Why Does My Cat Lick Me?
Does your feline companion lick you, and are you wondering why? Particularly since a cat’s tongue can feel a bit rough, it’s a behavior that’s hard to ignore! In general, there are two major reasons a cat will lick human family members.
Some cats lick for social affiliation and affection. you have more than one cat, or have observed cats together, you’ll notice that cats will lick other cats in their social group. many species of animals will lick and groom each other to strengthen their social bonds. It also helps to reduce conflict within the group1. Since cats live with you, as part of your social group, it’s natural for them to engage in allogrooming to demonstrate affiliative behavior. If your cats are generally healthy and behaving normally, licking is a positive indicator that they like you and want to be closer.
Some cats lick to alleviate anxiety.Some cats will lick humans because they feel anxious and/or fearful. Licking their humans is a way to calm themselves3, somewhat like how humans will chew their nails when they feel anxious. This behavior is also observed in cats that were too young to be taken away from their mothers.
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