False maternal care
The first emotion a newborn kitten receives is maternal affection. Being blind and deaf, he feels a connection with his mother through tactile touches and then carries these feelings throughout his life. The cat, in turn, licks the kittens' bellies, pursuing other goals - it stimulates digestion and at the same time calms the babies, helping them relax and fall asleep. When a kitten is separated from its mother very early, it instinctively reaches out to a person, transferring its desire for love and care into adulthood.
Animals become especially vulnerable during puberty. If a cat is not sterilized on time and does not give birth, she may develop a so-called false pregnancy. If there is a close attachment to the owner, she has no choice but to “practice” her maternal instincts on a person. Hormonal imbalances often occur in non-castrated cats, which also begin to behave overly affectionately.
Important: in order not to provoke hormonal imbalance and subsequent health problems in your pets, it is advisable to carry out the procedure of sterilization or castration before the age of one year.
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.
Begging
The answer to a cat's atypical behavior may be hidden in a banal begging for food. In most cases, this manner of communication with the owner is typical for older kittens raised on artificial feeding. They associate human hands with food, so licking and biting palms seems absolutely normal and natural to them. Often, hand licking is accompanied by a movement that imitates kneading of the front paws. The reaction is automatic and reflects the memory of the kitten squeezing milk from its mother's nipples.
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.
Boredom
Not all cats tolerate loneliness well. Being confined to four walls all day long, they simply don’t know what to do with themselves and begin to lick themselves. When the owners come home, the animals actively demand attention and act according to the usual scenario - licking hands, hair, clothes and other household items. If the problem of leaving an animal at home alone is not resolved in time, then a harmless reflex can develop into a real pathology. It happens that cats, out of boredom, lick their bodies until they become wet open wounds.
Non-Dangerous Reasons for Unusual Behavior
Non-dangerous reasons are explained by various instincts and characteristics of cat behavior. They are not dangerous and do not require adjustment. Making changes in such situations is a purely voluntary matter, so start from your own feelings.
Influence of instinct
From early childhood, kittens get used to asking for food by licking the mother cat's face. After entering a human family, it is replaced by the hands of its owner.
The act of licking is often repeated after lunch. In this case, the animal simply thanks you for the delicious food and expresses its gratitude.
A way to communicate and attract attention
In addition to hearing and voice, animals use smell and tactile sensations to communicate. With their sensitive tongue, they read information about new acquaintances and learn about the mood of their owners.
Obsessive hand licking may also indicate attention deficit. If your pet is often left alone, then in this way he is trying to attract you to play games together - or to watch a series in a hug.
Cleanliness, influence of odors
Cats are the cleanest animals. They are extremely sensitive to odors and always lick the hands of their owners, trying to eliminate the unpleasant aroma.
The opposite situation is also possible. If the smell is pleasant, the pet will lick the person for pleasure. Most often, cats are attracted to the taste of sweat and certain creams.
Compassion or treatment of a person
Empathic cats acutely perceive any experiences of their owners. By licking a person, they try to calm and encourage him. They do the same when they detect wounds or diseased areas.
Demonstration of superiority or leadership
Unlike dogs, cats either accept the role of equal partners or put themselves at the head of the house. In the latter case, licking is explained by condescension towards the nurse and emphasizing one’s own status.
Symptoms of diseases
In some cases, excessive licking of household members may not be the result of the animal’s desire to attract attention and demands for affection, but a manifestation of some kind of disease. For example:
- Fleas and other skin parasites. The cat tries to get rid of annoying insects not only itself, but also to protect the rest of the family members.
- Allergic skin reactions. Irritation can be caused by incorrectly selected shampoo, various cosmetics, tobacco smoke and other unpleasant odors. As a result, the cat feels discomfort and tries to solve the problem by licking itself and “for the company” of its owner.
- General malaise. With the help of licking, the pet lets you know that something is wrong with it and asks you to take care of itself. If such behavior was not previously typical for the cat, then you need to carefully monitor its well-being and, if necessary, have it examined by a veterinarian.
