7 reasons why a cat licks its owner's face

Small animals can sometimes be very funny, so it is interesting to observe the behavior of pets. Of course, their actions need to be corrected. Especially if you are raising a kitten. Large pets can also behave incomprehensibly, puzzling the owner. The cat's actions can be so funny that owners don't have to lose heart. But the reasons for your four-legged friend's actions may remain unclear. Does your pet manage to lick your hands and face? Let's think about why the cat does this.

Communication between cat and owner

Our pets are loyal and open to communication. And if you want to find yourself a loyal friend who will simply be nearby and give you good emotions, get an animal. But now I would like to talk about an interesting phenomenon in the behavior of cats. You've probably seen a cat lick a person's hands or face. There are reasons for this:

Your pet wants to show you love. While humans can express feelings through words or hugs, cats have other methods. This behavior is instinctive, and later we will look at why the pet exhibits it. You may already understand what we're talking about. But for now let's move on to the next point;
Each animal has its own territory and “its own owner.” Therefore, with this behavior, the cat simply designates you as a member of the family. There is another option, when the pet does not perceive the owner as the main one, but, on the contrary, tries to clean it like a junior;
You are in a bad mood and your pet wants to feel sorry for you. The cat also reacts to its stress. If you notice that your four-legged companion spends a long time cleaning himself, it could be stress. Or dermatological problems. But if an animal likes to lick a person, then she wants to comfort you.

No matter how rough your pet’s tongue is, you should always accept his affection and care. After all, this is how your pet expresses her feelings, wants to distract you from negative experiences, and feel sorry for you. There are other reasons, for example, the desire to get a treat. But even in this case, the animal shows sincere love for you. Why a cat likes to lick a person’s hands is a rather broad question. To understand your pet, you need to observe and communicate with him. Each animal has its own unique character. Yes, and a person influences the behavior of a pet. We talk about his actions, parenting methods, reactions to pranks and satisfaction of food needs.

There is no doubt that felines can be very smart and funny at the same time. And in their behavior you can find care for a person, their owner. Where there is a cat, there is an opportunity to console yourself and enjoy pleasant communication with the animal.

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How to break your pet's habit

When an owner is annoyed by such excessive attention from his cat, there are several ways to try to get rid of this habit:

A game. By switching attention to entertainment and giving your pet an outlet for energy, you can relieve her for a while from the desire to lick something or someone.
Weasel. If the problem is stress or lack of attention, you need to pet and hug the animal more often, and the problem will disappear soon.
Change of interests. Apply a special solution – catnip – to your pet’s toys. It is sold in pet stores. Its scent will attract the cat's attention.
Refusal. If your pet's behavior becomes overly intrusive, every time he tries to lick him, you need to gently but decisively push him away and make it clear that this is not worth doing. After some time, the method will work and the cat will stop trying.
Substitution for another item. Buy a fur mitten and put it on your hand every time you try to lick your fingers. After time, attention will switch to the object, and the owner will no longer be needed.

It is worth remembering that such behavior of a pet can be due to a whole range of different reasons and there is no need to get angry or scold him for it. After all, with such behavior the cat does not want to cause harm, but is simply trying to attract the owner’s attention to his person or show love.
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Licking kittens and humans: what are the similarities?

It is not without reason that a cat shows care by licking. Even in childhood, your mother cat took such care of your pet. This action is associated with pleasant emotions that are associated with safety and protection. Have you noticed how a cat licks kittens? In fact, there is something similar in the behavior of a pet with a person. Cat love manifests itself in different ways, but it is through licking that the mother takes care of the kitten. She hides him from predators by licking his scent, and also teaches him to care for her fur. But even in the usual washing of children, the cat shows maternal affection.

In other cases, the owners observed that small predators can also lick each other. If your cat shows you such caring attitude, then he perceives you as part of his family.

