When your cat starts licking, get up and walk away. Clean me sign skin#Here are some tips to minimize the licking:Ĭover your skin with long-sleeved clothing or a small towel when you interact with them, and provide a food puzzle or toy. This may compromise your bond with your cat and may make your cat more anxious, which may exacerbate your cat’s licking. Never use punishment, including scolding, squirting water, shaking a jar of coins, or applying bitter-tasting spray. Whatever the cause of your cat’s licking, you may find the licking uncomfortable or even annoying. If you apply any products to your skin or hair, inform your veterinarian to determine whether the product may be potentially dangerous to your feline. Some medical ointments may also be harmful to your cat when licked. Acquiring a disease from your cat is very rare, but to be safe, don’t let your cat lick your face or any cuts on your skin. Immunocompromised people are most at risk. Cats carry bacteria in their mouths, which can lead to local or systemic infection if a cat licks an open wound. Is It Safe to Let Your Cat Lick You?Īccepting a bath from your cat is usually safe, but there are some potential risks. If your cat’s licking is excessive or just started recently, take them to be evaluated by your veterinarian. In Bambu’s case, we discovered that inflammatory bowel disease was the cause of her licking. Nausea, pain, or discomfort can lead to licking. Your cat may lick you and/or objects in the environment due to a medical problem. If your cat’s anxiety is left untreated, the licking may progress to a compulsive behavior, at which point the licking takes over your cat’s life. Stress more commonly leads to excessive self-grooming, but the licking may be directed toward you, too.ĭetermine if there are any triggers for the licking, like visitors in your home or loud noises. Licking may represent a displacement behavior, which is a behavior that a cat performs to alleviate stress. Human perspiration also contains sugar and salts that cats may find appealing. Your cat may lick your skin or hair to investigate interesting scents or odors, like an appetizing lotion, shampoo, or other topical product. In this case, your cat may also knead and purr as they lick you. If your cat was weaned too early, they may have started licking you as a way to seek the comfort reminiscent of nursing. Your cat is displaying kitten-related behavior. Similarly, your cat may lick you as a way of identifying you. Your cat is identifying you as part of their group.Ĭats communicate by marking objects and other animals with their scents, and one reason why mother cats lick their kittens may be to create a familiar group scent. Some cats even find negative attention, like being reprimanded or pushed away, to be better than no attention. Your cat may have learned very quickly that licking gets attention, as you have likely inadvertently rewarded your cat’s licking by talking to, petting, or in some way interacting with them when they lick you. This grooming strengthens their social bonds, so your cat may groom you to nurture your relationship. Mothers groom their kittens, and cats may groom one another, which is called allogrooming. Your cat’s licking may be an affiliative behavior, which is a friendly, altruistic behavior. Your cat is expressing her affection for you. Scientists have not fully figured out the reason why cats lick people, but here are several possible theories. These spines help remove dirt and loose fur from your cat’s hair coat and cover the fur in saliva to keep your cat cool. This is because your cat’s tongue is covered in hundreds of tiny, firm, backward-facing spines called papillae. 1Īnyone who has been tongue-bathed by a cat will agree that a cat’s tongue is less like a soft sponge and more like a sandpaper loofah. Is It Normal For Cats to Lick You?Ĭats spend up to 8% of their waking time grooming (and 50% napping), so licking in general is a normal behavior for cats. Here’s some insight on cat licking-whether it means that your cat likes you or there’s an issue that you need to get checked out. Like many other cat parents, I set out to understand why cats lick us. I left all of our snuggle sessions with my hands, arms, and face covered in kitty saliva. When I adopted Bambu, my adorable orange kitty with arguably the world’s poofiest tail, I was immediately taken aback by the extent of her licking.
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