Licking or grooming is a natural instinct in animals, especially cats. When a cat licks itself, usually it means it’s having a wash.
A lot of time, cats lick each other because they’re siblings or mates; in this case, you may notice that grooming behavior between them is more frequent.
Here are the 4 common reasons for mutual grooming among cats, most of which are pretty sweet and give us important insight into how cats show love to each other.
1. Maternal Instinct
One of the ways mother cats show affection to their kittens is by licking them.
2. Grooming As A Sign Of Affection
In doing so, they show how happy they are in each other’s company.
3. Grooming As Social Bonding
If you own two adult cats from kittenhood, they usually develop a pretty strong bond.
It might seem a bit unusual, but studies show that cats have a social hierarchy where higher-ranking cats usually groom lower-ranking cats, the less dominant ones.
It’s the sweetest thing to see your cats bonding and enjoying their grooming time together, but make sure that you also brush them and show them affection.