What Does It Mean When Cat Grooms or Lick You?

The tongue is one of cat’s greatest sensational assets. By tongue, cats groom themselves most of the time. Considering hygiene, many cat parents wonder about this behavior. 

Sometimes cats can lick your hand, hair, or legs. But what does it mean when your cat licks you? Actually nothing serious. There are a few things that are why cats lick you.

Reasons Why Cat Licks

Cat behavior experts, vets and scientists have suggested some reasons why your cat licks you now and then. Let’s see below.

Shows Affection

Licking is not only for grooming. It represents affection. The cat is creating a social bond by licking you and other cats. Cat’s mother licks to groom their kittens and to show care. They carry this behavior into their adult lives as well by licking their humans to pass along the same affection.

Demanding Ownership

Cats do it for many reasons. One of them could be that it wants to express that it is demanding its ownership to their cat owner. If your cat is licking you, they want to declare that other cats or animals know who you belong to them.

For Grooming You

Cats don’t know that licking doesn’t help you to get clean. This manner is completely natural to them. Mother cats groom their kittens to teach them to do it for themselves. This shows them affection and creates bonding among them. If your cat licks you, it is trying to establish your membership in their group.

For Tasting Something Funny

They want to taste something interesting on your skin. Some liquid has spilled over there or there is something that left a residue on the skin. It might be the sweat that has left a salty residue and your cat is trying to taste. Although cats tongue is made for grooming, it can sense taste in comparison to humans.

To Get Someone’s Attention

They simply want your attention to pet them, feed them, or play with them. Licking is an attention-seeking cat behavior like meowing.

To Get Rid of Stress

Sometimes excessive licking can indicate some medical issues, many times cats lick you to minimize anxiety or experiencing a change in their environment.

Further Reading

• What does it mean if a cat follows you?
• What does it mean if a cat hisses at you?