Why does my cat lick me in the morning?

If your cat often licks you in the morning, this post will show you why and what you can do about it.

So, why why does my cat lick me in the morning? Possible reasons why your cat licks you in the morning are that it wants attention, separation anxiety, it wants food or water, or that it is just glad to see you.

Your cat might actually lick you, in the morning, for a number of reasons and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider when figuring out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.

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Why does my cat lick me in the morning?

Below are some possible reasons why your cat licks you in the morning.

Your cat wants food or water

The reason why your cat licks you, in the morning, might be that it has some separation anxiety. This is where your cat does not like being left alone and being left alone causes it to become anxious. This would be more likely if your cat does it more when it seems like you are leaving and if it becomes anxious when you are leaving.

Your cat wants attention

A possible reason is that your cat is doing it for attention. This would be more likely if your cat tends to do it when you have not been giving it much attention, if you tend to give it more attention when it starts licking or if it does it more at around the same time that you would normally give it attention.

Separation anxiety

A likely cause is that your cat is hungry and trying to remind you to feed it. This would be more likely if your cat licks you and is loud before you feed it, when you wake up in the morning, and it stops licking you after you feed it. If you don’t feed it in the morning, it could help to try feeding it in the morning instead.

Your cat is glad to see you

It might also be the case that your cat is just glad to see you. This would be more likely if it still does it after being fed and it does not seem to be very anxious when you are leaving.

Things to consider about your cat licking you in the morning

Below are some things to consider when figuring out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.

If your cat has always licked you in the morning

If your cat has not always licked you, in the morning, it would help to consider what else happened when it first started doing it. If it started doing it suddenly, it could be due to things such as a change in the time that you feed it, a change in the time that you wake up, or a change in the room that it stays in.

What is different when your cat does not lick you in the morning

If your cat does not always lick you, in the morning, it would help to consider what is different when it does. For example, if it only licks you before getting fed, the cause would be more likely to be due to wanting food.

What to do about your cat licking you in the morning

Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.

Give it access to food and water

Since your cat could be doing it because it wants food or water, it would help to make sure that your cat has access to food and water when it might need it.

Let it stay where it wants to

If your cat currently has to stay in a certain room, when you are not around, it could also help to let it stay in a different area since the room might be causing it to get anxious.

Limit reasons why it might be fearful

It would also help to limit reasons why it might get fearful when you are not around. Ways to do so could include letting your cat stay in a different room than your dog if you have one or letting your cat stay in a quieter room.

Let it continue

If your cat seems to lick you in the morning for attention, another option would be to just give it some attention in the mornings. Afterward, you could give it things such as toys to be distracted with.