Owning a dog and a cat will certainly add some excitement to your life. They may despise each other, or they might become best friends. You will most likely witness some pretty funny interactions between your cat and dog. Today, we are going to discuss a rather strange but common behavior displayed between cats and dogs. In particular, we are going to answer the question why do dogs like to lick cats.
Why Does My Dog Lick My Cat
The main reason a dog will lick your cat is to show respect, love/affection, clean, and investigate a certain scent.
Respect
It is in dog’s nature to lick each other as a sign of respect. This type of behavior dates back to when dogs used to live in the wild. When a dog wanted to show another dog that they approve of them and respect them, they would start licking them. It was also common for dogs of a pack to lick the leaders as a sign of inferiority. While your dog most likely doesn’t feel inferior to your cat, they are probably licking them to show them that they have respect for them.
Show Love and Affection
Another common reason dogs lick cats is to show love and affection. This is similar to the behavior of a dog when they decide to lick you after you give them a treat, or they lick your face whenever you get near them. Dogs love to show people and other animals their love and affection by rubbing their tongue against their face. This should be a sign that your dog really cares about your cat.
Cleaning
It is very common in both cats and dogs to constantly groom themselves. This starts when they are both little babies, and their mother constantly licks them. A mother will lick their babies to comfort them and to stimulate certain behaviors. In the same way, a dog will start licking a cat to help clean them. There is a good chance your dog witnessed your cat trying to groom itself, and your dog decided to come in and help. If your dog is licking your cat a lot, make sure to watch out for hairballs.
Investigate a scent
It is no secret that dogs have a very strong sense of smell. In fact, a dog’s sense of smell is almost 50 times stronger than a humans. For this reason, dog’s can pick up a whiff of even the smallest of scents. It is fairly common for a dog to start licking a cat’s face after the cat has just eaten, especially if they ate wet cat food. This is because wet cat food has a very strong scent and is appealing to a dog. Since cats have fur on their mouth, it is not uncommon for food to get stuck on their fur when they are eating. If your dog is able to smell this leftover food, they might start licking your cat’s face to finish off the crumbs.
Should you let your dog lick your cat
Yes, most of the time there is no problem with a dog licking a cat. As you have read above, it is a very natural behavior and is not a sign of aggression. You should watch the behavior of your cat when your dog is licking him/her. If your cat stays in place and doesn’t run away, then the licking doesn’t bother them. There is even a chance your cat enjoys it. This is especially the case if your cat starts making a purring noise. However, if your cat always runs away when your dog starts licking them, then you should try to discourage this behavior from your dog.
If you want to prevent your dog from licking your cat, you should try to find ways to entertain your dog and distract them. A great way to do this is to take them on walks or runs to get exercise. You can also look into dog toys which can help take their minds off of licking the cat. Also make sure you are feeding your dog enough so that they don’t have a desire to taste any of your cat’s food.
