I Used To Have A Cat Who Aggressively Groomed Me!

ZaMM

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No matter what every night like clock work my cat BoBo would come to my room door shut or not, and he would lay right over my head and roughly lick my hair. He would lick until I fell asleep and which by that point my hair would be soaked lol. And he would give out the god awfullest cries and claw and scratch when the door happened to be shut.....parents had to buy a new door, but is that typical affectionate behavior or was he going through something mentally? Thanks I know this doesn't relate to my cats now but I had always wondered since I haven't had a cat do that before or after him.
 

war&wisdom

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It's not typical, but it happens. My first cat, Bailey, would groom me after I showered (trying to lick the water out of my hair). My boy Ares, who's almost a year old, is super affectionate -- many feelings. He cries when he can't find us, and he cuddles aggressively. And...he chews my hair. He doesn't just lick -- I have woken up missing a little bit of hair. I do stop him when I'm awake, but he often sleeps next to me and sometimes gets away with it!
 

FeebysOwner

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One of my cats used to knead my head at night - OUCH!! Thankfully, she did grow out of it. My current cat, Feeby, will occasionally be sitting/laying on me and lick my hand/wrist/lower arm, which isn't bad until she hits the tender skin on the inside of my wrist - she on many occasions licked it to the point of making a red area that kind of hurt, but was always pretty much gone by the next morning.

All my cats have always had access to the bedroom at night, so I never have had to deal with the crying/clawing to get to me - thankfully!!!
 

basschick

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One of my cats used to knead my head at night - OUCH!! Thankfully, she did grow out of it. My current cat, Feeby, will occasionally be sitting/laying on me and lick my hand/wrist/lower arm, which isn't bad until she hits the tender skin on the inside of my wrist - she on many occasions licked it to the point of making a red area that kind of hurt, but was always pretty much gone by the next morning.

All my cats have always had access to the bedroom at night, so I never have had to deal with the crying/clawing to get to me - thankfully!!!
my cat, mouse, was weaned too young. she would knead my head and suck on my hair, sometimes also licking my head every night. many nights, i'd wake up to mouse giving my hair and head the treatment.
 

bodester413

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My cat does that too. Sometimes he puts one paw on my head and kinda flexes his claws as a warning that it's time for my hair to be cleaned and resistance is futile. lol I've noticed he does it when I start using a new shampoo too. A new scent.
 
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ZaMM

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My cat does that too. Sometimes he puts one paw on my head and kinda flexes his claws as a warning that it's time for my hair to be cleaned and resistance is futile. lol I've noticed he does it when I start using a new shampoo too. A new scent.
LMAO I know exactly what your talking about, it hurts sometimes but that licking lulled me to sleep and I often wonder if thats why I have a receding hairline
:flail:
 

bodester413

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LMAO I know exactly what your talking about, it hurts sometimes but that licking lulled me to sleep and I often wonder if thats why I have a receding hairline
:flail:
Oh , I know. Same here. Some mornings I'll wake up and look in the mirror and think has my hair always gone back that far back on my temples? lol
 

daftcat75

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Thankfully Krista leaves my head alone except for the odd paw or lick on the nose if other tricks to wake me haven't worked yet.

But she used to groom me, my clothing, blankets, the carpet, you name it. It was a self-soothing behavior to her. She'd purr up a storm, knead the comforter, and groom the heck out of a blanket until she was ready to turn around a few times and go to sleep.

Over this past year, she's had several rounds of dental extractions. The last couple of extractions have left her mouth in a state where licking is uncomfortable for her. My guess is her tongue's glide path through the missing teeth isn't as smooth as it used to be. Whereas before she never gave a second thought to licking a hand put in front of her, she now just puts her lips to, considers it, then reconsiders it. Very sad. She still occasionally grooms a blanket at night before sleep and she still grooms herself. But those extra kisses are a lot harder to come by now. I make sure to thank her when she graces me with them despite whatever is going on in her mouth. She still grooms and she eats well so I won't be taking her back to vet again until that changes. She's had enough work this year to last most cats a lifetime.
 

cheeseburger

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My sweet black kitty doesn't want pets or snuggles, refuses to get on the bed or the couch. But he follows me everywhere, and if you offer him your hand, he will lick you basically forever, even putting both of his paws up to hold your hand in place so that you can't extract it. Grooming us is the one affectionate thing he likes to do, so we let him do it (despite his painful tongue!) for bonding.

Twice when we have had thunderstorms, he's gotten onto the bed at 3am and started grooming any exposed skin of mine that he can find. I think it comforts him.

We have a new cat in the house, and I'm hoping that he will enjoy grooming her as much as he does us. We aren't quite at that point yet though. :)
 
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