If your pet cat has been acting weird recently and licking you often, you must have the question why does my cat lick my feet? Even there are situations when we see our cats licking walls but when it gets this becomes like a habit, it comes to be a major concern of the owners and they often try to observe and find out why does my cat lick my feet.
You may find it a crazy act that your cat is going around licking the feet of humans, licking its fur, or even sometimes licking the walls but before you try to stop the action you should know about the reasons behind it.
Cat Licking My Feet: What Does It Mean?
If you’re a cat owner and concerned about why does my cat lick me, you should know that there are reasons why they act in this weird way. Here we have been instrumental in penning down some of the reasons why do cats lick you.
- They may do it to show love. You may find this act of your cat strange that it licks your feet but they sometimes do it to show love to their owners. As they’re so small in size, they may not often look at your face and get to see your feet only unless you pick them up or look down at them.
So they find it the most accessible part so it licks your feet when you’re near it. They do this strange and weird act unapologetically and affectionately from love. This can be a strange answer to your question of why does my cat lick my feet.
2.Another possible reason for your question of why does my kitten lick me is that they like the smell of you or to smell you. You may know as a cat owner that cats have a very strong sense of smell, they lick your feet to smell you.
This friend you yours may find your feet as the only accessible part and to have more sensation of you with them, they lick it to be smaller. So you may find it often that your cat is licking your feet all the time, as it likes the smell of you or it may want you to smell like it which is a very weird behavior to show affection.
Sometimes the salty taste of skin can make it lick you which is the answer to the question of why do cats lick your underarm.
Reasons Behind The Rough Tongue Of Cats
If you’re finding your little cat has a rough tongue you must be concerned about the reasons why are cats’ tongues so rough.
You may not know that cats have a rough tongue as they have backward-facing spines that run along with them. Those spines are called papillae. These spines have some fantastic uses.
It helps the cat to strip off the meat from the bones and even helps it to extract the maximum nutrition from the prey which is why they have rough tongues.
Licking Problems Of A Cat: Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore
It becomes a major concern of the cat owners when he or she notices his or her pet cat licking itself intensely which raises the thought in mind and therefore the search for the answer to the question Why do cats lick themselves.
Cats lick themselves naturally but when it does it intensely and very frequently, which is when it becomes a suspicion that there might be something wrong.
If you notice your cat is licking a part of its body frequently then don’t ignore the sign. The area may be itchy or painful which is why they lick it more often and intensely. Why does my cat intensely lick her feet – you may think.
There are chances that it has some kind of infection which is why the skin of the area is itchy which is making the cat lick it more often than they usually do. It needs immediate medical attention. Seek veterinary help and let the vet know about it.
But often it’s a sign of a mental illness. Often the licking habit of cats becomes an obsessive disorder and they can’t help but lick themselves continuously. Even stress and other mental anxiety due to change in environment or loss of companions may be the cause.
As they can’t express it, you can only get to know about it from their wired behavioral changes. But this can be an overgrooming problem too. The cats lick themselves to groom but sometimes they do it too frequently which becomes the problem of over-grooming itself.
Why Does My Cat Keep Licking Itself?
The cat owners often get confused about their pet’s behavior. Cat licking itself or its owner can be concerning.
But for cats, the act of licking is often associated with the idea of showing affection to the owner or grooming itself.
But you may have the question why do cats lick themselves when you scratch their back. It’s actually when they feel connected to you. To nurture the connection it shares with you, it licks itself as you scratch their back. It’s related to the concept of belongingness.
Another reason for them licking themselves when you scratch their back is because they get a deep desire for grooming. They can lick all over their body except their back, so if they don’t get cleaned regularly it may be an itchy area.
When you’re scratching their back, they may feel the comfort and lick themselves as a sign of relaxation. It can lick areas of its body which it can reach and groom itself.
Cat Licking Itself After Eating: Why?
If you’re worried about your cat’s weird behavior of licking itself after eating, it may not be a problem as sometimes while eating they spatter tiny pieces of their food or leave the oil on the face or sometimes on the front legs.
They don’t think that these food particles belong there and they usually lick themselves to clean them. Sometimes they lick it more like they are washing it off the body.
But if you’re overly concerned about why do cats lick themselves after eating, you can watch and observe the entire operation and report it to the vet. If you think it can be an act of self-soothing after eating some reactive food you need to observe it more closely and report it to the vet for a checkup.
Cats aren’t used to digesting foods with preservatives and filler so if they feel their tummy is off, they can choose to lick self-grooming to soothe themselves.
Can I Let My Cat Lick Me?
Should I let my cat lick me is a common question which the cat owners often wonder? But there are two sides. It may cause you harm as they might have picked bacteria when cleaning themselves so you shouldn’t let your cat lick you, especially the areas of mouth, nose, and eyes.
They aren’t recommended at all as they might make you sick from the germs and always avoid mouth to mouth contact so never let your cat lick your mouth or lips.
But there are some benefits of cat salvia, you may find it queasy but it’s true.
Their saliva has chemicals that promote healing, so if your cats lick your wound it would heal faster and there are fewer chances of getting any infection from it.
But mostly they lick their owners to show affection, refusing which may upset it mentally and cats are more likely to hold grudges which may damage the relationship so there’s no harm if this is not a frequent activity.
Ways To Prevent Cats From Licking Their Fur Off
If you’re a cat owner and have the question of how to stop a cat from licking its fur off, here’s what you need to know.
- You can use sticky tape: if you find your find licking their fur off or has an itchy wound which it is licking too much you can use a piece of the t-shirt to cover it and stick it using a tap at the bottom of its t-shirt so that the shirt doesn’t slip off the wound.
- Applying some tropical products: too much licking can result in the loss of fur from the area. So to prevent the cat from licking it you can apply some safe tropical product to that area which wouldn’t cause any harm but will make the area taste bitter.
You can even apply a bandage over the wound and then apply lemon juice or cayenne pepper to deter it from licking the area. - E-collars can help: it’s the most effective way to prevent your cat from licking its fur off. The collar is put around the neck which prevents it from licking or removal of fur.
Strange Reasons Why Cats Lick Walls
If you find your cat licking walls, it must be because of any of the following reasons
- It may be because of some mental stress due to some or other reasons. So to reduce stress, it is licking the walls.
- Boredom can make it do that. If it finds nothing to do at all, it may lick walls.
- Licking nonfood items is a sign of a disease called pica. Make sure you seek medical help for your cat if you find it suspicious.
- It has a strong sense of smell which can make it do that. Even a weird act of liking the taste of the wall can be the reasons
To Wrap Up
Cats may lick itself or its owner because of several reasons but mostly to show affection and the attachment it has with its owners.
But sometimes it can be concerning which requires you to take your cat to the vet for a checkup. Look for signs and observe your cat’s body language to understand the right reason.
Read more-Cats Stick Their Tongue Out? – Why Do They Do This?