Obeying the basic instinct

The periods of cat “weddings” are known for their riotousness - and individuals of both sexes are prone to an enchanting outpouring of feelings. Expressing desire with inviting cries, characteristic poses and “fragrant” marks, but not being able to find a partner, temperamental pets can “trample” with their paws or bite the owner, lick him annoyingly and rub his whole body, marking him with his smell.

Cats sometimes imitate mounting and mating by squeezing a person's hand with their teeth, just as they would grab the scruff of a cat in heat.

How does a cat become domestic and loyal?

The first few days of your interaction with your cat can affect subsequent trust. A small animal must adapt after moving to a new home. And if this is also a new owner, especially after weaning from the mother, then you have to work a little with the baby’s sense of security. Comfort and trust are closely related. And at the very moment the kitten meets a new person and the first few weeks, the owner is responsible for the emergence of a trusting relationship. If at an older age you observe licking the owner’s hands, then your cat has gone through the adaptation process well and an emotional attachment has arisen. Sometimes it can be quite difficult to win over a pet, but many owners still succeed. The most important thing is to treat the animal well.

To maintain cleanliness

Self-licking is a natural and very common mechanism for caring for one's own body in the animal kingdom.

Kittens begin to lick themselves from the age of four weeks, and before that, all manipulations regarding the infant toilet are performed by the parent.

Cat licking rituals like these are a demonstration of love for cleanliness:

The cleanest . Sometimes it seems that keeping oneself clean is the main task of a feline brother. Taking the most graceful poses, Murka licks herself for hours, touchingly washes her face with her paws and rubs her ears. She does this many times a day: after sleeping, feeding, taking care of her natural needs, and even stroking her. A cat's tongue, covered with miniature hooks and therefore rough to the touch, combs and arranges hairs like a brush, removing dirt and foreign odors. During this massage, blood flow is stimulated and the skin glands intensify the production of an oily secretion, which lubricates the hair and protects it from moisture.
“No” to foreign odors . The desire to lick a person may be motivated by the desire to destroy unusual scent marks. According to the cat's understanding, all perfumes, including perfumes, soaps, shampoos and creams, have unnatural and even unpleasant odors, which must be urgently gotten rid of. This is why the cat spends so much time and carefully licking its own area of the body with medicinal ointment applied to it.
Tempting aromas . Some cosmetics, on the contrary, can be very attractive to mustachios. Such, for example, is a hand and nail cream with an extract of medicinal valerian, which has a magical effect on cats and activates the owner’s obsessive licking. Some cats love the smell of peony tincture and therefore tend to lick the hands or lips of a person who has taken this sedative. Cats are also attracted to human sweat, which contains odorous substances similar to animal pheromones. So the owner, returning from a morning jog or after a hard work shift, smells very attractive to the murka.

Is your cat sick?

There is also some not entirely pleasant information about why cats lick themselves and their owners. According to one version, the cat reacts with this behavior to skin diseases or parasites. In order to accurately determine whether there is any need to worry, the animal must be examined by a doctor. Beforehand, at home, you can identify whether there are reasons to worry. Rashes, dermatitis, and lichen will be noticeable. But to find out whether there are worms, monitoring the cat’s appetite, its well-being and feces will help.

You will be able to notice from the behavior of the predator what the mystery of this phenomenon lies. When she licks her owner's hands, she can do it with love or confusion. Observe your pet's behavior. Perhaps she just wants to show how she feels about you.

Anti-stress therapy

Animal psychologists know that an agitated animal increases the production of saliva and develops a desire to lick itself or surrounding objects:

Cat auto training . Any monotonous action in an alarming situation leads to a decrease in arousal. Prolonged self-licking of fur, in turn, additionally stimulates sensitive skin receptors and activates the pleasure center in the brain. Thus, a cat experiencing stress turns on its mental defense mechanisms and “withdraws into itself.” With repeated exposure to adverse factors, self-licking can turn into mania, leading to weeping eczema and granuloma.
Owner-psychotherapist. In an attempt to relieve stress, cats may lick a person's hand. This is exactly how an animal behaves on a trip or during a visit to the veterinarian, provided there is a trusting relationship with the owner. Contact with a familiar palm and pleasant reciprocal stroking of the fur shifts the pet’s attention and has a calming effect.

