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Need An Opinion

post #1 of 10
6/6/10 at 9:18am
Thread Starter 
Hi, I'm new here and my Vet had no idea about an answer to one of our cat's habits. I read the post about cats licking plastic bags. We have one cat that has another licking habit.

All our animals are rescued. This particular cat we got as a kitten @ 10 weeks old, and he is now 3 yrs old. His name is Casper and he is all white, sort of a domestic medium long hair. He isn't blind or deaf.

He does not like to be held, and is a 10 second lap cat. He is very gentle with claws, like exiting the lap. But no matter where he is, when he is petted anywhere on his body or head will lick your hand non stop. He will crank his head to get to your hand.

Now, some people may like this, but it does get unnerving. So, I thought I would ask this question, as it seems there are many knowledgeable catpeople on this forum. Here is a picture of the little dude taken when he was about 4 months old. Thanks for any suggestions.
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post #2 of 10
6/6/10 at 9:24am
It's a type of mutual grooming. He thinks your petting him is you grooming him. In closely bonded cats they'd be beside each other with both cats either trying to groom each other at the same time or taking turns.

As long as all he does is lick, consider a sweet endearing behavior. I have a couple that like to nibble/nip when trying to groom me.
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post #3 of 10
6/6/10 at 10:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
It's a type of mutual grooming. He thinks your petting him is you grooming him. In closely bonded cats they'd be beside each other with both cats either trying to groom each other at the same time or taking turns.

As long as all he does is lick, consider a sweet endearing behavior. I have a couple that like to nibble/nip when trying to groom me.

Thanks for the quick response. He doesn't nip or nibble. Of the three cats he is the least social, the other two (females) don't groom him and vice-versa. But the three will playfully chase each other around.
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post #4 of 10
6/6/10 at 10:22am
Our Punkin does this to some extent, also. Again, it's just mutual grooming, saying, "I'm your cat, and you're my hooman."
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post #5 of 10
6/6/10 at 10:41am
I agree - it is a loving gesture. If he is not as "social" as the other cats, this is his way of bonding with you.
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post #6 of 10
6/6/10 at 11:48am
Not every cat is a cuddle cat or lap sitter.

Our HHP, Ling crys to have attention; when you give it to her and pick her up, she cries to get down.

With our Ocicats, they are lap cats as kittens, but when grown they prefer to lay next to you - not in your lap.
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post #7 of 10
6/6/10 at 1:26pm
My Scrappy does that. Makes me crazy, to be honest. But it is kind of cute.
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post #8 of 10
6/6/10 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the feedback. He isn't a cuddler by any means, but will lay "near" in the bed (within reach). His other habit is to lick exposed skin areas in the middle of the night, like arms, toes, forehead, and his favorite is eyelids. That gets you up every time.
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post #9 of 10
6/7/10 at 7:17am
Agree with the mutual grooming diagnosis. It's not something you will be able to "break" him of, as it is his thing. Jennie likes to lick my arm. The main reason I don't like her to do it is because I put lotion on my skin in the morning.
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post #10 of 10
6/7/10 at 4:58pm
Pearl will occasionally lick my eyelids or neck until it feels like she has scraped the skin off. Once it gets too painful, I try to distract her with treats, because I don't want to just push her away. It took me 8 years to get her to allow me to handle her very much and stop living in the closet or under the bed.
Your baby is adorable. All white like my Pearl. I wonder if it a white cat thing.
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