Why Do Cats Groom Each Other? New Study Reveals Surprising Meaning

by Britt

Published: June 22nd, 2026

Photo credit: Yimmyphotography / Shutterstock.com

If you live with more than one cat, as we do, you have likely seen them licking and cleaning one another. This mutual lick, known as allogrooming, is a peaceful and comforting sight for most cat parents, making us feel like our kitties are the best of friends. But it may not be the happy sign we have been led to believe…

A recent study conducted by researchers at Ghent University and the University of Lincoln reveals that the story is far more complex.

As it turns out, licking is not always a friendly gesture; sometimes, cats use it as a tool for managing stress, tension, and conflict. To fully understand what our cats are trying to communicate, we have to look closely at the context, interpreting the bigger picture.

The study identified two common scenarios where allogrooming occurs, including signs you can watch for to help you recognize which situation you are dealing with.

In many cases, mutual grooming does exactly what we think it does: it builds and maintains connections between our cats. The researchers found that in 41% of cases, the cats began grooming each other immediately after enjoying close physical contact, like curling up together in a shared bed.

When your cats are in a relaxed state of mind, you will often see them synchronize their body postures, both lying down flat or both sitting up comfortably together.

Friendly grooming is generally focused on the head and ears. This is a very sensitive area and packed with scent glands, making the grooming feel incredibly relaxing for the cat receiving the attention. Licking can also be a way of starting a play session. Cats often lick each other’s necks to initiate a friendly wrestling match.

However, the study also found that allogrooming is used as a passive-aggressive signal among cats.

Because a physical fight comes with a high risk of injury, cats prefer to resolve conflict using more subtle warnings and forms of communication rather than resorting to their claws and teeth. For example, in your home, if two cats both want the prime sleeping spot in a sunny window, one might lean over the other and start grooming their neck to assert dominance. The cat being licked will often flatten its ears, communicating that they are not enjoying the interaction.

It is our responsibility as loving cat parents to monitor these interactions and catch when something is going south. The researchers highlighted several subtle signals that occur when grooming stems from tension rather than affection:

The cats are displaying mismatched body postures (for example, one cat is standing over the other)
The cat receiving the grooming flattens its ears or shakes its head
One or both cats start showing signs of stress, such as scratching behind their ears, yawning, or licking their lips

If these subtle cues are ignored, the passive-aggressive grooming can quickly escalate to a full-blown fight with swiping, scratching, biting, and potentially serious injuries. Instead, you can step in safely before a disagreement turns into a fight by watching your cat’s body language and the context during these moments.

A peaceful multi-cat home is possible, but it starts with you!

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Britt

Britt Kascjak is a proud pet mom, sharing her heart (and her home) with her “pack” which includes her husband John, their 2 dogs – Lucifer and Willow – and their 2 cats – Jinx and Theia. She has been active in the animal rescue community for over 15 years, volunteering, fostering and advocating for organizations across Canada and the US. In her free time, she enjoys traveling around the country camping, hiking, and canoeing with her pets.

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