Cats do a lot of mysterious things, but one of the most baffling to cat owners is the one that causes the kitty to start licking your face at night. This post will show you likely causes and what you can do about them.
So, why does my cat lick my face at night? Possible reasons why your cat licks your face at night are that it naturally has more energy at night, it is showing affection, something causing it to be anxious or that it wants something from you.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat licks your face at night and it might be due to a combination of them. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main cause and there are some things you can do about it.
Why does my cat lick my face at night?
Below are likely reasons why your cat licks your face and what would make them more likely.
It is showing affection
A part of the cause is also likely to be that your cat is being affectionate. This would be more likely if your cat also shows signs of being happy when it is doing it such as by purring and kneading. This would be most likely if your cat licks your face while you are sleeping and it is in the bed with you.
Anxiety
It could be the case that something has been causing it to be anxious at night and the licking is a soothing behavior. The reason why it could be anxious might be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it starts becoming anxious when you are about to go to bed at night and if it has to sleep in a different room to you.
Seeking attention
The reason why it licks your face might be that it is looking for attention. This would be more likely if it does it more when you have not been giving it much attention and if you give it extra attention when it does it.
In this case, it would help to give it attention throughout the day by playing with it and petting it. But, it would help to avoid rewarding it with extra attention when it licks your face.
Nature
Cats tend to naturally have more energy at night. The reason why your cat has been licking your face could be that it wants to interact with you due to having more energy. This would be more likely if your cat also does things such as run around the house and play with things.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main reason why your cat has been doing it.
If your cat has always licked your face at night
If your cat did not always lick your face at night, it would help to consider what else happened when your cat first started doing it. If it started licking your face suddenly, it might be due to things such as something causing it to be anxious or because it started sleeping in the same room as you.
What is different when your cat does not lick your face at night
If your cat does not always lick your face at night, it would also help to consider what is different when your cat does not lick your face. For example, if your cat only licks your face when you get it to sleep with you, it would be more likely that it is being affectionate and grooming you.
What to do about your cat licking your face at night
Below are a number of things you can do about your cat licking your face at night.
Get it to sleep somewhere else
If your cat licks your face during the night, when it sleeps with you, one option would be to get it to sleep in another room. By doing this, it will not be possible for your cat to lick your face during the night. It would help to make sure the other place for it to sleep is cool, not too bright, not too noisy and that there is a safe spot for it to sleep away from other pets.
Give it access to water
It might the case that your cat does it because it is thirsty or hungry in. It would help to make sure that it gets access to water incase it has been doing it due to being thirsty.
Get help
If your cat has been licking your face excessively and behaving very unusually at night, it would also help to take it for a checkup with the vet. By doing so, you should be able to get expert advice tailored towards your specific cat and to rule out medical causes.