WTF is wrong with my cat?

some of you know my poor, dumb cat, sam.  lately, sam (or sammy cat kitty face, as i often call her) has had to wear a cone to keep her from scratching a spot on her neck.  it's bad (read: funny) enough that she becomes a bobblehead when she walks, or that she loses all depth perception, or that she tends to get stuck behind the couch when she forgets that she can back up.  tonight she took me by surprise with her newest cone behavior.

we were sitting on the couch watching 'the daily show'.  sam was in thomas's lap, minding her own business when i heard a sound.  i looked over at her to see what it was, and i found her licking the inside of the cone.  just licking away.  there was nothing on the cone, not that i could see, but she was going at it like it was coated in catnip.  now, i will say this.  last week, i saw joy licking the front door.  (yeah, i don't get that one either.)  bizarre cat behavior is nothing new in our house.  what startled me was the gusto with which sam was licking the plastic cone.  she hates wearing it, which made the the sudden 'it haz flavr' all the more confusing.  of course, the moment i noticed her doing it, she stopped and looked at me as if i had somehow offended her.  when i pointed this out to my husband, he took to tickling her and saying 'you can't do nothing about it' in this ridiculous voice.  then, he grabbed her legs and she proceeded to topple over like those fainting goats on youtube.  (seriously, they are pretty funny.  see them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg)

she's gone back to acting all mopey and pitiful in the cone, but i'm not buying it now.  i've got you figured out now, cat.  i'm not falling for the 'poor me' act any more.  of course, i say that, but as soon as she mews and gives me that sad little face, i'll be right back to wanting to take the cone off of her, no matter how much she might like the plastic taste...which is her endgame, i know.