¿Por qué mi perro lame a mi gato?

If you have a dog and a cat, you’ve probably witnessed some interesting interactions between them over the years.  However, if you recently saw your dog lick your cat, you may be left with some questions.  Why does my dog lick my cat?  Should I let my dog keep licking my cat?  Want to find out what is going on if your dog is licking your cat?  Then keep reading, and I’ll try to explain what could be happening.

tabla de contenidos

• ¿Qué significa cuando un perro lame a un gato?
  • Oler
  • Refuerzo positivo
  • Afecto
  • Aseo
  • Comportamiento de la manada
  • Tratando de conseguir algo del gato
• ¿Debo preocuparme de que mi perro lama a mi gato?
• ¿Cómo consigo que mi perro deje de lamer a mi gato?  
• Perro lamiendo gato: no necesariamente es una preocupación
• preguntas frecuentes

¿Qué significa cuando un perro lame a un gato?

Why does my dog keep licking my cats face?  If you’ve ever said these words, you might be wondering why your dog would choose to lick your cat.  Does it mean he likes the kitty?  Is he trying to warn her to stay away?  Is he trying to get your attention?

Well, there are actually a few possible reasons why a dog may lick a cat.  We’ll look into each of these possible reasons in the next few sections. This will help you see if you can figure out what is going on with your furry friends.

Oler

¿Por qué mi perro está tan obsesionado con mi gatito? Una posible razón podría ser la forma en que huele tu gato o gatito. 

Recordar, a dog’s nose is much more powerful than our noses. So, your pup may just be noticing a different scent on your cat and licking to see what it is.  If you’ve noticed your dog licking your cat multiple times, this could be the reason.  You may also notice that your dog starts licking other things that belong to the cat, such as their bed or toys.

Refuerzo positivo

¿Por qué mi perro sigue lamiendo las orejas de mi gato? ¿Suena como una pregunta familiar? Otra posible explicación para este tipo de comportamiento es que tu perro haya recibido refuerzo positivo en el pasado por lamer. Si su perro lamió a su gato una vez y recibió una respuesta positiva del gato, es más probable que lo vuelva a hacer. 

Additionally, if you noticed your dog licking your cat and gave positive reinforcement, even just a “good boy,” they likely remember that.  They may be licking again to get more positive reinforcement from you or the cat.

Afecto

Los perros también pueden lamer a los gatos para mostrarles afecto. La razón por la que su perro lame a su gato podría ser simplemente porque le está diciendo que es aceptada y agradada. Esto es similar a las razones por las que tu perro puede lamerte.

Aseo

Another possible answer for the question, “what does it mean when a dog licks a cat” is that they are grooming the cat.  You may think cats are more likely to groom themselves or other animals, but dogs can also engage in comportamientos de aseo.  Dogs are most likely to groom those that they see as part of their family.  So, if you’ve noticed your dog grooming your cat, that could be a possible explanation.

Comportamiento de la manada

A final answer for “why are dogs attracted to cats and grooming them” relates to pack behaviors.  Both dogs and cats can live in packs in the wild.  Even though your pets have never been wild animals, many of these behaviors are instinctive.  Lamer es una forma en que los perros muestran sumisión a un animal más dominante. Entonces, en este caso, lamer puede indicar que su perro cree que su gato es superior.

Tratando de conseguir algo del gato

Finalmente, es posible que su perro simplemente esté tratando de conseguir algo que tiene su gato. Por ejemplo, si su gato tiene una golosina o un juguete que su perro quiere, es posible que su perro esté tratando de distraerlo lamiéndolo.  

If you’re asking, “what does it mean when my dog licks my cat’s butt,” they may be trying to taste their poop.  Many dogs like eating cat poop, so your dog may simply be trying to go right to the source.  If you’ve noticed that your dog is interested in the litter boxes too, this may be the most fitting explanation for their behavior.

¿Debo preocuparme de que mi perro lama a mi gato?

Should I let my dog lick my kitten?  How do you know if your dog likes a kitten?  For the most part, if you’ve noticed your dog licking your cat, it isn’t anything to be too concerned about.  If you read through the reasons above, you can see that a dog licking a cat is normally pretty harmless.

If you’re concerned that your perro va a matar a tu gato, this probably isn’t the case.  However, if you hear your cat yelping, growling, or hissing when your dog is licking them, then you may want to intervene and try to put an end to it.  These types of reactions from your cat indicate that they are not comfortable with the licking and may feel threatened by it.

¿Cómo consigo que mi perro deje de lamer a mi gato?

Como mencioné anteriormente, no debes preocuparte por intentar evitar que tu perro lama a tu gato, a menos que esté causando algún problema. Si le preocupa que su perro lastime a su gato, puede trabajar en entrenarlo usando refuerzo positivo y golosinas para mantenerse alejado del gato.  

You can also make sure that your dog is getting enough positive attention from you.  Give him plenty of playtime and love and encourage him to sit with you, rather than licking the cat.  However, be careful to make sure you also give equal attention to your cat so she doesn’t end up getting jealous or feeling left out.

Perro lamiendo gato: no necesariamente es una preocupación

As you can see, in most cases, a dog licking a cat isn’t anything to really be concerned about.  Your dog may be grooming your cat, showing affection, licking because he smells something different, showing submission towards the cat, or even trying to get something that the cat has in her possession, such as a treat.  Unless you hear crying or yelping, you probably don’t need to worry.  However, as with any other questions you have about your specific pets, you can always reach out to your veterinarian.

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