The main purpose of licking the fur of new kittens is to mark the scent, declare sovereignty and clean the body. First of all, cats in the same family will mark each other by licking each other and leaving scent. Therefore, the main purpose of licking the new kitten is to leave its own scent on the kitten, indicating that the kitten is its own. Yes. Secondly, generally speaking, only cats with high status are qualified to lick other cats, so a big cat licking a kitten may also be declaring its sovereignty and showing that its status is higher than that of the kitten. Finally, after the two cats determine their status and get along with each other, the older cat will help the younger cat clean its hair, which also means that the older cat completely recognizes the younger cat.
1. Marking scent
Cats mainly rely on scent to identify each other, so when a new kitten comes to the home, the older cat will leave the scent by licking the kitten's hair, so that The smell of a kitten is the same as its own, and the smell is also an important indicator for cats to determine whether they are their own.
2. Declaration of sovereignty
Generally speaking, cats that feel they have a high status will lick the fur of other cats to declare sovereignty. Therefore, when a big cat licks the fur of a new kitten, it also means that the big cat has a higher status and the kitten has a lower status. However, this is also a friendly gesture, so the owner does not need to interfere too much.
3. Clean the body
After the body position is confirmed, the big cat will help the kitten clean its hair and clean the areas that the kitten cannot usually lick out of care for the kitten. Places, such as the top of the head, ears or face, etc. Because cats often lick their fur to clean their bodies, owners must feed cats grass or hair-reducing cream regularly to prevent cats from suffering from hairballs.
