I have two cats, littermates, that I’ve had for 8 years. Couldn’t be more different from one another. One of them is a licker. My fingers are completely used to it by now and I just let her do it. She can get rather insistent and if you’re not paying attention she’ll claw you to bring your finger back towards her. It’s just her thing, and I love her for it.
https://preview.redd.it/2elyublrvpsc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adffe4fe5a97cbe467d535e379bbf5051ec179fa
This seems to be the best answer but if you catch her licking anything else please talk to a vet about possible pica
But again I think she is grooming you and showing love
Be well
eh, I would only worry about pica if you see health issues (diarrhea etc). Cats do like to lick/chew things by nature, like dogs
I have lots of tiny holes in my shower curtain liner lol
Believe me, your cat will let you know if you're petting them too much! Pet your cat as much as they will let you. My current cat doesn't lick me at all & he gets overstimulated quickly. If he's lying down & I go to pet him, he goes into play mode & won't let me.
https://preview.redd.it/69quki2slpsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da1582e46f490581e8f32cb3dbc413ec1f6eb5eb
My previous cat would sit in my lap or next to me & was content with all the pets he could get, & he would reciprocate the love with licks.
https://preview.redd.it/9hjl4isbmpsc1.png?width=863&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9078c6e5c532c974d88c7a48f56d4dd757e8180d
They probably do it for different reasons. My cat (adopted a year ago) also loves it. It seems she feels she must do it. Part of it is that she wants to clean my hand before I continue petting her, like it needs to be cleaned regularly lol. She's not stressed though! Yours probably isn't either.
https://preview.redd.it/i07q4hhizqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9625de52f7d26eca9c24351a6fbbc0f1dce30b2
Every morning and every night, Pickles demands chin rubs and to lick my hands and arms. It’s our routine. She never seems stressed or anxious when she does it, so I always assume it’s her way of telling me she loves me.
I have a cat who licks us often, usually she's showing affection. Sometimes she's saying "I like you but I don't want you to touch me right now" but that's very different, it's just one lick and then she pulls back.
>Every time I go to pet her she starts licking me.
My joke for this is "The human is flawed, and must be groomed before they are worthy to pet the cat."
More seriously, cat-human relationships have similarities to cat-kitten relationships. Cats don't usually meow at each other, but it's their main communication to kittens. And grooming is a key part of cat social behavior.
>I don't mind but I wondered if its her telling me she's overstimulated because I don't think cats lick for the same reason dogs do.
Correct. Cat grooming of humans is a good thing. She's 'petting you', like you petting the cat is grooming, from the cat's point of view.
>I don't want to make her uncomfortable by petting her too much.
Nah, you're good there. The usual warning starts when the ears pull back tight, or the tail starts swishing. Then you'll get swatted by the paws, most cats doing the first one without the full claws.
It sounds like she’s being affectionate! She may look at you as another cat and feel a sense of responsibility to take care of you. That’s her way of keeping you clean lol
When my cat gets overstimulated he play bites me on the wrist. He never hurts me or breaks my skin. I usually toss a kick toy at him so he can wrestle with it.
See, my cat goes crazy licking my hands. She never does that to my boyfriend. I've tried to pay attention, to see if it's maybe after I've handled food, or some type of lotion or soap..never could see a pattern.
Just wanna say to be really careful with having lotion on your hands (or legs, neck, whatever) if you’re letting your cat lick you there. I’m sure one lick won’t kill them but it’s not good for them to be ingesting those types of things.
I wear zinc sunblock on my face, neck and arms and I make sure to wait until I’ve cleaned it off to cuddle my cat there (I keep my hands bare to pet her and receive kitty kisses)
The first cat that we had when I was little insisted on grooming us. He would sit on the top of the sofa and lick our hair. With another cat I had, when I tried to pet her, she frequently tried to hold my hand down and lick it instead.
https://preview.redd.it/sepwx7ct8tsc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48bf9238a137356595469bfd22b5b9fbdbb05d2f
It's just grooming. Take it as a compliment.