What other reasons for licking?

Another option is if the cat is licking itself just to keep itself busy. Let's say it's raining outside or the owner is constantly busy. In the second case, try to pay attention to your pet, because a cat can lick itself if it wants to feel calm. For large or small pets, the care and affection of the owner is extremely important. You can replace a family for kittens and therefore you should try not to offend them.

We have looked at the most common reasons why a cat licks its owner. This behavior expresses natural instincts, as well as the predator’s care for herself and her younger kittens. If a pet licks its owner, it trusts him. You need to maintain communication with your pet as often as possible. Otherwise, small predators may lick themselves out of boredom.

The pet can also lick its hair. The reasons may be the desire to give or receive attention, the desire for care or dominance. Some owners of furry cats say that the cat may begin to zealously wash away the “dangerous” smell of shampoo, trying to save the owner. As you can see, even toxic substances on the hair sometimes do not become an obstacle.

Pay attention to whether you have recently eaten meat, fish or other tasty food. If the smell remains on your hands, the cat will feel it and lick it off. But here there are two explanations. In the first case, the animal wants to eat. In the second, she hides you and herself from danger. In nature, such a smell could be smelled by predators.

Feeling from childhood

Owners know that mother cats tirelessly clean and wash their furry babies. This behavior can be compared to parental kisses and hugs in the human world. Accordingly, the cub learns to give warmth and care.

According to eyewitnesses, a person who feeds a kitten from a pipette and replaces its mother cat often becomes the object of strong reciprocal feelings.

The image of a close being imprinted in infancy and the associated pleasures find their manifestation in subsequent communication. Having become accustomed to having a treasured container of milk in a person’s hands, a grown-up cat will purr, caress, lick and suck fingers, anticipating a hearty meal.

Friction on legs

The same natural mechanism for cats works with people. When a person comes in from the street, he smells wrong, which means it needs to be fixed. The cat rubs its muzzle against its owner’s legs, licks it, trying to reapply the lost olfactory marker to it.

By the way, the cat’s pheromones evaporate on their own over time, and this explains why the cat licks the owner’s head and other parts of his body, even if he has been at home for a long time and there are no competing individuals nearby. And of course, with the help of friction and licking, the animal attracts the attention of people and shows sympathy for them.

What is overgrooming in cats?

Overgrooming in cats is a rather poorly studied pathology, characterized by excessive licking of certain areas of the body, as a result of which the hair in these places becomes thinner, and then bald spots are formed - areas of open skin, sometimes with the presence of wounds.

Cat owners need to know that overgrooming often occurs in animals due to psychological reasons.

Symptoms that require you to contact your veterinarian

The help of a veterinarian is necessary when pathological causes are confirmed. They can be recognized by the following symptoms:

increased salivation;
weak cough, wheezing, blue mucous membranes and other signs of suffocation;
prolonged refusal to eat, including the cat’s favorite treats;
unpleasant odor from the mouth;
abnormal stool (change in consistency and color, as well as the appearance of foreign matter);
prolonged apathetic state and sleep disturbance;
frequent or intense vomiting.

An accurate diagnosis can only be made based on tests, so do not rush to treat your pet with advertised drugs. Incorrect treatment can aggravate the situation, even leading to death.

Allow or stop?

Harmonious living together with a pet involves raising the animal. From the very beginning of her stay in the house, you should “notify” her of how far she can go in her wayward behavior and whims, you need to designate forbidden areas for her. A spoiled animal is difficult to control, so you need to deal with it, instilling the rules of cat etiquette and at the same time indicating to the cat your attitude towards them.

I'm already offended, don't suck up

Why does a cat lick a person: the main reasons and what it means