# Curious Cat Cravings **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 20, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-cat-cravings/490219 "2009-03-20T22:12:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![schatzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@schatzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schatzi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-cat-cravings/490219/1 "2009-03-20T22:12:17Z")
My two cats have been seen lately licking dirt for long periods of time lasting up to 5 min. At first I thought it was just one of them, and as she is sick with kidney failure, I thought perhaps she was trying to get moisture from the mud… However my other cat, who is only young and quite healthy, has also been doing it. It is just a pile of mud, predominantly clay, that we had to dig up when a pipe burst. It is not overly moist. Does anyone, by any chance, know what is going on? I’m not really worried, just curious because I have never seen it with any of the cats I’ve had in the past. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-cat-cravings/490219/2 "2009-03-20T22:30:36Z")
Could be [Pica](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pica_(disorder)). ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2009, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curious-cat-cravings/490219/3 "2009-03-21T04:27:12Z")
It’s probably worth a vet visit. [Feline Infectious Anemia](http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_feline_infectious_anemia.html) is one possibility. Feline leukemia can also cause anemia, please go get them checked out.