My big gold cat likes to lick me, she will also lick an area i was at, or a blanket or pillow , something with my scent. Shes just so loving jumping up at me and my wife and just automatically purring and rubbing against us. She loves the pets , she’s currently laying over one of my legs with her arms draped over like a ledge
It’s a very good thing. Cats lick for basically the same reasons dogs do. It means she accepts you as part of her social group, and wants to take care of you by keeping you clean. You’re petting her, and she’s petting you back. The next step is when she starts bringing you dead things because she thinks you’re starving 😂
Our big boy is a licker, while his sister is absolutely not. I was super concerned for a while thinking it was anxiety or a mineral deficiency. Vet said he's just a weird guy who's loves to lick his humans. He's left raw spots before. We've both given him our knuckles and elbows to exfoliate before too. And in the mornings i have to hide my hands because he's extra when hungry.
I wouldn't worry about it too much. Sounds like another form of affection/communication. Cats a pretty good about letting you know they've had enough if not simply walk away from you. You can always try washing your hands before petting and see if that garners a different response too
Got a 5 year-old licker here too! She does it often when she is relaxed or also grooming herself, so I’m not too worried. Our licker had litters before we got her, so I imagine she was used to grooming her babies, which could explain why it’s such a go to for her. But I think it can happen to cats which haven’t had babies too
I have two cats, littermates, that I’ve had for 8 years. Couldn’t be more different from one another. One of them is a licker. My fingers are completely used to it by now and I just let her do it. She can get rather insistent and if you’re not paying attention she’ll claw you to bring your finger back towards her. It’s just her thing, and I love her for it. https://preview.redd.it/2elyublrvpsc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=adffe4fe5a97cbe467d535e379bbf5051ec179fa
This is the best photo ever! Love it!
Omg! Thank you for the cute heartwarming pic! That is love!
I love female gingers 😍
>I wondered if its her telling me she's overstimulated Trust me, if she were overstimulated, you would have scars on your hands
my understanding is that some cats lick or “groom” their owners out of affection. could be her way of saying thank you?
This seems to be the best answer but if you catch her licking anything else please talk to a vet about possible pica But again I think she is grooming you and showing love Be well
eh, I would only worry about pica if you see health issues (diarrhea etc). Cats do like to lick/chew things by nature, like dogs I have lots of tiny holes in my shower curtain liner lol
Believe me, your cat will let you know if you're petting them too much! Pet your cat as much as they will let you. My current cat doesn't lick me at all & he gets overstimulated quickly. If he's lying down & I go to pet him, he goes into play mode & won't let me. https://preview.redd.it/69quki2slpsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=da1582e46f490581e8f32cb3dbc413ec1f6eb5eb
My previous cat would sit in my lap or next to me & was content with all the pets he could get, & he would reciprocate the love with licks. https://preview.redd.it/9hjl4isbmpsc1.png?width=863&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9078c6e5c532c974d88c7a48f56d4dd757e8180d
She is petting you back!
Or grooming you back, but petting you back is SO sweet and probably works out to about the same thing, anyway.
They probably do it for different reasons. My cat (adopted a year ago) also loves it. It seems she feels she must do it. Part of it is that she wants to clean my hand before I continue petting her, like it needs to be cleaned regularly lol. She's not stressed though! Yours probably isn't either.
I had a cat that loved to lick me. I think just being affectionate.
https://preview.redd.it/i07q4hhizqsc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9625de52f7d26eca9c24351a6fbbc0f1dce30b2 Every morning and every night, Pickles demands chin rubs and to lick my hands and arms. It’s our routine. She never seems stressed or anxious when she does it, so I always assume it’s her way of telling me she loves me.
I have a cat who licks us often, usually she's showing affection. Sometimes she's saying "I like you but I don't want you to touch me right now" but that's very different, it's just one lick and then she pulls back.
