why do cats lick each other

Why Do Cats Lick Each Other?

The sandpaper-tongue salutation shared among cats is adorable to watch. It’s also an interesting part of feline sociology. Why do cats lick each other?

Here’s why cats say “hello” with a lick!

Unlocking Cat Minds: Why Do Cats Always Lick Each Other?

“Cats typically spend between 30 and 50 percent of their day grooming themselves,” according to Pamela Perry at the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It makes sense that an activity that occupies so much of a cat’s energy, interest, and free time is something that they’d also share with others.

Licking is a language for cats. It plays an important role in communication and bonding. The surprise answer is that communal licking may also help cats to live longer.

More on that in a minute!

Let’s break down the seven reasons why cats lick each other.

1. Kinship and Acceptance

In the wild, cats lick each other as a way to communicate familial status. Grooming and licking within the same colony is common in wild cats. It’s used to express an understanding that they all belong to the same group.

When two cats in a home lick each other, they are communicating trust and respect. There’s also an interesting twist to this. A cat within a wild cat colony may lick one specific cat more than others to show preference for that cat in front of others.

Have you noticed that your cats seem to always lick each other right in front of you? They may actually be signaling their closeness to you as a way to establish preference. In other words, your cats may want you to know that they are definitely “playing favorites.”

If you’ve recently brought together two cats for the first time in the same home, you’ll know that things are going smoothly once you notice some licks being exchanged. This is a cat’s way of calling another cat “family.”

2. Bonding

Cat littermates and “roommates” tend to form close bonds that are based on love, respect, and admiration. Cats that are closely bonded will practice shared grooming behaviors. One of the reasons why it’s clear that grooming is about more than just keeping fur clean is that even hairless cats will practice shared grooming.

Licking is a social activity that allows one cat to show another that they are not threatening. This disarming quality of licking plays an important role in allowing cats to bond without fear.

3. Motherly Love

Watching a cat you love become a mamma cat is so exciting. In addition to experiencing the joy and bounciness of kittens, you also get to watch a cat you love and respect step into a new role. One of the first things you’ll notice is that new cat moms are aggressive lickers!

Why do mother cats lick their kittens? This is a grooming instinct that sets in almost immediately after kittens are born. First, mother cats are compelled to clean the afterbirth from kittens for hygiene purposes. Mother cats will also lick kitten backsides to encourage the kittens to use the bathroom for the first time to “clear out” their systems.

What’s interesting is that this grooming instinct never goes away! Even a cat that had very little interest in licking other cats prior to becoming a mother will generally remain an enthusiastic licker for life!

4. Convenience

It’s not all about love and “good vibes” with cat licks. It turns out that licking is actually very practical. That’s because cats can’t always easily reach all parts of their bodies while grooming.

As stated above, a cat spends almost half their day grooming and licking. Cats hate to be dirty. You can imagine how frustrating it is to not be able to reach all nooks and crannies with their own tongues.

This is where some “transactional” licks from a housemate can save the day. Cats rely on other trusted cats to clean hard-to-reach parts of their bodies for them.

It’s impossible for a cat to lick its own head. While cats can do the “lick and brush” method using their front paws, it’s not quite the same as getting some thorough licks in. Have you ever noticed that cats will often focus on the heads of other cats when performing friendly licks? It’s no coincidence. What you’re seeing is basically a “spa treatment” for cats.

This action is known in the scientific world as “allogrooming.” Allogrooming refers to the act of performing caregiving through physical contact. Humans do it! In fact, research shows that allogrooming in humans enhances relaxation and feelings of security. It also helps to regulate heart rate and cortisol levels.

5. Pheromone Release

Licking can be part of an important feedback loop that allows cats to communicate in their own word-free language. We just covered the reason why cats like to participate in shared grooming. It’s basically the best way to get your face washed when you don’t have opposable thumbs! However, there may be an extra reason behind why cats are so enthusiastic about licking the faces of other cats.

When cats lick each other on the head, cheek, or chin, they apply just enough pressure to activate robust scent glands that are located in these spots. When touched, these glands release pheromones that act as important chemical messengers that provide communication between cats. It’s not a coincidence that the specific spots cats are drawn to when licking are also pheromone hot spots!

6. Survival

Clean cats live longer. We know that fleas, ticks, parasites, and other life-threatening creatures love to hide in a cat’s fur. Cats know this on an instinctual level. They also know that they can’t reach every spot alone. This is why licking is nature’s way of helping cats to live longer!

7. Healthcare

Licking is a completely normal and healthy practice in cat groups. The only time when licking might signal a red flag is when it suddenly ramps up. Cats are highly instinctive and intuitive animals. If you have a sick cat in your home, the other cats in the household will know long before you pick up on the cues.

You may already know that a cat demonstrating excessive licking on their own may be showing signs of skin inflammation, allergies, fleas, or parasites. However, you may not know that a cat may lick another cat excessively if it suspects that its companion is ill.

Cats do this to try to “care” for their sick friends. Unfortunately, cat saliva doesn’t have any special healing powers that can help a sick cat. In fact, the saliva in one cat’s mouth can actually exacerbate an infection on another cat’s skin. It’s up to you to get your cat the treatment that’s needed!

If a cat has any kind of skin wound or infection, it might be necessary to keep the cat separated during the healing process. The force and roughness of a “friendly” cat tongue can easily open up a wound before it’s properly healed.

Final Thoughts: Licking Is the Feline Love Language

We’ll probably never fully understand the complexities of why cats lick each other. It’s clear that licking is crucial for bonding and survival. Trying to stop cats from licking is basically asking them to stop being cats. As a cat owner, I see my cat’s tongue-based greetings as signs of health, receptivity, and self-preservation.

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