Why do cats clean themselves in front of you

DEAR JOAN: Whenever I pet our loving tabby cat, she immediately cleans herself in the area where I petted her.

Table of Contents Show

Why Do Cats Groom Themselves?
What is Over-Grooming?
What Causes Overgrooming?
What is Allogrooming?
Allogrooming Between Cats and Humans
Final Thoughts
Why does my cat clean herself near me?
Do cats clean themselves when they are comfortable?

Should I be offended because she doesn’t like my scent and is trying to remove it, or flattered because she likes my scent and is enjoying it?

Rebecca, Walnut Creek

DEAR REBECCA: As with a lot of things involving those wonderfully mysterious and perplexing felines, there’s more than one answer.

The first, frankly, is the most positive for our egos. Your cat is not trying to rub away your strokes in the same way a young child wipes away your kisses. Far from it.

Cats regard us as other cats. Large, strange looking cats, but catlike beings that are neither above nor below themselves. When you pet your cat and she then licks the same spot, it could be her way of performing mutual grooming, an act that occurs between close and loving cats.

In this scenario, you are another cat grooming your cat. Just be thankful you don’t have to use your tongue.

Another possibility is that you are petting her in a place that isn’t as easy for her to get at, and she’s trying to help you reach the sweet spot. This happens most often near the base of a cat’s tail, where she can’t quite reach. It’s akin to scratching a dog and having it start gyrating its rear leg. The cat often will lick at the air, as if she is licking the hard-to-reach spot.

A third reason could be that your cat has a sore or itchy spot caused by a skin irritation, either from a food or insect allergy. Your touching that area makes it itch or tingle and your cat tries to sooth or quiet the itch. If it happens in the same place every time, then you should have your cat checked by a veterinarian.

The last reason experts have identified is called feline hyperesthesia syndrome, a condition where your cat’s skin becomes hypersensitive. Your stroke could be causing discomfort and pain.

This is another instance when a trip to the vet is call for, but as you didn’t mention any negative reaction from your cat, I suspect there’s nothing wrong and nothing for you to be offended by. Keep on petting.

Giving to two good causes

Thousands donate blood every year, which saves countless lives, especially in emergencies. Taking part in a blood drive is always a good idea, but this January, giving a pint will also mean donating to help care for homeless pets.

Stanford Blood Center will launch its annual Give Good campaign on Jan. 1, and for every donation throughout the month, the center will donate to Humane Society Silicon Valley. Money raised during the drive will be used to pay for vaccinations and other medical care for animals at the shelter.

Make an appointment or plan to visit the center’s mobile unit when it sets up shop at the shelter from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 19, Humane Society Silicon Valley Community Room, 901 Ames Ave., Milpitas.

In past Give Good campaigns, the center has donated to Good Karma Bikes, Bay Area Cancer Connections, Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley and BayKids Studio. In 2013, a three-week campaign to support Humane Society Silicon Valley drew 3,294 donations.

It can seem strange when your cat settles down for a snuggle only to begin grooming herself furiously on your lap, but there is a reason behind this behavior. While it may seem like she’s gotten distracted from snuggling with you, studies show that grooming in cats is a directed and goal-oriented behavior, meaning that when cats are grooming themselves, they have a goal in mind when they start.1

For cats, grooming themselves on your lap functions similarly to allogrooming, the scientific term for social grooming of other animals. Your cat is trying to bond with you!

Why Do Cats Groom Themselves?

Animals want to be clean, just like people. However, grooming has more functions than just cleaning. Many people feel relaxed after taking a shower, and similarly, cats feel relaxed when they groom. When a cat settles down for a long grooming session, they’ve decided that there are no imminent threats.

Thus, when your cat settles down onto your lap and starts grooming herself, she is signaling to you that she feels relaxed and it’s time to relax with her. Grooming is so relaxing for cats that the behavior can grow into a maladaptive coping mechanism, resulting in over-grooming, skin irritation, and hair loss.

What is Over-Grooming?

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Simply put, over-grooming is when a cat’s grooming behavior results in adverse side effects like hair loss or skin irritation. While grooming oneself is a natural and beneficial behavior, doing it too much can result in a loss of the skin’s natural, necessary oils and result in hair loss from tugging and pulling at hair follicles.

In severe cases, over-grooming can cause welts, abrasions, abscesses, and other skin wounds from overprocessing the skin during grooming.

Most cats do an excellent job of cleaning themselves, but with the Hepper Cat Brush, they no longer need to spend hours licking at their loose fur.

