We've all heard the term "gett'in a lickin", or "you're gonna get a licken". I wonder if it has to do with the way one cat will "groom" another one?
I ask because our senior cat (about 4 1/2 years old) sometimes seems to get fed up with one or the other of our two kittens (both under 3 months old), and she will pin down the kitten and then give it a good "licking". I watched her lick on the little boy for a good 5 minutes last night. He just laid there and took it, but he had his ears back like he wasn't enjoying it a whole lot.
Is this some kind of "I'm the boss" behavior? How about when we let this cat lick our hand (we think of it as a greeting--we'll walk up to her and hold our hand down and she just gives it a lick or two. Are we somehow acknowledging her as "boss" when we do this, or what?
I ask because our senior cat (about 4 1/2 years old) sometimes seems to get fed up with one or the other of our two kittens (both under 3 months old), and she will pin down the kitten and then give it a good "licking". I watched her lick on the little boy for a good 5 minutes last night. He just laid there and took it, but he had his ears back like he wasn't enjoying it a whole lot.
Is this some kind of "I'm the boss" behavior? How about when we let this cat lick our hand (we think of it as a greeting--we'll walk up to her and hold our hand down and she just gives it a lick or two. Are we somehow acknowledging her as "boss" when we do this, or what?