My male cat licks my kittens face

[Mishkahabib]

My male persian cat likes to be more alone and doesn’t like other cats however he will sniff and lick my female kittens face and play with her. He even allows her to cuddle with him and sleep. He generally does not cuddle with any cat and is not willing to cuddle with humans. Why is he performing this behavior with the kitten

 

[BoaztheAdventureCat]

Did you give your cat and your kitten a proper slow, gradual introduction over a couple weeks or did you put them together as soon as you brought the kitten home? Does your male cat display any threatening or dominant behavior around the same time that he licks the kitten? When he's not licking her, does he interact with her much? Which one initiates more of the interactions?

There is such a thing as "power grooming" among cats. If I understand correctly, power grooming is a form of licking that's rather forceful compared to normal grooming, as a way of showing dominance to the one being licked.

 

[Mishkahabib]

Did you give your cat and your kitten a proper slow, gradual introduction over a couple weeks or did you put them together as soon as you brought the kitten home? Does your male cat display any threatening or dominant behavior around the same time that he licks the kitten? When he's not licking her, does he interact with her much? Which one initiates more of the interactions?

There is such a thing as "power grooming" among cats. If I understand correctly, power grooming is a form of licking that's rather forceful compared to normal grooming, as a way of showing dominance to the one being licked.

The kitten was raised since birth in my home with the mother. My male did not go near it when it was small but as soon as the kitten became independent he started interacting with her. He will not even go near my female cat but he initiates playtime with the kitten and allows her to cuddle on him. He will be very gentle with her when she hops on top of him. When she comes near him as he is relaxing he will lightly sniff and lick her face he’s not aggressive more curious. The kitten interact more with him as she seems to be bored in need of entertainment whereas he is very gentle with her. I don’t understand why my male persian is interacting with her this way Bc he absolutely hates company and any other cats. He only likes to be alone it is something I’ve never seen him do nor think that he would do.

 

[Nebaug]

The kitten was raised since birth in my home with the mother. My male did not go near it when it was small but as soon as the kitten became independent he started interacting with her. He will not even go near my female cat but he initiates playtime with the kitten and allows her to cuddle on him. He will be very gentle with her when she hops on top of him. When she comes near him as he is relaxing he will lightly sniff and lick her face he’s not aggressive more curious. The kitten interact more with him as she seems to be bored in need of entertainment whereas he is very gentle with her. I don’t understand why my male persian is interacting with her this way Bc he absolutely hates company and any other cats. He only likes to be alone it is something I’ve never seen him do nor think that he would do.

She is the chosen one. For whatever reason he likes her . Idk what your intentions are with her but you may consider keeping her to be his buddy. Cats are like humans in that respect. You like who you like and you dislike who you dislike sometimes there is reason for either or none for either. Males are known to groom and take care of kittens to familiar moms (get along with mom or not has no bearing on his connection to little girl) Enjoy it it’s a beautiful sight to see.