cats most of my life. I've never seen this before. About the only possible thing I can think of is my time working in the Sub Saharan African jungles; I caught more than one nasty bug and did at one time have some (colourful and thus cool) fungus growing on my toes.

But the fungi have long been evicted as I took the cure (which made me pretty sick as well) so I'm not sure if fungus is a viable hypothesis.

Any ideas? Oh yeh, both cats like my toe nail clippings. So much so they come running when I unzip the manicure kit. Now I've gotta clip my nails behind closed doors, otherwise they push each other out of the way in an effort to consume my clippings (final grossness).

As they get larger do I have to be even more concerned? Or is there a simple explanation beyond, "secretly in their primal hearts, your cats know you are made of meat" ?

By: KokuRyu

KokuRyu — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:39:04 -0800

You should be pleased because these kittens have bonded with you - it seems like your kittens have not been weaned, and have mistaken your toes for teats. This behaviour is pretty normal, generally kittens outgrow it as they grow into cats...but sometimes they don't. Heh.

By: fire&wings

fire&wings — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:40:47 -0800

They are probably

A) Showing affection

B) Finding your feet satisfyingly salty

It's probably a form of suckling/kneading.

By: chesty_a_arthur

chesty_a_arthur — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:41:53 -0800

Both my cats have this, always have. They both grew up bitey but adorable. They can't sleep in our bedroom though, because we like to sleep without steel-toed boots.

By: arnicae

arnicae — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:44:36 -0800

My vet says that ours does it for the salt. Mine tries to eat HIS OWN toenail clippings and the vet says that is normal and a "non-easily digestible form of protein" so not to worry.

By: Rock Steady

Rock Steady — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:47:33 -0800

Yup, it seems to be a salt thing. One of our cats really likes to lick us when we are sweaty.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:49:53 -0800

Nthing salt. They'll lick the back of your hand, too.

By: Fiasco da Gama

Fiasco da Gama — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:55:30 -0800

Definitely salt. I have to keep my partner's family's cat away from my motorcycle helmet, otherwise it gets full of the smell of a licking cat.
A cat-smelling closed-face motorcycle helmet is very unpleasant.

By: desuetude

desuetude — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:59:23 -0800

Foot smell is irresistible to cats. ZOMG dirty socks are best evar.

By: Ostara

Ostara — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:59:32 -0800

You may find this web site useful in evaluating your cats' behavior:

How to tell if your cat is plotting to tell you.

It seems like you may have a dire situation on your hands .... er, feet.

By: jamaro

jamaro — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:12:34 -0800

My two older cats do the toe thing and occasionally I find one or the other with his/her head shoved deep into my SOs shoes, huffing madly. You'll probably also find them happily chewing up any used emory boards you leave laying about.

Wait until your cats discover the kitty-crack of human ear wax. It feels like they are trying to take a core sample of your brain.

By: mostlymartha

mostlymartha — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:36:32 -0800

My kitty loves to vigorously lick and nibble my armpits, especially if they're a little sweaty. She also thinks my bras are in some way delicious and fascinating. I've always guessed it was a combo of salt and pleasant, pheromey human stink that motivates her. Also, yeah, ear wax on either used q-tips that she pulls out of the trash or ear plugs. Let's just assume it's salt and not them plotting the day they finally decide to rebel and eat our tasty flesh.

By: media_itoku

media_itoku — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:12:23 -0800

Ditto jamaro - my cat has a (gross) thing for earwax too. They are aliens with their own inexplicable desires. Maybe they are just trying to get closer to their "pride" or something and this is the way they like to do it - surround themselves in the distinct smells of their family.

By: amtho

amtho — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 20:46:33 -0800

I've had cats forcefully shove their heads inside my shoes. Does that count?

By: exphysicist345

exphysicist345 — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 21:37:33 -0800

They are expressing their affection for you, the loving little kitties.

