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Cat Forum / General Topics / January 2004

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When cats lick...

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Boz - 12 Jan 2004 08:22 GMT
I stroke my cat and most of the time she purrrs, sometimes she licks my hand
quite forcibly, is this cattoid for saying 'Stop!'?
Bob Brenchley. - 12 Jan 2004 10:35 GMT
>I stroke my cat and most of the time she purrrs, sometimes she licks my hand
>quite forcibly, is this cattoid for saying 'Stop!'?

No, she is just accepting you are an equal.

Its rather like monkeys sitting around picking nits - cats who are
happy with each other groom each other. To be accepted as a cat, and
get your grooming, shows you have been raised to cathood :)

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Bob.

Cats know what we feel. They don't always care, but they know.

idseer - 12 Jan 2004 23:02 GMT
actually, sometimes this DOES mean stop. there are times when it seems
they're trying to say  "ok, lick lick, now leave me alone."  most of the
time it's just affection tho.

> I stroke my cat and most of the time she purrrs, sometimes she licks my hand
> quite forcibly, is this cattoid for saying 'Stop!'?
Nurse Crow - 14 Jan 2004 12:55 GMT
>I stroke my cat and most of the time she purrrs, sometimes she licks my hand
>quite forcibly, is this cattoid for saying 'Stop!'?

Actually, it can mean either "stop" or "i accept you as an equal or at
least a member of the pride." You have to read it in terms of the
immediate context. My Manx/Tonk, Iko, uses licking to communicate
multiple messages all the time. When happy, he will groom us quite
often by licking our hands or hair. But he also uses the lick as a
polite way to say, "ok, that's enough now." If we fail to heed the
"stop" message he will escalate to light then medium nips with his
teeth, usually followed by a little verbal protesting, and/or jumping
down and away from us.

When your kitty licks you, examine the rest of his verbal and
nonverbal communication. Is he purring or making irritated sounds? Is
he relaxed or tensing up? Are his eyes wide open or closed/half
lidded? Is he looking around as if to jump down? Is more fur than
usual coming off him? Immediate excessive shedding is a sign of
stress. These and other clues will tell you which message the licking
is sending. Hope that helps a little...
~Ed~
"If it doesn't hurt, I'm not doing you any good."
 
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