Why Does My Cat Lick My Kitten Bum?

Thanks to its natural characteristics, when the cat was born, they have been given body parts that help them meet their own grooming needs. For example, a rough tongue and disc under the sole of a foot are used as a face towel, a set of teeth to remove solid debris on the body.

The following are some of the underlying causes that lead to the habit of licking in cats!

Please pay attention because you will quickly find an answer to the question “Why does my cat lick my kitten bum?” after reading the article below!

Have you ever wondered why cats lick themselves so much?

1. Due to the instinct of the species

The habit of licking in cats has been formed since childhood.

It starts with the cat mom licking its kittens immediately after giving birth, in part to cleanse the kitten, stimulating them to excrete urine and feces. Besides that, the cat licking the fur also makes the kittens love to breastfeed more.

Kittens often do self-made beauty and grooming themselves when they are about four weeks old. After this period, they began to tend to lick fur each other as well as for the mother cat. The grooming each other of the kittens will continue like that until they grow up.

2. Cats lick their hair to cleanse the body

Cats often lick their fur is also a way of cleaning the body. This action removes the parasite, keeps the cat's skin clean and smooth. Also, it cools the body through the evaporation of saliva.

And it stimulates glands attached to the fur to secrete substances that keep the coat from getting wet. The licking habit of the cat was formed when they are little kittens.

Many owners will find it strange when their cats often lick their kittens so much. Especially, pet owners often ask people around them why my cat lick my kitten bum. This is a straightforward question and easy to understand.

We will give you the answer now!

“Why does my cat lick my kitten bum?”

Normally, mother cats often clean their kittens by licking them. That's why the mother will lick their bum.

With the "multi-function" tongue, the mother cat licks its children's bum to stimulate urine hole and anus so that the kittens can pee and poop more easily.

Then the mother will "clean" its babies. At this stage, mothers are prone to diarrhea due to the ingestion of feces and urine from the baby.

Diets for cats should be easy to digest and reduce fat.

3. Cats lick their fur to relieve stress

A cat can groom temporarily to minimize conflict, depression or anxiety. Under these conditions, licking is named "delaying behavior." Delayed behavior can occur when animals have the motivation to perform two or more opposing behaviors at the same time.

If the cat cannot do that, the third behavior will arise, utterly different from the situation at that time.

For example, in a social conflict, a cat when felt threatened would have a different thought between running away attackers or fight against them. In such a time, the cat decided to groom instead of other actions. Grooming reassures the cat and calms it down.

However, if your cat licks too much, it can cause self-inflicted injuries such as fur loss, skin infection, you should consult a veterinarian right away as this can be a sign of pathology!

Check us out for further detailed healthy cats guide!

Does your cat often lick you?

In fact, this is a question of many owners who are serving "the boss" day and night. The cats have a lot of strange actions, and one of them is licking us up. But why are they licking?

1. Licking is the act of bonding the relationship

First of all, you should know that kittens and older cats, regardless of no ties, are in harmony together. Emotionally, they rub the head, rub the whole body, and lick the top of the head or inside the opponent's ear.

In essence, they exchange perfumes through grooming. That also increases the relationship between a pair of cats, so that they live together in harmony.

Not only lick fur, sometimes, you also see the cat licking its owner. Cats lick their owners and others like the way to express affection and trust, just as they lick their friends and mothers.

They can also be licked to taste something on your skin, such as salt.

Cats licking their owners is also a way to express affection. Grooming, or licking, is a typical action in cats.

2. The cat is paying you a compliment

When your cat usually licks you, it means that it loves you. It feels safe when staying beside you. As you may know, cats often lick each other, so that licking you is that it considers you as a member of its family. And it tries to clean you like the mother cat clean its kittens.

3. Your cat licks you so rough

The tongue of cat has papillae which are backward-facing hooks made of keratin, the same material of the cat’s claws. So, it is like sandpaper. This papilla helps cats to rasp meat from the bone. Also, it is considered as a comb. When cats groom, it will pull out dirt and some loose fur. 

District the cat to stop it licking you

You should observe some signs that your cat is going to lick. Before it begins to "clean" your hand or arm, throw it a toy to redirect.

De-stress your cats with interactive play

Playing with your cat is always a good idea. It will strengthen the relationship between both and also keep your pet trim and fit. Besides, the chemicals released during exercise will help your cat to relax.

Be patient when your cat licks you,

After ending this topic, we want you to remember some notes.

It's difficult to restrain a cat which has a licking behavior. Therefore, you should be gentle and avoid shouting or having some extreme reactions. Especially, don't toss it off your lap or hit it.

We hope that you feel content with our answer for the question “Why does my cat lick my kitten bum?” as well as useful information about the licking habit of the cat.