However, (just as with children) you have to set boundaries for them, as to what's OK for you, and what isn't. For example, licking, nibbling, OK, but biting or drawing blood, NOT OK. Just be firm and consistent with them and they will learn just where your boundary is. This will prevent them from making human flesh their preferred cat food.

By: spamguy

spamguy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:31:48 -0800

My cat loves to suck on me. Especially when I'm trying to work. Apparently i haz a flavr.

By: scarello

scarello — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:51:05 -0800

My old cat tried to eat my eye once. It means they are in love.

By: Nightwind

Nightwind — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:14:49 -0800

Yeah, some cats really like our taste. On of my work colleagues has a cat that just loves to sniff and lick his worn shirts. Yesterday I found my cat vigorously licking a used q-tip that she had fished out of a trash can. Some kind of ear wax fetish I guess. Yuck!

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:20:43 -0800

My own cat was into feet and shoes for a while too. A couple years later he just sort of grew out of it and took up sleeping in the sink instead. Then he gave that up for obsessing over emory boards.

Cats just have some weird habits sometimes.

By: radioamy

radioamy — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 07:35:22 -0800

If you want to try to break the kitties of this behavior, you need to tell them in "kitten-speak" that they're hurting you. When they do the toe-biting, make a high-pitched "yelp" and pull away. This is the same noise a fellow kitten makes to signal "Ouch! Playtime just became paintime!" Keep doing this and they will get the picture.

By: misanthropicsarah

misanthropicsarah — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 08:18:56 -0800

nthing the salt thing. my kitties lurve licking my hands and arms for the salt. and one of the cats has a severe infatuation with stinky shoes. gross, but also hilarious.

By: Faithos

Faithos — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:56:14 -0800

My kitteh loves, loves, loves earplugs because of the earwax. I have to hide them from her. And she'll give my face a tongue bath as long as I will let her when I come home from the gym. It's got to be a combination of the salt and your flavr.

By: Soulbee

Soulbee — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 10:56:32 -0800

earwax wholly crap am i glad my cat doesn't want anything to do with my earwax. i had a kitten that used to like to suck on my hair which was kind of weird but that's about it.

By: mistsandrain

mistsandrain — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:50:15 -0800

My cat loves the taste of the top of my head. Not the sides, not the back, the top.

By: epersonae

epersonae — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:24:14 -0800

A friend's cat goes berserk for my jackets, backpacks: anything that's been in my armpit for a long time. She's done that for years and years; it's quite funny.

Also, depending on how they lick/suck, it may also be a weaning thing. One of our cats used to constantly try to suckle mr. epersonae's neck, and she's the one who does the treading thing the most. (We call it "pillow autism" because usually she goes into this fugue state on a pillow. Sometimes on chests/stomachs/backs as well.) Our guess has always been that she was insufficiently weaned.

By: korpios

korpios — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:40:18 -0800

One of our cats loves to lick my earlobes; I have both of mine pierced, and I get the feeling that she finds the plasma on my hoops to be a treat. :p

By: desuetude

desuetude — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:07:30 -0800

korpios, at least it's just your ears. My cat loved to nibble on my nipple rings. Which is a VERY VERY INAPPROPRIATE THING TO DO TO A SLEEPING PERSON.

By: EmpressCallipygos

EmpressCallipygos — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 14:35:36 -0800

My cat loved to nibble on my nipple rings. Which is a VERY VERY INAPPROPRIATE THING TO DO TO A SLEEPING PERSON.

I own the fact that this is a bit of a digression, but desuetude, my cat and a former roommate have your story beat --

My former (male) roommate had a kind of lacksadaisical atittude towards keeping his bedroom door closed, and had a very warm room -- and thus often slept naked without sheets.

One morning my roommate was sleeping in and I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day, when I suddenly heard a shriek coming from his room. I ran out in time to see my cat run out of my roommate's room. "What happened?" I asked, running to my roommate's door and looking in.

My roommate was sitting on the edge of his bed, totaly naked, his hands pressed protectively over his groin. He looked up at me and all he said was, "...your cat just found a new toy."