Why Does My Cat Lick Himself After I Pet Him. Itchy skin might be caused by fleas or mites on your cat. When you touch them, it can irritate them, causing them to lick, bite, or scratch in pain.
Check to see if you’re scratching an itch for her when it’d be better if she could do it alone; if she asks you to stop and give her some space, back off.
Why Does My Cat Lick Himself After I Pet Him
Petting your cat is rewarding, but they’re going to go off and clean themselves afterward if they don’t like the way you pet them or only see grooming as a chore. Your cat’s body language can express how they feel right before or after petting their eyes will widen, their pupils dilate, and if they yawn it means they found scratching pleasurable while rubbing against you indicates preference toward being petted with light pressure.
Mutual Grooming
This may sound a little weird to you, but it’s true. Cats are generally very friendly animals who love close contact with their human family members.
In fact, when we interact with them, most of our cats return the favor by interacting back with us either through a play fight or even by licking and grooming us.
This might seem like a selfish act on their part, but don’t worry! Your fluffy white kitty isn’t trying to be rude because he knows that if you’re touching him then he wants to touch you too in some way or another.
Hitting A Spot
Cats are extremely flexible creatures. It is common to find one of my cats in a position that resembles something out of The Exorcist.
That being said, your cat cannot reach every inch of his body when he’s grooming himself. This is why we apply spot-on flea treatments to the back of your neck.
If your cat suffers an injury or gains too much weight, then he will be even more restricted in his flexibility, limiting the areas of his body he can reach.
This can cause him to groom excessively, especially if you accidentally touch or scratch certain parts of his body while petting him occasionally.
Skin Conditions
If you’re finding it very difficult to pet your cat, then the animal may be suffering from an underlying skin condition.
This could be due to mites, fleas, allergies, or perhaps something more extreme such as feline hyperesthesia syndrome.
This rare condition makes the cat’s skin hypersensitive to touch and can cause a lot of discomforts.
Doesn’t Like It
Cats are pretty good at making sure people know if they’re not enjoying something.
When petting your cat, pay attention to his body language and behavior and you’ll be able to tell when he’s loving it and when he wants a break or something else instead.
If the area you’re touching becomes too much for your beloved cat, then respect that. He may let out a meow for you to assure you he’s not thrilled with his current situation or he could try other ways to nudge you from hounding him like biting or scratching.
Conclusion
It can be challenging to communicate with our pets, but at times when things seem out of the ordinary, it’s best to look for reasons why. One thing to consider is that our pets don’t understand we only want what’s best due to the fact they don’t speak our language. For example, if your cat finds it uncomfortable when you pet it, it could mean your cat feels like you are trying to pull its fur.