Why does my cat lick me


If you have a cat, it sure licks you sometimes. And, you may have wondered why my cat licks me or what does it mean that my cat licks me. At Petlifey, we explain the reasons why a pussycat can lick its owner, its meaning and how to avoid it.


Why does my cat lick me

First of all, we must remember that cats are extremely clean animals.

They are constantly grooming themselves with their tongue to remove all dead hairs or any parasites or dirt from their fur.

The tongue of cats is covered with papillae that not only serve to scrape meat from bones but also serve to clean themselves.

Let’s see why your feline pet licks you:

Your cat licks you to keep you clean

Their tongue acts like a comb to remove dead hair and any dirt on it. This is a very typical behaviour for them.

You should also know something very interesting, and that is that cats, in addition to washing themselves with their tongues, can also lick other cats.

But not just anyone, it has to be a feline with whom they have a very strong bond, such as a mother with her children, members of the same litter of kittens (that is, between siblings), or companions who live together. in a home for some time.

Your cat licks you because it considers you part of its pack

Among these pets, licking is a way of bonding with each other and exchanging smells.

That is why if you have been fortunate enough that your cat licks you (whether it licks your hair, hand, face or fingers), you have to take it as the most beautiful of compliments.

This means that your cat has a special connection to you. Or what is the same, that he sees you as another cat and considers you part of its pack, since it is not very common for a cat to lick a human.

If your kitten is still a baby and licks you, it could be that your cat was separated from its mother very early. It is very possible that it is imitating the grooming that its mother did when she breastfed them.

This is so since it is not until three weeks of age that kittens begin to clean themselves and do it to their siblings and their mother.

Your cat licks you for social bonding

Cats not only clean themselves, they also clean their littermates when they are very young.

Above all they do it in those areas that by themselves are very difficult to reach (ears, upper part of the head, etc …) in order to have a correct body hygiene.

Therefore, this cleanliness is part of its way of relating to others. Therefore, if your cat licks it, it means that for them you are part of its social group.

Your cat licks you to mark the territory

Another reason may be that your kitten is marking territory, something that also shows how much your kitten rubs or rubs its whiskers on the furniture, its litter box or the walls.

The saliva of cats has some particles that will remain on your skin and that will make it easier for them to recognize you by the smell.

Your cat licks you because you smell like food

Now, if your kitten is obsessed with licking your fingers, you may have a smell that attracts her a lot.

For example, that you have touched or eaten something with your hands and some aroma has been impregnated on you. That may be why your kitty is very eager to lick your fingers.

Your cat licks you because it has excess energy

One more reason your kitty might be constantly licking you is because she has too much energy, or is just trying to get your attention.

Especially if you refuse to be licked, and your cat becomes very insistent, it is that he takes it almost as a game. This happens frequently when they are younger .

Your cat licks you to ask you something

If this licking behavior is very constant, it can also mean that your cat is trying to ask you for something.

Either it wants you to feed them or just open the door for them to leave. So you must be very alert to what the daily routine is in order to understand what your cat is trying to say.

Either way, the simple fact that your cat licks you is indicating not only that he trusts you , but that it considers you part of its own. Therefore, it feels comfortable around you, simply put, your cat loves you.


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