Cats are undeniably cute, but there are some things about them that are downright maddening. When first waking up in the morning, Purrsy might seem to randomly pick a spot on your face and slather it with her tongue. This usually occurs while trying to sleep and, while doing so, she’ll lick your face for minutes at a time, and then keep going even after you wake up. When you try to push her away or otherwise redirect her attention, she’ll just look at you as if I’m crazy for trying to stop her. This post will show you why this might happen and what you can do about it.
So, why does my cat lick my face in the morning? Likely reasons why your cat licks your face in the morning are that it wants you to give it something, it is showing you affection, separation anxiety, or that it naturally has more energy in the morning.
There are actually a number of possible reasons why your cat licks your face in the morning and it might be due to a combination of reasons. However, there are some things you can consider to help figure out the main reason and there are some things you can do about it.
Reasons why your cat licks your face in the morning
Below are likely reasons why your cat has been licking your face, when you wake up, and what would make each of them more likely.
It wants you to give it something
The cause could be that it is trying to make you get up and give it something. This would be a lot more likely if it does it more before you have fed it in the morning. In this case, it could help to feed it sooner than you currently are.
It is showing you affection
The cause might also be that it is just showing you affection. This would be more likely if it does it more after you have fed it, and if it also does things such as knead and purr while doing it.
Separation anxiety
The cause might also be that it has some separation anxiety. This would be more likely if it does not sleep in the same room as you and if it licks you after you have opened the door to your room.
In this case, it would help to limit reasons why it might be anxious without you by letting it stay in a safe spot away from other pets that is not too loud or bright at night.
Nature
Cats naturally have more energy in the early morning and late at night. If your cat has also been doing things such as run around and play, when it licks your face in the morning, the cause could also be that it naturally has more energy at that time.
Things to consider
Below are some things to consider to help figure out the main cause.
If your cat always licked your face in the morning
If your cat has not always licked your face, in the morning, it would help to consider what else changed when it first started doing it since and event might have caused it to start. For example, if it started doing it when you stopped letting it sleep with you, the cause could be that it has some separation anxiety.
What is different when your cat does not lick your face in the morning
If your cat does not always lick your face, it would also help to consider what is different when it does not do it. For example, if it normally does it on the weekend, the cause would be likely to be that it is expecting you to get up and feed it at the same time you do during the week.
What to do about your cat licking your face in the morning
Below are some options you have when dealing with the behavior.
Give it food and water
If it seems like your cat might be doing it because it is trying to get you to get up and feed it, it would likely help to feed it and give it access to water as soon as you get up instead of making it wait.
Limit reasons why it might be anxious
It would also likely 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.
Give it distractions
Another option would be to give it things to be distracted by such as toys. This would be more appropriate if your cat tends to have a lot of energy in the morning.
Let it do it
If your cat seems to be just be doing it because it is being affectionate in the morning, another option would be to just give it some attention in the morning but to redirect its focus when it seems like it is about to lick you.