Cats lick each other for ‘subtle’ reason – not always a sign of affection | World | News
Many cat owners are fascinated by seeing two feline friends grooming each other and believe it is a clear sign of friendship and love. But researchers now suspect that these adorable moments may sometimes serve a much more strategic purpose.
A recent study shows that cats groom each other to strengthen social connections and aid hygiene, but this behavior can also be used to subtly pressure a rival to give up a coveted resting place or avoid a confrontation altogether.
Accordingly TimesThe research began when Morgane Van Belle, an animal behavior researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, observed an unusual pattern between her own two cats.
Whenever one cat settled in a preferred sunny spot, the other would approach it and begin grooming it. The licking continued until the resting cat finally got angry and left, so the other cat could claim the space without any conflict.
Fascinated, Van Belle and his colleagues investigated whether this pattern of behavior was more common than generally accepted.
Results published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior ScienceIt was based on videos of 106 cats living in pairs in 53 households. Owners were asked to record daily interactions, with the researchers analyzing 23 different behavioral signals, including posture, movement, ear position and physical contact.
Researchers found that cats often groom areas that their companions would find difficult to groom independently, particularly the head, neck, and ears. This shows that grooming can serve a practical function by helping another cat keep hard-to-reach spots clean.
However, the cats’ body language revealed significant differences between friendly and more tense encounters.
Van Belle said the findings highlight how much remains to be understood about cat behavior.
“Cat research is about 20 years behind dog research,” he said, adding: “There are still many questions that need to be answered.”
He suggests that this behavior should not be interpreted negatively, as it shows the cats’ intelligence rather than their bad behavior.
“To me, that shows that they are pretty graceful in the way they handle conflict,” he said. “They might walk up to another cat’s face and smack it to get the blanket it’s lying on. Instead, they’ll lick it a bit and wander around.
“They have very sophisticated ways of resolving conflicts. To me, this shows that they are smart and flexible in their behavior rather than stupid.”
