Why cats love human hair

Cats lick themselves every day. It's normal, it's part of their hygiene to remove dust, dirt, small debris and parasites from their fur. But why does a pet suddenly switch to an owner? And why is he attracted to our, human hair? After all, often cats even jump up on the owner on purpose to ruffle his hair. Experts name several possible reasons for cats' interest in human hair:

My cat is very fond of sniffing my hair, he pats my hair with his paws and catkins, and of the whole family only my hair,

My cat likes to sniff my hair and then he catches something from it and eats it (from my hair), what does it mean?

hi!
My kitty acts the same way. This is due to the fact that she thinks you are a mommy, and she looks for a booby instinctively : )) yes, yes, and do not be surprised! ! The thing is that hair and coat are perfect for retaining odors and the cat considers your scent as a mother's scent.
My cat has been sleeping in my hair since she was one month old, now she is 7 months old, but sometimes she comes early in the morning and just climbs on my head, burrows into my hair, stomps and scratches it like a little baby, and purrs it something! : ))) i love her! ! such an affectionate little darling ! !
love your baby!

good shampoo… xDD
i have the same story in the family, i had a cat, my grandpa's hair was also chewing and chewing, and now the kitten does it too)

Probably the longest))) they like to play with them))) ) Or out of the whole family you spoil him the most, you let him play with his hair.) ) My pussy cat's in my hair all the time, too.) ) And clings to my neck chains.))

The basics of cat care

Cats have been grooming for thousands of years to stay clean and healthy. Grooming serves several important functions for your pet. It helps to keep the coat clean and dry.

This practice has also been known to prevent external parasites from entering the fur and skin. When it is hot outside, extra care helps cats stay cool. Because they can't sweat, the moisture on their skin evaporates, helping to cool them down.

Why do cats lick their owners' hair?

If you have more than one cat, you may notice that they groom each other. This is called allogrooming (or social grooming). Many species of animals practice allogrooming.

Studies have shown that domestic cats are much more likely to care for family members and cats they live with or know than are outdoor animals.

Mostly this is shown by one cat licking the head, neck and ears of another. Grooming helps the animals maintain their own scent and create group cohesion. In essence, if we all smell the same, we know that we all belong to the same group.

Allogrooming is used as a method of keeping the peace. Cats that live in the same house, but are not littermates, cannot always get along well with each other. Grooming each other is one way to get on the same level and form a more peaceful relationship. That's why if your cat starts licking your hair, she most likely sees you as a member of her feline family and wants to make sure everything is okay between you.

Best of all, another study found that cats with higher social ratings are more caring than animals with lower ratings. And if your kitty is grooming you, she's trying to include you in her pack.

Is it bad for cats to lick their hair?

As with cat hair, human hair is not something an animal's body can digest. In the digestive system, they form a lump that can obstruct the passage of feces or completely block the intestinal lumen, causing intestinal obstruction. While there is less risk with short hair (the cat will just vomit it out), swallowing long hair can be a problem. Intestinal obstruction is a painful and life-threatening condition. Trust me: it's better not to take any chances.

There's another potential danger: non-washable conditioners, oils and other hair care products. If your cat starts vomiting or diarrhea after licking your head, keep her away from your hair. This is poisoning from the toxic substances in your cosmetics.

How do you wean a cat from licking her hair?

If the cat shows no signs of stress and just wants to take care of you, you can't abruptly refuse her care – you can easily offend the animal, and already believe me, the pet won't forget it. But if the process is unpleasant to you or you are worried about the health of the cat, you can try to gently and unobtrusively wean her from this not entirely safe habit. Here are a few tips that will help you do this:

• If the cat starts licking you, don't pet her or talk to her. Otherwise it will reinforce the idea that licking your hair is a good thing.
• The best way to refuse persistent grooming is to simply get up and walk away. Not by shoving the cat away, not by scolding him, but by simply ignoring the pet so that he understands that you don't like his actions.
• If you don't want to get out of bed, but you know the ritual is imminent, wrap a towel, sheet, piece of clothing, even a pillow around your head to close access to your hair. But don't get carried away: the cat shouldn't think you're playing hide-and-seek with it.
• Offer the cat a toy or other distraction. But not food, otherwise you might be rewarding the cat for licking.
• Never yell, scold or push the cat away forcibly. This can damage your bond with your pet.

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Salt

Veterinarians have put forward their own theory about the love of cats to smell the owners' sweat. They consider animals to be lovers of salty food. And sweat contains a lot of salts. That's why cats sniff the clothes not only of their owners but also of their guests.

