Health: What Does It Mean When A Cat Licks Its Face?

Suddenly, a cat who was comfortably lying on his couch, sticks his tongue out and makes quick strokes of his member over his lips and nose. But what does it mean?

Have you ever observed this behavior in your feline? N ã the is normal activity of hygiene because no ã H will nothing to clean. And this activity comes with a certain amount of excitement. And besides, your pet seems to be intrigued by something he looks directly at.

This type of reaction falls within the so-called substitution activities or displacement behaviors, which occur when the animal faces a conflictive state .

Reasons for a cat to lick its face

If you want to observe this behavior in your pet, take a fine-tooth comb and run the bristles across a hard surface in front of your pet. Immediately, you will calmly observe the object making the noise and it will quickly stick its tongue out to lick your mouth and around.

As you can already confirm this attitude n ã the has nothing to do with a cleaning function, since n ã follows the pre will usual optical occurring after that feeds a session or during ã the toilet. Furthermore, his tongue strokes are short, defined and quick.

The activity takes substitutive acts linked to the tio vital es how to eat, drink and clean themselves. It reveals itself when your pet finds itself in a context that prevents proper behavior. Therefore, the animal’s response appears to be “out of place”.

All the substitutive activities known until today seem capable of stimulating serotoninergic and, above all, endorphinergic structures that help to restore a certain tranquility to the animal.

Faced with a situation that causes discomfort, but also causes curiosity, the cat does not know whether to stay or leave. He doesn’t know how to resolve the conflict. Therefore leaves al í ngua outside and licks, as a way of breaking the stagnant ction where it lies.

Sometimes, after licking,  your cat may sneeze violently or yawn generously. These substitutive attitudes that your cat manifests happen to all felines, including the lion.

Other ESP is caries t is m area tio distinct es located before gs similar es. They may nibble on the extremities or scratch behind their ears with their hind legs.

Birds, for example, clean their beaks on branches. Chimpanzees, in turn, scratch their chin or arms.

All of these repetitive and persistent motor activities, which impede the execution of adaptive responses, have no function. Although are sent to calm the tension ã emotional that some lies tio es  cause  the animals.

The replacement activity is, then, in the cl signs í frequently only ones that your pet esteem tio the can manifest on a state of discomfort. In these cases they may also present:

• Neurovegetative disorders;
• stereotypes;
• Inhibition states.

Other displacement behaviors in felines

All animals living in captivity, including domestic, may suffer from some kind of nervous disorder caused by the way of life that they t is m to adapt, unlike the laws of nature and instinct of these animals.

For more pleasant to be the caresses and all the amenities of home, your cat n ã the is in that set as a natural habitat.

So, when your feline is very nervous or confused , it may have some shifting behaviors in order to release itself from the stress it feels or even to adapt to a stressful situation.

In addition to licking your mouth and nose, other activities related to displacement behaviors can be:

• Licking the  fur : Once you get out of a dangerous situation, you will certainly sit down and lick the fur as a way to relax, which could lead to extensive feline alopecia. Alopecia is a condition characterized by loss of hair or hair in rounded or oval areas of the scalp or other parts of the body, commonly called “peladeira”;
• Suc tio o;
• Rambles tio o;

Remember  that an activity to replace tio the is normal behavior, but that is out of context and, in general, in an exaggerated way.

If the causes that generate these substitute activities in your pet’s estimates tio n ã the are  treated, they can develop into a stereo behavior typed. But, that will be the subject of another article.

So, pay  attention tio the the s causes that may be causing a shift in behavior. And be sure to consult your veterinarian.