Why does a cat peel off a person. Dominant and passive behavior

Owners of cats and dogs are used to the fact that the animal can often show affection for them. Cats purr, sometimes rub at the feet, sit on their hands, even come to sleep next to their beloved owner. Sometimes they even lick people. We take it as an expression of love. But in fact, there may be several reasons for this. Cats are such mysterious creatures that no one doubts that they see the world in a completely different way than we do. Licking for these pets is a form of communication, as well as a way of knowing the world around them. Numerous studies have been carried out. It turned out that the motive for licking a cat can be different. Let's take a closer look at each of them.

Gratitude and affection

For dogs, this way of expressing devotion and love is familiar. But cats lick people much less often for this reason. They tend to purr more often. But sometimes a cat can express love by licking the face or hands of the owner. It will be a short-term action, performed as if furtively. This happens more often in neutered cats, since after such an operation the animal's commitment to dominance decreases. They no longer see a competitor in a person so sharply, and can afford to show love.

Kind of maternal care

When a kitten is just born, he communicates with his mother with caresses. This is because he is deaf and blind. The cat licks the belly of the kitten. In this way, she calms him down. Another reason for licking a kitten's tummy is to stimulate digestion. This action is engraved in the cat's memory for life. When it grows, it begins to mature. The body is preparing to become capable of producing offspring. If the animal has not been sterilized, but it does not have kittens, then there comes a period when it seems to the cat that she is pregnant, or she has kittens. In cats, this is manifested as a result of a malfunction in hormone levels. When cats experience different emotions as a result of such hormonal changes, they try to express them in every possible way. When an animal feels affection for a person, for her the expression of feelings in this way becomes an alternative to caring for offspring. This may seem very cute, but in fact, when petting occurs for this reason, it is detrimental to the health of the animal. Therefore, experts recommend spaying cats up to a year if they are not planned to breed.

begging

If your cat frequently licks your hands, it may be begging. After all, a cat's hands are the main source of food. This manifests itself to a greater extent when you hand-fed the kitten from childhood, and he got used to it. He will lick the palm from the back, and bite it. Also, a manifestation of the fact that the pet asks for food will be a combination of licking hands along with kneading on the front paws. This is because it is a way for kittens to get milk from a cat.

self-affirmation

This is due to the fact that when communicating in a flock there are older and younger animals in the hierarchy. A cat that is higher in status may lick another animal. This may mean that she is showing indulgence in this way.

This can be understood by the behavior of the cat. She shows with her whole appearance that in this case licking is not tenderness at all, but just indulgence towards you. Such a manifestation of feelings is more characteristic of adult pets, those that have gone through puberty. There is nothing dangerous in this manifestation of dominance. The main thing is that the animal does not begin to show excessive aggressiveness on its part.

low status

This is a situation where a cat, on the contrary, considers itself in a pack of lower status compared to others. This is manifested in the licking of the hands or neck. Here, the cause can also be determined by behavior.

Her demeanor is neither haughty nor gentle. This is stiffness in movements and emotions. In a pack, the lower-ranking animal usually falls on its back and then licks the animal that is the highest-ranking animal in their pack. This is a way of saying that the animal does not pretend to be in its place. This condition can be bad for the psyche of a cat. When your pet is constantly affected by a stressful situation, it leads to fear. A cat that is often stressed will get sick.

Boredom

Another reason for human licking may simply be the boredom of the animal. It's a way to find something to do. Often the owners forget about the pet. It sits at home and does not receive affection and attention from anyone. Sometimes it happens that animals from boredom can constantly overeat. But some resort to another method - this is licking everyone around. At first, a cat may constantly lick its fur, and over time, it moves on to everything that comes across to it. This is clothing, and skin, and human hair. In fact, this is not such a harmless symptom. Lack of attention to the pet can lead to the fact that the cat will lick itself until wet wounds appear on its skin. And that will be a problem. Therefore, it is necessary to give your pet due attention and affection.