By nature, cats are predators and camouflage themselves, trying to be inconspicuous in their environment. They also prefer not to stand out from the surrounding scents. Because of these skills, wild cats are successful hunters. Domestic cats, on the other hand, enjoy playing with dirty socks and rubbing their owners' sweaty clothes.

Sincere love

Sweat is actively secreted as a result of illness, intense worry or hard physical work. That is, strongly smelling clothes indicates that the day was not easy for its owner. According to zoopsychologists, a cat rubs its owner's sweat to bring it back to normal. This is why it licks its owner's armpits, since this is where it is most concentrated.

In this way, the cat calms its owner, brings him to his senses and gives him its own love. A pet loves its owner not only well-groomed and beautiful, but also very tired and impregnated with an odor that is unpleasant by human standards.

Can this habit harm the pet

The verdict of experts is unambiguous: yes. Especially if you have long hair. The animal's tongue is arranged in such a way that everything that gets into the mouth is difficult to spit out. This applies mainly to thin and long objects – such as threads, hair, tinsel of Christmas trees. The organ is covered with papillae, similar to hooks: the hair clings to such a hook and is swallowed. The more licking, the more hair that gets into the gastrointestinal tract of the animal.

Of course, the situation may resolve itself naturally. However, it is not uncommon for hair (and even the pet's own hair!) to get lumped up in the stomach in a indigestible lump – bezoar. This "stomach stone" can lead to gastrointestinal malfunction – and, consequently, digestive disorders, nausea, vomiting и constipation, refusal of food and water. It happens that bezoar even blocks the lumen of the intestine. The cat cannot empty it on its own. In such cases, the help of a veterinarian will be required.

Another danger to the pet lies in the hair cosmetics that the owner uses. Its ingredients may be harmful to the cat's body. Luckily, the cat gets a critical dose of chemicals. The result is the same – nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the stomach.

How to wean a cat from licking its hair

"Re-educate" the animal's instincts, of course, is unlikely to succeed. However, you can resort to small tricks. So, shampoo, conditioner or spray with a citrus scent with a large share of probability will turn off the pet from your head. Cats don't like the smell of these fruits and will try to stay away from the source of the odor. A mild prohibition may also help. Don't scold your pet if time after time he tries to get to your hair. Simply get him into a position where it is impossible, or move him. Try to distract him with coaxing, petting or play.

Do not encourage this behavior. Do not praise or pet if the pet once again breaks the ban. Negative reinforcement sometimes works just as well as positive reinforcement.

Another option is to create a physical barrier. Wrap a towel around your hair, like after a shower. Cover yourself with your head. Put on a thin cap or headscarf for a while. You can take it off as soon as your pet is distracted from his or her intentions.

If your pet has a passion for licking his hair, you should monitor his condition carefully. And at the slightest suspicion of poisoning or intestinal obstruction, contact the specialists.

You – one of their properties

Cats are majestic creatures. They like to think that we serve them like the royal family that they are. Your cat thinks you are its own property and can do anything with you. These elegant creatures want to be in charge of your priorities, have all your attention and literally keep you in the loop. This should explain why they think sleeping on your head and giving up their expensive bed is a brilliant idea.

It turns out that your cat jumps on your head several times during the night. Unlike us humans, cats don't sleep for hours on end. If you can't sleep because of your cat's nocturnal lifestyle and he keeps moving or playing, here are a few things you can try that will allow you and your cat to sleep at night:

• Make sure your cat's bed is warm and cozy, and only then will they be attracted to sleep. Otherwise, they will still wander near your head.
• Before going to bed, it is important that your cat exercise or do something else. This will exhaust them physically, after which you can feed them a good and tasty meal. A hearty meal and fatigue combined will help them take their next steps, which means they will eventually prepare themselves for sleep.
• However, the best thing would be to train your cat to stay out of your room all night. Just close the bedroom door, although they may scratch at the door or whimper to let them in for a few days and they will get used to it. Make sure your cat has everything they need: water, food, cat bed, litter box and scratching post, and they won't bother you again.

Conclusion

You know cats sleep and like to rest. Your furry friend may sleep several times during the day, but wake up as always tired. No wonder you always find them in funny places in your home, because we all know that cats love to explore. Your cat likes to sleep on your cozy head because it's a sign of affection and a bond you'll keep forever.

Does your cat sleep on your head? Does their purring wake you up in the morning or lull you to sleep? Let us know in the comments below!

Why does my cat lick my hair?

You're still in luck. My cat licks the phone, feet, hands, mirror, etc .Some people say that cats miss something .