This is our product, but we love it so much that we have to share! It is designed to be gentle yet effective, removing loose hair and stubborn knots without any painful pulling. What better way to bond with your favorite feline? Click here to try it for yourself!

What Causes Overgrooming?

Over-grooming in cats is often a product of stress. In many cases, the grooming becomes a compulsive behavior that the cat must complete to feel “whole.” It’s analogous to excessive washing in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorders and symptoms. Grooming becomes part of the cat’s “self-soothing” ritual where the behavior becomes destructive to the self.

Since overgrooming is a symptom, not an illness, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact cause for the behavior. Different cats respond to stress differently, and what might become an over-grooming problem in the making for some cats might be a nonchalant shrug for another cat.

If your cat is overgrooming to the point where they’re hurting themselves, take them to a veterinarian. Your veterinarian will be able to help you identify what’s making your cat so uncomfortable and help you fix it. In severe cases, your veterinarian may prescribe anti-anxiety medications for your cat to help them feel more comfortable in their daily lives.

What is Allogrooming?

Image Credit: Svyatoslav Balan, Shutterstock

The other explanation for why your cat likes to groom herself on you is that the behavior is an extension of the allogrooming behavior in cats. Allogrooming is the scientific word formed of “allo,” meaning “other” or “different,” and “grooming” refers to the process of physically cleaning another creature. Allogrooming isn’t just present in the animal kingdom. Humans enjoy the process of bathing their children, brushing, and styling each other’s hair, and other allogrooming behaviors that give signs of our roots in the primate world.

For cats, allogrooming takes the form of licking each other to smooth out the fur and remove dirt and grime particles from the coat of the groomee. Allogrooming in adult cats focuses on the head and neck area.

This behavior mirrors the human tendency to groom other adults’ hair when performing allogrooming behaviors instead of the whole body as they would with a child. While it’s impossible to make distinctions as to why cats make these conscious decisions, with adult humans, we generally regard the idea of being bathed by another adult as being shameful or unnecessary. So, allogrooming tends to be focused on areas of the body that are physically visible in daily life.

Allogrooming also functions as a critical social behavior that allows cats to establish a pecking order. Dominant cats were observed grooming other cats more frequently than submissive ones. Additionally, dominant cats would take a “taller” stance, standing or sitting over the submissive cat, generally lying on their side.

In terms of social hierarchy, allogrooming is also often a precursor to displays of dominance in a more conventional sense. Dominant cats were observed not just grooming the submissive cats but also actively antagonizing them.

Combative behavior was documented in the cats engaged in allogrooming but was significantly more common in dominant cats than submissive ones. Allogrooming was a precursor to combative behavior between dominant and submissive cats.

Allogrooming Between Cats and Humans

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Allogrooming occurs between humans and their pets all the time. We bathe our dogs, brush our cats, and in doing so, we strengthen the bond between humans and animals. Allogrooming is seen in the other direction as well. Often people refer to cats and dogs licking them as giving kisses. Still, in reality, this is a function of allogrooming; since allogrooming is an affectionate behavior, it’s an apt comparison, but still not quite the same.

Cats enjoy allogrooming; it’s relaxing and calming for them because it means they’re not in any danger. Cats will often settle down to groom their owners for a bit, but they may groom themselves instead since we don’t have fur that they can lick, and licking our skin probably feels a bit weird to them, even if the behavioral drive is natural.

Your cat may settle down for a cuddle and groom itself to show you that there’s no danger. By settling down to cuddle and self-preen, your cat is indicating to you that it’s time to relax as well. Cats are very perceptive to the feelings of those around them, and they may pick up if you’re feeling stressed even if you try not to show it.

Final Thoughts

There’s no shortage of ways our cats like to show us that they love us and grooming themselves while cuddling us is just one way they tell us they love us. Whether your cat’s mind is on allogrooming or grooming you, that message has a certain charm.

Featured Image Credit: gglim79, Pixabay

Why does my cat clean herself near me?

Thus, when your cat settles down onto your lap and starts grooming herself, she is signaling to you that she feels relaxed and it's time to relax with her. Grooming is so relaxing for cats that the behavior can grow into a maladaptive coping mechanism, resulting in over-grooming, skin irritation, and hair loss.

Do cats clean themselves when they are comfortable?

Cats take comfort in the ritual of self-cleaning. Remember, certain qualities indicate a healthy coat of fur, including: Little dander. No black specks, which can be a sign of fleas.