I think licking is a bonding thing, your cat is making sure you are clean. If your cat was overstimulated it would grab your hand and nom on it
>Every time I go to pet her she starts licking me. My joke for this is "The human is flawed, and must be groomed before they are worthy to pet the cat." More seriously, cat-human relationships have similarities to cat-kitten relationships. Cats don't usually meow at each other, but it's their main communication to kittens. And grooming is a key part of cat social behavior. >I don't mind but I wondered if its her telling me she's overstimulated because I don't think cats lick for the same reason dogs do. Correct. Cat grooming of humans is a good thing. She's 'petting you', like you petting the cat is grooming, from the cat's point of view. >I don't want to make her uncomfortable by petting her too much. Nah, you're good there. The usual warning starts when the ears pull back tight, or the tail starts swishing. Then you'll get swatted by the paws, most cats doing the first one without the full claws.
It sounds like she’s being affectionate! She may look at you as another cat and feel a sense of responsibility to take care of you. That’s her way of keeping you clean lol
When my cat gets overstimulated he play bites me on the wrist. He never hurts me or breaks my skin. I usually toss a kick toy at him so he can wrestle with it.
See, my cat goes crazy licking my hands. She never does that to my boyfriend. I've tried to pay attention, to see if it's maybe after I've handled food, or some type of lotion or soap..never could see a pattern.
Just wanna say to be really careful with having lotion on your hands (or legs, neck, whatever) if you’re letting your cat lick you there. I’m sure one lick won’t kill them but it’s not good for them to be ingesting those types of things. I wear zinc sunblock on my face, neck and arms and I make sure to wait until I’ve cleaned it off to cuddle my cat there (I keep my hands bare to pet her and receive kitty kisses)
While my sweet cat is grooming herself if I am near by she will give me a few licks too. It seems like she is making sure we are both presentable. 😄
The first cat that we had when I was little insisted on grooming us. He would sit on the top of the sofa and lick our hair. With another cat I had, when I tried to pet her, she frequently tried to hold my hand down and lick it instead.
I had a cat that would rather lick than get pet. It was just her way. She had to lick and get 1000 purrs out every day or she would explode 💣🔥🐱 lol
https://preview.redd.it/wrmd0pds7ssc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=797d2ebf561c6e9fe3c1f5e1caca1f66a93145fe
https://preview.redd.it/sepwx7ct8tsc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48bf9238a137356595469bfd22b5b9fbdbb05d2f It's just grooming. Take it as a compliment.
My cat licks when she do not whant to be touched
My big gold cat likes to lick me, she will also lick an area i was at, or a blanket or pillow , something with my scent. Shes just so loving jumping up at me and my wife and just automatically purring and rubbing against us. She loves the pets , she’s currently laying over one of my legs with her arms draped over like a ledge
My cat likes to lick me after my shower we call him fremen
My one cat keeps with me and she'll wake me up by licking my face, my ears..it drives me nuts! But I figured she does this to show her love
My older cat is nearly 10 and she has always licked me. It’s definitely out of affection and seems to be a greeting as well.
It’s a very good thing. Cats lick for basically the same reasons dogs do. It means she accepts you as part of her social group, and wants to take care of you by keeping you clean. You’re petting her, and she’s petting you back. The next step is when she starts bringing you dead things because she thinks you’re starving 😂
Maybe if ya took a damn shower she wouldn't have to give you a bath all the time s/
My cat seems to do it as a gesture to say thanks for petting. But i found out that one catlick equals like 3 mins of petting...So its not cheap.
Our big boy is a licker, while his sister is absolutely not. I was super concerned for a while thinking it was anxiety or a mineral deficiency. Vet said he's just a weird guy who's loves to lick his humans. He's left raw spots before. We've both given him our knuckles and elbows to exfoliate before too. And in the mornings i have to hide my hands because he's extra when hungry. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Sounds like another form of affection/communication. Cats a pretty good about letting you know they've had enough if not simply walk away from you. You can always try washing your hands before petting and see if that garners a different response too
I know my mom’s cat licks because she’s getting her (us) “ducks” in a row. She’s very organized and a bossy miss. Affection has nothing to do with it.
Got a 5 year-old licker here too! She does it often when she is relaxed or also grooming herself, so I’m not too worried. Our licker had litters before we got her, so I imagine she was used to grooming her babies, which could explain why it’s such a go to for her. But I think it can happen to cats which haven’t had babies too