- Infection. Secondary signs of a number of infectious diseases are skin rashes. They often itch intensely, itch and cause severe discomfort to the cat. Trying to protect herself from unpleasant sensations, she strives to lick not only herself, but also her owner, and in some cases even surrounding objects.
A plausible version of why cats lick people's hands
It's even simpler here. An animal can smell food even if hands have been thoroughly washed after preparing it. The smell of fish, meat, and special food is especially attractive. Many purrs are attracted to the smell of bleach. This is also worth considering when wondering why cats lick people's hands.
This behavior can occur when a child comes home from training from the pool and does not wash himself well enough, or the housewife cleans the bathroom using specialized detergents.
How to wean
Even understanding the “train of thought” of a cat, why it licks a person’s hands, face, head and other parts of the body, it is not always pleasant to endure such caresses. And if all this happens in the presence of strangers, then it is even more inappropriate. To wean an animal from such a habit, under no circumstances should you shout at it or be rude. It is better to use one of the following methods:
- Distract with a game. Having switched to something active and interesting, the cat will no longer so insistently demand attention.
- Buy a scratching post and teach your pet to use it for its intended purpose. Catnip is commonly used as bait.
- Appear busy or distracted by going into another room as soon as the animal begins to show signs of excessive “love.”
- Try wearing a fur glove on your hand if your cat likes to lick your palms. Over time, she will get used to the glove and will train on it, and will leave the person alone.
Be that as it may, having made a meowing friend at home, you need to gratefully accept all his affection and love, even if the form of its manifestation is not very pleasant and persistent.
The language of communication
Mutual licking is a ritual common to all cats. Thus they strive to:
- Demonstrate the anatomy of feelings . By licking the area of the cheeks, arms, ears and chin, the pet seems to be kissing a person and automatically puts an o.
- Show the owner that he is the closest and dearest . Living as a pet outside of communication with its fellow tribesmen, the cat switches its emotions to humans. Grateful for food and care, the pet tries to be as close to the owner as possible in order to rub its cheek or lick an area of exposed skin: face, neck, fingers, ankle. The sincerity of feelings is indicated by closed eyes and a quietly vibrating “internal motor” that turns on in cats at the moment of receiving positive emotions. Some cats love to lick the hair of their owners, hugging their paws around the neck or sitting next to them on a pillow.
Why do furry pets lick their skin?
If cats show increased attention to the owner's skin - hands, or face, and especially when they lick armpits, it can be assumed that they need pheromones. The fact is that sweat contains hormones similar to substances with which cats attract the opposite sex. Thus, the pungent smell of sweat has a calming effect for cats. In a similar way, these animals react to catnip, valerian and mint, which have a very relaxing effect on furry pets. It is possible that your pet simply does not have enough salt with sodium and other minerals.
Allow or stop
There are different opinions regarding how to treat pets’ attempts to get closer to their owners in their own “animal” manner:
- Certificate "for" . If the animal is healthy, then licking a person's hands is harmless and demonstrates an emotional connection with the owner. By pushing a pet away from oneself or interrupting the manipulation with a rude shout, a person risks offending the pet, who is pouring out his most tender feelings.
- Evidence against . A domestic cat that is not treated for external and internal parasites, as well as stray animals, can be a source of the spread of dangerous diseases and helminths. For prevention purposes, it is necessary to follow the schedule of vaccinations and other sanitary measures when keeping animals.
How to wean it off? Perhaps someone is uncomfortable with a cat's tongue touching bare skin, or the personal hygiene code is too strict. In these cases, it is recommended to switch the animal’s attention from obsessive kisses to play or treats. Catnip is used as a scent lure and a mild sedative.
Popular wisdom warns against offending cats, which, according to legend, are associated with brownies. According to signs, if Murka licks his right hand, wealth and good luck await the person, and a “marathon” of the face and hair predicts a love date.
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