Strong smell

An animal that has a pungent odor is doomed to death in nature. This attracts predators. If an animal lives in a pack, then its smell can cause death not only for itself, but for everyone. At the same time, it is worth paying attention to the fact that animals have a much better sense of smell than we do. Therefore, when we come from the street, we exude various smells for the animal. When we come home and lie down to rest, the cat comes and starts licking us, thus getting rid of odors. She can lick the head, legs and other parts of the body that have absorbed the strong smells of the street. The cat is sure that any pungent smell is dangerous, as it will attract other animals and people that can harm.

Some owners are alarmed by the desire of the cat to lick them. Unlike dogs, cats rarely lick a person, and love and affection are not always the motive for such affection. The reason for this behavior may be not only the desire to take care of the beloved owner, but also unpleasant emotions or poor health. That is why it is worth treating such manifestations of tenderness carefully.

Show all

Expression of affection and care

Usually, the first thing a kitten feels is the touch of its mother's tongue. In the future, cats lick each other to show love. These animals are very clean, so mutual washing is a whole cat ritual. Therefore, licking the hands and face of a person, a cat recognizes a relative in him.

Despite the fact that affection is not the most common reason for licking the owner, this behavior is a variant of the norm. If dogs lick the owner for a long time, then cats are less emotional and more often limited to a single touch of the tongue. Experts note that this behavior is especially often manifested after sterilization, when the level of aggressiveness of the animal falls. The early separation of the kitten from the mother, when a person is engaged in feeding it, also affects in a similar way. Some experts believe that this serves to form the habit of licking and even sucking the hands of the owner already in adulthood.



begging

One of the most common reasons for licking the owner's hands is the desire to get something tasty. It is worth holding a piece of sausage in your hands, and the cat will certainly be interested in the smell or even taste your finger. When a cat is begging for food, she often massages her owner's paws, often licking her lips - these are the movements that kittens use when feeding to get mother's milk.



This behavior is manifested not only during the human meal, but also when the cat is hungry. From a biological point of view, such begging is normal.



domination

Sometimes a cat licks a person, showing who is the boss in the house. Just as a mother licks her cubs, so a dominant cat shows her condescending attitude towards her subordinates, courting and leaving her own specific smell on them, by which other cats will be able to understand that her ward is in front of them.



The tendency to dominate for cats is absolutely normal, not for nothing that they are considered the most independent animals. It is not worth fighting it in any way if the animal does not show aggression.



subordinate position

Cats regularly lick the dominant individual, defiantly falling on their backs in front of her - this is a sign of complete submission, and not love and respect.



The situation when the animal feels oppressed by the owner also leads to licking of the hands, and it is much more dangerous than the expression of dominance. If a cat, when licking the hands or even the face of the owner, is tense and constrained, this is a signal that she feels uncomfortable, and this often negatively affects not only her mental, but also her physical condition.

Boredom

The reason for the constant licking by the cat of itself, the surrounding objects and the owner is also boredom. You can often see how a cat, when no attention is paid to it, sits and “washes itself”.



Do not think that such behavior is safe. A condition when a cat begins to lick itself and others too often indicates that it has psychological problems that can develop into physical pathologies. The animal definitely needs more attention and love.

Usually, to stop excessive licking, it is enough to play with the animal or stroke it.

Strong smell

Sweat, perfumes, creams and ointments are all causes of a strong smell in a person. In nature, by a specific smell, an animal is found by predators or fellows of the opposite sex. In the understanding of the animal, the smell often represents a danger.

• General malaise. In this case, with the help of licking, the cat attracts the attention of the owner. If this behavior has not been observed previously for the animal, you should carefully monitor its well-being.
• Skin irritation. It is enough to choose the wrong shampoo, and the animal will feel discomfort. Then the cat can lick not only itself, but also those around.
• Infection. Some diseases manifest as skin rashes. They itch or even hurt the cat. Fleeing from it, the animal seeks to lick not only itself and the owner, but even the objects around.

There are a number of reasons why cats lick their owners. They can range from harmless to requiring attention or even veterinary attention, so it's important to monitor your pet's behavior.

Many people get cats, and each of them has its own character and special communication with the owner. For some family members, the cat licks their hands. Seeing such behavior of a dog is not at all strange - this is how a pet expresses its affection for a person, but for a cat such behavior is not entirely natural and there are several reasons for such behavior. What does it mean when a cat behaves like this?

