Why do I lick my humans?

[rastus]

Hi. My name is Rastus and I have a licking problem. I am 6 months old and live with my mom, 2 siblings and 3 cousins. We live a house with one human. He's nice to us and takes good care of us. I really like him because he hasn't taken us to the vet to get us "fixed", though he keeps talking about making an appointment to get that set up. We pretty much have the run of the place and our human gives us lots of toys and things to do. He and his friends play with us constantly. It's a pretty cool set-up.

Whenever I get a chance, I lick my humans. I prefer hands, but an arm will do, if that's not moving. Fingers are my favorite. I will lick them for 15 minutes at a time, given the opportunity. I like nibbling on them too, though never to the point of drawing blood. (I don't want to hurt them!) My siblings and cousins like to lick hands, too, but I'm the most persistent about it. My mom thinks I'm "special" 'cause she never licks anything but herself or us. (She does my ears sometimes.)

Does anyone have any ideas about why I might be compelled to do this? Am I missing something in my diet? Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you. I have to get off of the computer now before my human sees me.

Furry regards,
Rastus

 

[sandie]

It's not the diet. Licking is the same as grooming siblings or mom. It is very comforting to do this and anyone who is at the recieving end is very lucky!

 

[rastus]

*Bounce*Bounce*Bounce*

I was worried that there was something wrong with me, because I like it so much... Sometimes I bite a little too hard though, I guess, because my Human doesn't always like it. Anyways thank you so much for making me feel like a well adjusted kitty again.

Uh-Oh. Here comes my Human... gotta run.

Purrs To You,
Rastus

 

[kittykratz]

Were the kitties weaned too soon from their mother? They may lick to "stimulate milk". You should feel priviledged. However, I am glad to hear that you will be making an appointment for them to get fixed. It is a necessity.

 

[rastus]

If we were weaned too early, then it's Momma's fault... We still live with her. Because our Momma was a stray that was taken in by the nice Human, he refused to break up our family group. After we get fixed, Momma, my brother, and my sister, and I are all going to live our Human's Momma at a nice house in the countryside, where we may even get to play outside. (We've never been outside except to see the Vet when we were born...)


Thank you all for being so nice! Momma says that some humans are mean, but I've never met a mean one...

PUrrs To You!
Rastafarius J. Kitling, Esquire.

 

[nena10]

My kitten Jake likes to lick my fingers, my chin, my nose, my arms, and even my hair and scalp. I love it. It feels weird to have my scalp licked but it's also feels good because its like he is scratching. I don't know if he is licking because of the salt on my skin. Or is it affection?