How much grooming is too much?

nwengel

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Hello, I have a wonderful 5-month-old kitten who I think is absolutely perfect! I am wondering, however, if she is grooming too much and by grooming I mean grooming me, not herself.

She grooms herself quite a bit but not excessively. She has no sores or spots on her body from licking. When she is done she turns to me and grooms my hand, sometimes upwards of 50 licks (I counted, since I have no other measurement for “excessive licking” - haha). I allow her to do this but often will stop her before she is done.

Now she has started licking my nose and waking me up this way. It seems like she is showing her affection through licking, as it’s not only happening after grooming now.

Should I discourage this behavior? Or rather, how do I redirect her licking into something a little less personal?

Thanks so much!
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ArtNJ

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Since there is absolutely no harm to the cat I've ever heard of, you can safely decide based on whatever factors make sense to you. For me, if my arm is really itchy afterwards, its too much! If I feel the need to wash my arm afterwards, its too much! My cats don't sleep with me, but if I was getting woken up? Thats too much!

True, the jokes practically make themselves with one cat trying to give me a "paw job" on my lap and the other licking up a storm, but its all quite uncomfortable! I tolerate the licking more because that cat has always been a little skittish, and its super cute that she is growing out of it. So I'm trying to redirect her to just sitting still and getting petted, but it just doesn't work well. I may need to switch to long sleeves early lol. You can stop licking by removing the cat when they do it -- they eventually get the message. But you may inavertently discourage some affection seeking as well, at least for a bit. So if you have a skittish cat like I do, its hard! With my other cat, I don't worry about that stuff at all -- if I don't want his "affections" at a particular moment or because of how he is expressing his affection, I just remove him. He'll be back.
 
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FeebysOwner

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How long have you had this kitten? Is it possible she was weaned too soon? Excessive licking is sometimes a way of a cat bonding with their caretaker, especially if they are relatively new to the household. It can also happen with a cat that was taken away from their mother and siblings too soon. Either way, there is a good chance that it will dissipate over time.

Although there is likely a load of inapplicable subject matter in these articles, maybe it can help you assess your kitten's behavior and consider distractions as needed.
Why Does My Cat Lick Me So Much? - Ultimate Pet Nutrition
Why Does My Cat Lick Me So Much? (catbehaviorassociates.com)
 
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nwengel

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Thank you so much! And yes, it is possible she was weaned too soon as her mother is feral and I’m not certain what the circumstances of their separation are.

How long have you had this kitten? Is it possible she was weaned too soon? Excessive licking is sometimes a way of a cat bonding with their caretaker, especially if they are relatively new to the household. It can also happen with a cat that was taken away from their mother and siblings too soon. Either way, there is a good chance that it will dissipate over time.

Although there is likely a load of inapplicable subject matter in these articles, maybe it can help you assess your kitten's behavior and consider distractions as needed.
Why Does My Cat Lick Me So Much? - Ultimate Pet Nutrition
Why Does My Cat Lick Me So Much? (catbehaviorassociates.com)
 
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