There is a widespread idea that cats are independent animals, not very sociable and not at all affectionate, but this description in no way defines most of the cats we live with. Thus, there are still people who are surprised by the demands for affection from their feline companions.
Do you wonder why my cat licks my face when I sleep? In this article on our site we are going to explain why our cat licks our face when we sleep, behavior in which he is mixing the affection he professes us with one of his most characteristic behaviors: self-grooming
Why do cats lick?
Although, as we said, the cat is not known as an affectionate animal, he does have a reputation for being clean. If anyone has noticed a cat for a while, it is more than likely that they will notice how it scrupulously grooms itself Runs its tongue first over one paw and then over the other to wet it and thus be able to clean its coat, starting with the face, following the legs, the body and ending with the tail.
The tongue of cats is scratchy and this facilitates this cleaning, which is so important, not only to remove dirt, but also to keep the fur in optimal conditions and thus fulfill its protection and insulation functions of high and low temperatures. If during this process the cat finds any debris or dirt attached, we will see how it uses its teeth to nibble and extract.
All this typically feline ritual is known as self-grooming. But cats not only lick themselves, they also display the grooming behavior, which is what will explain why our cat licks us the face when we sleep. There are many reasons why cats lick, but here's what grooming behavior really is.
Cat grooming
In the same way that cats groom themselves, they also wash other cats These grooming behaviors are rooted in the timing of birth of the little kittens since, from the beginning of their life, their mother begins to clean them with her own tongue and it will not be until approximately three weeks of age that they begin to take care of their own grooming.
The hygiene that the mother maintains with her young reinforces the socialand family bond between all of them and, if they stay together, It will be a behavior that they maintain throughout their lives. We will also see this behavior in cats that live together, regardless of their age.
Grooming explains why our cat licks our face when we sleep, since it will be part of the grooming that he performs on a regular basis. This means that considers us family and that, as such, they take care of us, since this behavior, more than intended to maintain hygiene, reinforces ties.
Human grooming
Once self-grooming and grooming behaviors have been identified, we are going to explain why a cat licks our face when we sleep. First of all, we must know that for them humans are a kind of big cats that give them the care that their mother offered them at the beginning of their lives. Our caresses are like the ones passed with the tongue that she made them.
No matter how old or independent a cat is, in our presence it becomes a kitten again, due to the domestication process in the that we have based our relationship with these felines. When our cat wants to clean us up, he encounters the problem of the difference in height. That's why he often rubs against our legs and jumps up and down, trying to get closer to our face. If we are asleep, he will take the opportunity to lick our faces and will be encouraged to do so because we are in a moment of special relaxation, which is what he feels during grooming.
In addition, this behavior allows the exchange of smells, very important, considering the role that smell plays in the life of the cat. The mixture between his body odor and ours will reinforce the familiar feeling that he feels with us. Finally, we must know that during grooming our cat may give us a light bite, because, as we have seen, he uses his teeth when he finds something remaining dirt during cleaning. Does your cat bite you too? It probably does it for this reason, but we must distinguish between these bites and those that can be abrupt or aggressive, which are the ones we should avoid, diverting our cat's attention.
The scroll grooming
We have already seen why the cat licks our face when we sleep. It is, as we have said, normal behavior and, in addition, it is a sign of affection and trust towards us. But, if we observe that he does it exaggeratedly, as with anxiety, we could be facing a displacement grooming, which is what is done precisely to calm a state of stress in the catIn these cases we can also observe other behaviors, such as the cat licking the clothes or suckling and sucking on fabrics.
In this case, we should look for the causes that are disturbing our cat to remedy them. A veterinary examination can rule out a physical origin and if it is a behavioral disorder that we cannot resolve, we should request the help of a ethologist or specialist in feline behavior
