Chewy shares reasons why your cats might be licking you

Having a cat is one of the great joys in life. Even though sometimes cats can be fickle, they usually come around to someone eventually.

Note the fact that I didn’t say you because they might not have that bond with you but they will with someone. Either way, there is one way kitties can tend to bond with their humans and it’s one some people don’t have experience with.

For some though, their cat tends to show love by licking them, and for me, that’s my brother’s cat. Ever since she was a kitten, she always licked everyone. Of course, it brings up a few questions on why a cat would be doing that to their human.

Thankfully, Chewy broke it down for us and shared some insights into why your cat might be licking you and some might surprise you.

Chewy shares why your cats might enjoy licking you and what it means for them.

As I said, this was shared in an article from Chewy and honestly, some of the reasons might not be what you expect. One of the most obvious ones is that your cats are showing affection by licking you and that’s something most of us probably guessed. It’s also a way for your cat to mark you as their human.

While those two reasons are pretty obvious ones, Chewy shared one that I’m sure most of us didn’t think of: “Cats who were orphans or weaned before they were ready can sometimes develop an oral fixation that makes them excessive lickers.” For those who might have been born or grown up in a shelter, this makes sense.  Additionally, cats can lick you as a way to soothe themselves or if it’s excessive licking, that could mean anxiety.

Moving onto the final two reasons and these might surprise you. The first is that your cats might lick you because of how you taste to them. Whether it’s because of sweat or lotion, your kitty might come to enjoy that taste. Lastly, the final reason shared by the brand was that it’s a form of communication.

Since cats can’t talk to us, they have to communicate somehow and they might be licking you to indicate that something’s amiss. While it might not bother some, others don’t enjoy having their cat lick them yet Chewy advises trying to curb the habit but don’t punish your cat for it. Some tips they shared are to walk away, wear unpleasant scents your cat doesn’t like, or cover your skin.

Regardless of which camp you fall under, I feel like we cats owners either embrace it or want to curb it as soon as possible. Either way, it’s interesting to see why cats end up licking their humans and the reason behind why it might be happening to you.