Attachment and gratitude

Cats very rarely show their feelings by licking their hands. These pets have other methods of expressing emotions in the form of purring or caressing in the hand, etc. But in special cases, the animal can show its feelings and constantly lick the face or hand of the owner. Such actions are often resorted to by sterilized pets, which have a reduced level of dominance, and they do not see a competitor in the owner.

begging for food

Licking a person's hands may be an attempt to beg for food. This often occurs when a formula-fed kitten shifts from paw to paw.

self-affirmation

Strong cats can lick the weaker in the pack, expressing their condescending attitude towards him. This behavior is often seen in dominant individuals that have passed puberty. There is no danger in such behavior, provided that self-affirmation does not turn into overt aggression when first licking and then biting.

Boredom

Licking wool is one way to keep yourself busy. If a pet sits within four walls around the clock, not receiving attention from family members, he tries to find entertainment himself. Some animals from idleness begin to eat a lot, but most cats begin to lick everything as entertainment. First of all, the cat completely licks itself, and if the owner is sitting next to it, then it switches to it.

Not natural scents

In the wild, an animal with a pungent odor lures predators, endangering the entire flock. A cat's sense of smell is much better developed than a human's, so a pet can lick the owner's hands to protect him.

Do you know why a cat licks its owner? What lies behind these actions - caress or an exclusively selfish claim to territory? Today we will try to understand this issue and find out if there is a difference in which part of the body the mustachioed-striped one shows its feelings by licking a person’s legs, arms or face.

Why a cat licks its owner: the main reasons

Every real cat lover knows that his pet is an extremely independent and self-sufficient creature. Any owner of this animal, in the depths of his soul, probably more than once crept into the idea that his cat actually believes that he is the main one in the family, and a person for him is by no means a master, but a stupid slave. But after all, we are used to thinking of ourselves as intelligent creatures, so we are often mistaken about the true reasons why a cat licks its owner. It is pleasant for a person to think that this is from pure love and affection, that in this way the animal demonstrates its warm feelings for a person - its benefactor. This is partly true, but still we are forced to dispel this misconception a little and bring some clarity to this issue. So, here are the main reasons why a cat licks the owner's legs, hands or head:

1. She's marking her territory.
2. She expresses her warm feelings and sympathy for the owner.
3. She asks for affection.
4. She takes care of her master.
5. She asks for food.

As you can see, in half the cases, a pet actually shows good feelings towards a person if it licks it. But often he just achieves some of his goals.

The basic Instinct

It's no secret that cats mark the territory they consider their own by spraying their own urine everywhere. For many people, this becomes a real test and the reason that they simply do not get mustachioed pets. Indeed, an unpleasant and extremely pungent smell in an apartment is sometimes stronger than love for an animal. Fortunately, this can be dealt with, and veterinarians are well aware of ways to wean cats from writing on furniture, walls and master's clothes.

However, in these animals this is not the only way to mark their own, or even “beat off” someone else's. The pheromones that “stigmatize” the cat’s possessions are also secreted with saliva and with the help of the sebaceous glands located near the tail, behind the ears, around the mouth and on the head, between the eyes and ears.

This is the whole mystery of why the cat licks the owner and rubs against his legs: she simply leaves her secretions on him. A person will not be able to smell this smell, but other animals (including cats) can very well.

Cats bring this peculiarity into people's lives instinctively - for example, a cat licks its cubs when they return from a walk, not only for the sake of washing, but also to “domesticate” them, remove extraneous, alien smells from them.

Friction on the legs

The same natural and natural mechanism for cats works with people. When a person comes in from the street, he smells wrong, which means it needs to be fixed. The cat rubs its muzzle against the owner's legs, licks it, trying to reapply the lost olfactory marker on it.

By the way, cat pheromones evaporate by themselves over time, and this explains why the cat licks the owner’s head and other parts of his body, even if he has been at home for a long time, and there are no competing individuals nearby. And of course, with the help of friction and licking, the animal attracts the attention of people, shows sympathy for them.

Manifestation of love

And yet, no matter how arrogant and isolated cats may be, they also know how to sincerely love their master! They demonstrate their warm feelings precisely by licking his hands, head and other parts of the body. Therefore, if you are wondering why the cat licks the owner's face and what it could mean, you should know: she just loves him!

