Cats also frequently lick one another. Mother cats, for instance, frequently kiss their young.
According to Vitale, kitten survival depends on their ability to be licked. Very young kittens can’t urinate or feces on their own. In order to encourage her kittens to use the bathroom, the mother will lick their genitalia.
Additionally, according to Vitale, “the mother licks her kittens to comfort them and keep them clean.” Keeping a newborn kitten’s fur clean is a full-time task, as anybody who has reared orphaned kittens will attest.
Allogrooming is the term for the act of cats licking friends, according to Vitale.
According to Vitale, cats may groom one other as well as other social partners like dogs and people. Friendly actions, such as allogrooming, are believed to improve the relationships between the parties.
Cats may continue to lick each other in a pleasant manner “before or after a round of play,” Vitale continued. My cats frequently start off by grooming one another before gradually transitioning to play wrestling and chasing before the two calm down and go to sleep close to one another.
Allogrooming is not a method used by cats to mark the areas they regard as their property, unlike scent marking.
According to Vitale, territorial behaviors are those that encourage aggressive site protection. “Allogrooming is an affiliative activity, or a behavior that strengthens bonds. When a cat is at ease and with a selected social partner, allogrooming takes place. Because it wants the person’s attention, the cat may also lick to start a conversation.”
