This puppy is getting some TLC from a cat who adores him. Even though he is asleep, the cat grooms the puppy, with her arm around him. Actually, by the end of the video, the puppy woke up from the cat’s persistent grooming. He is enjoying this loving care, and turns over to his back to let his cat friend know, “More please.”
The cat seems to be quite maternal in caring for this puppy. He feels so safe and relaxed around his cat friend. I’ve seen cats grooming themselves often, and was curious about cats grooming dogs, so I researched this topic. An article in Pets Welcome shares that when cats groom another, one of the areas they are drawn to are the ears. Why?
Why do cats like licking ears?
The earwax contains something of nutritional value for them. Earwax contains fatty acids, a small amount of cholesterol, and dead skin cells. These are proteins. Cats especially are drawn to the scent of animal proteins. In the case of this cat, she keeps licking the head of the puppy, not the ears. So she’s probably not after protein.
There are other reasons cats lick others too. They lick to spread a community scent to show that they are part of a pack. They will even lick their human. Mama cats will groom their kittens not only to keep them clean, but to help their digestion as well as to spread that community scent. And kittens will lick their mothers to show respect, particularly if they are licking their muzzle and head.
I’ve seen videos of cats adopting puppies as their own children. From this cat’s behavior, it looks more like licking the puppy is about including the pup in her community. That she considers the puppy part of her pack, and grooms the pup the same way she would her own kittens. You can learn more about this topic here. Enjoy watching this nurturing cat groom her puppy friend.
Article source: Pets Welcome
