Cats spend a major portion of the day licking their fur. Of course, they do it for grooming and taking care of hygiene issues. But why do cats lick you when you pet them?
Many people assume a cat licking its owner is a sign of affection and care. We agree! The act of a cat licking is closely associated with love, but there are other reasons too.
Still, confused? Read on till the end to know why kittens lick you when you pet them!
Why Do Cats Lick You When You Pet Them?
The main reasons cats lick you when you pet them is because they love you, you taste good, to show passion, to gain attention, grooming, and to deal with stress.
#1 They Love You
Human beings kiss, but cats don’t. They have their own ways of showing affection for their humans. Licking is something more than just grooming. If your feline starts licking you, the kittens around, or other pets in your household, it means they want to strengthen the bond of love.
This habit is transferred from the mother to its kittens. The mommy cat will lick and groom its baby to show the feeling of love. The kittens grow into adult cats and start practicing the same thing with their owners. Emotional moment! Isn’t it?
#2 You Taste Good
It may seem weird, but cats can lick your body to taste anything unusual on your skin. Remember the place you recently visited? You may have dropped the leftovers of something on your skin. It can have a sugary, salty or even bitter taste. But your furry friend likes it!
A common example of this is when you pet your cat after you workout. It is most likely your sweat that urges felines to lick and enjoy the salty taste. Interestingly enough, cat’s sweet taste buds are almost non-functional.
#3 To Show Possession
Cats are possessive when it comes to sharing owners with other animals. Felines “mark their territory” in several ways. They will scratch your skin, rub their cheeks with your skin, or come in contact to show their possession. But licking humans indicates their claiming their territory. A cat’s lick brings them close to their owners. Licking also alarms other animals that you belong to them!
#4 To Gain Attention
Cats are lovely pets that need attention from their owners. But if you are busy somewhere, they start licking your hands, legs or face. They want you to concentrate and spend time with them. Cats lick when they want to play, need food, or something is bothering them.
Just like meowing or pawing, licking is also purposed for grabbing your interest. They want you to feed them, pet them, and just be with them. How sweet is this!
#5 Grooming
Grooming is a natural feline behavior that is inherited from their ancestors. Cats lick their partners for cleaning, but, does licking benefit human beings?
When a cat tries to groom their owner, there is no hygienic benefit for the human. That being said, it does create a bond with the four-legged animal. Studies reveal when in groups, cats assign this grooming duty to one of the members known as the “allo-groomer.”
So the ‘allo-groomer’ role play can be another reason why cats lick you when you pet them!
#6 Deal with stress
Is your cat feeling depressed? Or maybe it got separated from its partner? An anxious cat often shows prolonged licking or grooming behavior. Sometimes, cats do so when they are fighting with a medical issue. A lot of times, if you cat is going to the litter box every few minutes, they might have a UTI and might start licking you because they are stressed.
Excessive licking can result from a change of home, settling into a new environment, or the death of another kitty. In general, you should not be worried if your cat is licking a lot since it is natural behavior. However, if the grooming leads to the removal of fur, the appearance of dark skin spots, or other symptoms, we recommend a quick visit to a veterinarian.
Why does it hurt when your cat licks you?
Many people ask the question, “Why does it hurt when my cat licks me?”
The itchy feeling when a cat licks is due to the little spines covering the cat’s tongue. These spines, known as papillae, are similar to a lion’s tongue but smaller and less pointed. Papillae are made up of keratin, which gives you a hard feeling when in contact.
A cat’s skin is used to getting licked and groomed, but human skin can hurt after repeated licking. Unlike cats, humans do not have much fur on the skin, which act as a protective shield from the pointed spines for cats. This is why many people associate cats’ tongues with sandpaper.
How to get a cat to stop licking?
Even though grooming and licking are harmless feline activities, if you get annoyed due to excessive licking, try to distract them. Start petting your kittens, cuddle, play and divert their attention. If this doesn’t help, you can go out of sight.
In a nutshell, cats licking and grooming is a subtle sign of love for their owners. It is a blessing to have such felines in your pet household.