This means that he is used to you and wants to love you. Usually that is how cats express their patronage, or something, to their owner. I have heard such stories very often. Do not take offense at him, even if he does something nasty, because he is so devoted to you.

The first impression a kitten gets from her mother is care in the form of licking and washing. For him it is an act of care, so if a cat (or cat) tries to lick you, take it as a mother's attempt to take care of you.

Cats lick each other or rub each other's backs and necks when they want to show affection toward friends or partners. Cats can show similar behavior towards people as well. If a cat licks its owner or another person and rubs him, it not only claims its rights to him, but also knowingly considers him its friend.

My cat licks my hair if I go to bed without drying it properly with a hair dryer. She's the one who dries it: she takes care of me like a wet kitten )))).
Or maybe she's teaching me how to do it all the way. After her fiddling, I have THIS on my head … . ))))))))

Social Behavior.
Grooming is a common social behavior between cats who have a bond with each other. It is not uncommon to see two cats licking each other. I have often watched the cat being licked close its eyes and seem to fly away into a dream world of pleasure.
Some cats are very connected to certain family members, so they want to take care of them the same way they would take care of their mate. It is quite normal behavior for such cats to lick their human's "fur" as a show of affection and trust.

Taste or flavor
There are a couple of other reasons for this behavior in cats. Some are attracted to the smell of shampoo, gel or hairspray. They may burrow into their hair, sniff the smells, and then begin to lick the area where the hair care product was applied, which may be accompanied by copious salivation.
There are also drastically opposite cases. I have noticed that when cats begin to lick hair with hairspray applied, they seem to spit up, that is, objectively they do not like this taste and smell. In this case, their behavior can be explained by the fact that they are trying to wash the demasking smell off a member of their group. Since cats are predators, they hunt game. But at the same time, they are also their own prey. The pungent smell of hairspray or shampoo can, from their point of view, both hinder the hunt and attract larger predators. Therefore, the cat, caring for its owner and obeying its instinct, tries to wash this smell off of it. Think of how they lick themselves after shampooing.

Heat exchange

On normal days, a cat's body temperature is higher than a human's and is between 38.06 and 39.17 degrees Celsius. The animal's body quickly cools down, and the pet is forced to seek a warm place, including for sleeping. It is known that up to 80% of all heat produced by humans is in the head. Cats reach for it to keep warm. Be lenient with the cat's habit. Plus, resting together is often good for both animal and human. Of course, if you are sick, the pet will be even more diligent to take the vacant seat with his head.

The pleasure of a favorite scent is just as important to cats as warmth. Cats are especially sensitive to smell. They recognize their prey or enemy by it, and with the help of scent glands located all over the body, they leave their marks. They love the smell of their owner, so they try to enjoy the moment when they are lying on his head. If a cat also likes the smell of your shampoo or perfume, it will regularly lie on your pillow, enjoying the scent.

An Expression of Love

By choosing a head to sleep on, the cat is showing you its best disposition. The owner is associated with the fluffy pet's mother – therefore, with comfort and safety. Protection is required from any possible attack during deep sleep. Thus, the human head is chosen by the cat as the safest place in the house. If the cat sleeps at the human head, it means it loves him. In the evening, when the owner returns from work, they also demonstrate that they miss him very much.

Cats can feel headaches. They treat people by acting on biologically active points on the body. A cat can sense the approach of a migraine in a human and begins to caress and lay down to sleep near the head in 1-2 days. It senses that its owner or a person close to it is sick, and therefore it usually tries to get close or rub itself against it, as if paying attention that something is wrong.

Why cats chew their owners' hair (7 photos)

Have you ever noticed that cats sometimes, out of the blue, start chewing their owners' hair? It turns out that this habit has a lot to say, and mostly it has a positive meaning. Let's find out why cats do it.

When cats are stressed, they need to do something quickly to calm down. Biting or chewing their hair helps them relax. Plus, it shows that your cat trusts you and feels a special bond with you.

In the feline world, biting and licking are a way of expressing love and affection. They also exchange smells in this way, showing trust. Sometimes when a cat decides to chew your hair it shows its love, tries to attract attention or shows that it needs communication.

If your cat chews not only your hair, but everything in sight, it could very well be a sign of a compulsive behavior disorder known as pica. In this case, it's best to take your pet to the vet.

Hair chewing is sometimes a simple game for the cat. She starts out playing with her hair and then may suddenly start chewing. Again, the more the cat trusts you and the more close you are to her, the more she will chew your hair, and "call to play" that way.