This way of conveying positive emotions in a purr is laid from a very early age, when a cat mother licks her babies, caresses them and takes care of them in every possible way. It has been scientifically proven that animals feel the mood of their owners very well, they are able to empathize with them, rejoice and be sad with them. Moreover, they also want to receive affection and care in return. But if the owner is in no hurry to show his warm feelings, the cat can easily take the first step and caress his owner, prompting him to stroke or scratch himself.

tender request

Now let's figure out why the cat licks the owner's hands. It can also be an outburst of warm feelings towards a person, but more likely, this is a banal request for food. Firstly, cats have an excellent sense of smell, and they smell food coming from the owner’s fingers, and secondly, they remember how people feed them from their hands, which over time they begin to associate with food.

It should also be noted that pets perceive themselves as a full member of the family, so they often project their "cat" habits onto people. So, it is customary for mustachioed people to lick themselves in order to maintain hygiene. Adult cats wash babies, teach them to take care of themselves, and in the same way they can take care of human cubs, and sometimes adults themselves, washing them and licking them with their rough tongue. This may be unpleasant for someone, but you need to understand that the cat does this not out of bad motives, but wanting to show his love.

Basic rules for caring for cats

Well, and finally, we will briefly talk about how to care for representatives of the feline breed. You can’t say a lot about this, because at least once in a lifetime, but everyone started a purr, and therefore, in general terms, everyone knows what and how to do, nevertheless, not everyone knows the nuances of such a responsible task:

• The animal must have at least two bowls (one for food, the other for water). It is better to choose dishes made of stainless steel or food-grade plastic. Plates should be washed after each meal, this is very important!
• You can't bathe cats. They themselves do an excellent job with their hygiene procedures, and the "washer" will only hurt them.
• In order for the pet's coat to shine and not crumble, it must be well and properly fed.
• The cat must be trained to use the toilet in one specific place. It is best to use special granular fillers that are poured into plastic containers.
• The animal should have its own corner for rest and sleep, a secluded place where it can hide from people. It can be a basket, a box or a special house, the main thing is that the cat can easily get to his lair and feel comfortable there.

Cat cleanliness can be envied. A cat can lick for hours, giving this procedure almost half of the time free from sleep. The cat in this respect is more sloppy, which is associated with the distribution of roles in the pride. The female, going for prey, tries to get rid of the characteristic smell, while the male is busy guarding the territory and warns of his presence with his own odorous marks.

Maternal instinct

A mother cat licks a kitten not only for hygienic reasons. This procedure allows to solve a complex of problems, in particular:

• Eliminate the characteristic odor that predators can run to;
• Promote proper breathing
• Facilitate defecation and urination in crumbs.
• Guide the newborn to the nipples.

Kittens begin to lick themselves from 2 weeks of age, and from 3 weeks of age, fluffy lumps perform the same actions with their mother and relatives. Scientists have noticed that if an unscrupulous mother took care of the kids, then sloppy children grow up in her.

Reasons for washing cats

All animals lick themselves differently: some start the procedure from the hind legs, others from the muzzle or shoulders. A tiny tongue does not reach the whole body, then periodically licked wet paws come to the rescue.
Hygiene sessions bring undoubted benefits to the animal, namely:

Mutual licking of tailed pets is a kind of communication. Often there is a demonstration of a pattern in the form of rubbing the heads of cats, especially after a long separation. Licking serves as an indicator of trust, care and friendship. If attention extends to family members, then this sign should be considered as a manifestation of love.

It is not uncommon for cats to gather together on neutral territory in "nightclubs". Most often, meetings take place on the roof, where all the members of the meeting sit in a circle. Having purred to their heart's content and pulled out each other's fur coats, the cats go home only in the morning. A pleasant massage of the head, neck and back gives pleasure to both the massage therapist and the client. Cats take their owners, in particular me, for a strong and big brother. And if suddenly a pet begins to lick his hands or face, it means that this person managed to earn his respect. In addition, the predator has other reasons, among them:

• Licking saline patches on human skin allows you to make up for the deficiency of certain nutrients,
• The pungent odor is eliminated as if it were your own.
• The cat strives to ensure that all family members have the same smell.