Did you know that cats can spend nearly 10% of their waking day grooming themselves? Licking each other is also an important part of feline socialization. But what does it mean when your cat licks you?

You might like to think it’s a sign of affection — and it could be. But true to the cat’s reputation, there’s often a more self-serving reason involved. Your feline friend may lick you to indicate that you’re not a threat — much like the reasons behind cat-to-cat grooming.

On the other hand, your cat’s licking may simply be a way to mark you as belonging to them. And because cats are hard-wired to check out scents, licking is another way to investigate what you’re made of — or they just might like sampling a bit of what you last ate.