Licking or grooming is a natural instinct in animals, especially cats. When a cat licks itself, usually it means it’s having a wash. This feline behavior is called self-grooming or auto-grooming.
However, when cats groom each other, that behavior is called allogrooming. Allogrooming starts from a young age. For example, a mother cat licks her newborn kittens to clean and warm them.
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.
1. Maternal Instinct
When kittens are born, their mother immediately cleans them by licking them to remove fluid and tissue that can put them in danger by attracting predators.
2. Grooming As A Sign Of Affection
When it comes to cats, grooming is usually a sign of affection. They help to clean one another, especially around areas that are tricky to reach.
3. Grooming As Social Bonding
If you own two adult cats from kittenhood, they usually develop a pretty strong bond. They’re together all the time and show each other love and affection.
4. Grooming As A Sign Of Dominance
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.
This sign of dominance is the most common in a multi-cat household, so in order to prevent fights, you should provide your cats with a lot of space and make sure that every cat has its own area.