Usually, when two cats get along, we will see that they always lick each other's hair, so why do cats always lick each other's hair? Today to tell you the meaning of it, do you know?

I. The meaning of cats licking each other

Help each other clean
We all know that cats are relatively strong in self-cleaning, and they clean mainly by licking their hair with their tongues.
There is a part of the body that the cat may not be able to lick and reach, so if there are two cats, they can lick each other, so that the parts that the cat cannot lick itself can be done by the other side.

Want to leave their scent
Most of the time meowers lick each other's fur just because of good feelings. In the world of meowers, they recognize each other by scent, and all meowers in the same family have a common smell. The licking of fur effectively transmits the smell, so the meowers lick each other's fur to make each other smell the same.

Symbolic of status
Generally speaking, the cat in the "leader" position will lick the other cats' fur to show care. It's like saying, "You're my meow now, follow me and I'll take care of you!"

Habitual
This action of cats licking their fur is relatively common and can be said to have been done since childhood. They not only lick their fur but also help other cats to lick it together, which can also be said to be a habitual behavior.

Interactive playfulness
One of the things that cats do when they lick each other's fur is that they are playing with each other. Cats' lives are so monotonous and boring that two cats do this as a form of pastime.

II. Why do cats lick each other

1. Origins of cat licking behavior
The origins of this behavior can be traced back to the instincts that arise when cats give birth to kittens. If you have ever watched a cat give birth, then you will know that the mother cat starts to lick her kittens hard when they are first born.
The mother cat uses this method to clean the blood and other dirt from the kittens, which, if not cleaned in time, will breed bacteria in addition to keeping the kittens in a safer situation. Because the blood on the body will produce a foul smell, so for some predators like the smell of blood, but a portion of delicious food. The state of the mother cat is not enough to protect the kittens, so hiding the smell is another means of protection.
The newborn kittens' organs are not fully developed, so they need to be stimulated to pee and defecate by the mother cat licking their bellies and anuses. If the mother cat does not do this behavior, the kittens will soon become constipated. So when you find only a newborn kitten not much older, without a mother cat, you need to help them massage their belly and anus.
Another situation is that the mother cat uses this behavior to bond with the kittens because the newborn kittens are invisible and feel stressed about their surroundings. In this case, once the kitten feels the mother cat's tongue, it will become calmer.

2. Can't clean by itself, so it needs help?
Most say that a cat's head and neck are areas that are not easily reached by the cat itself, so it needs other companions to help lick the area, but I don't think this argument is valid. Because while cats can't lick the head and neck area on their own, they have found a solution: they wet their paws and use them to clean the head and neck! So the argument of needing help doesn't seem to hold water to me.

3. Show friendliness and social connection
Cats have long been considered solitary and independent animals, a perception that is true for stray foster cats, but wrong for domestic cats. Because for stray cats, food sources are much more scattered and limited, so stray cats often choose to be alone and have less contact with other cats to keep themselves with enough food.
However, domesticated cats, prefer to live in groups. Because there is no problem with food and clothing, plus the domestic cat itself has fewer recreational items, an additional playmate will make life more fun. This way there is no conflict of interest like food between cats, and they will show their friendship by licking, thus establishing a social connection.

4. Status class
In 1998, a study was conducted on cat behavior that focused on mutual licking between cats. The study found that cats with high status tended to lick cats with low status. He also studied the body language of cats and found that the posture of the licking cats was mainly standing or sitting, while the cats being licked were lying down or squatting. From the posture, it is not difficult to see the difference in status. One of the licking behaviors is also considered to be an expression of reward for subordinates.

5. Cats licking each other's fur is a sign of social bonding.
First, it shows that the two cats are full of friendship and are very close to each other.
However, some studies show that the probability of cats that are related licking each other's hair is higher than cats that are not related by blood.
In other words, if your cat is a sibling, the probability of seeing them lick their hair is greater, which means they have a closer social bond.
Second, in addition to expressing friendliness, there is also a reflection of high social status.
If you find that between two cats one always licks the hair of the other and the other does not lick back, then it means that the status of the initiator is higher than that of the licked.
Transmitting collective scent
Scent plays a huge role in a cat's life
The scent is a way to identify familiar cats in a group and distinguish them from outsiders.
Cats tend to accept only other cats in the group and show aggression towards unfamiliar cats that are not part of the group.

III. Why cats lick other cats' butts

First of all, a cat licking another cat's butt is indeed a reflection of rank; generally speaking, meowers who feel they have a high status and occupy a leadership position will lick the other meow's fur to show that they are taking care of each other and that the other cat will be under their control in the future.
But there are also two cats licking and licking to fight, it may be that these two cats feel that they are the boss of this area, and do not serve each other, so they fight.

Secondly, this is what usually happens between cats in heat; it means they want to mate and sniff each other's butts, they are getting to know each other's information, and when you see such an intimate act from your cat, it is a reminder that it is time to take your cat to be de-sexed.

Finally, this is an intimate behavior between cats and their kind; many cats lick each other's fur as a way to stay clean and lick each other, and they like each other, which is a way to express closeness.

As a kitten, the mother cat often licks the kitten's bottom to promote bowel movements, so it makes the cat feel comfortable.
Cats often lick each other, then the cat will inhale too much hair into the gastrointestinal tract, it is easy to form "hairball syndrome", it is recommended that the pet owner should regularly feed the cat some cat grass to help expel hairballs, if the cat does not like to eat cat grass, you can feed chemical hair cream, which can gently help the cat expel hairballs.

In addition, it is normal for cats to lick their bottoms occasionally, but if they lick their bottoms frequently, it is not normal, which means that they may have parasites or blocked anal glands.