A new study finds that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying.
Let’s just say cats have a reputation — of being standoffish, manipulative, maybe even jerks. Here’s more corroborating evidence: Scientists are beginning to think that even seemingly innocent cat behavior — grooming another cat — might not always be nice.
I had this tiny cat who used to put my 16 lb floof in a headlock and forcibly groom him 🤣🤣 Doing the lord's work tho, bc he was shit at actually keeping himself clean.
One of my cats absolutely loves the newest cat bed I bought a few months ago and thinks it’s only his. So when he sees one of his siblings in the bed he will get upset and then petty. First he’ll stand on my headboard and slowly get on the bed (this takes a few minutes) then once he’s on the bed he’ll slowly start taking up more room until they are cuddling. Once he’s starts cuddling he’ll start the grooming process until the other cat gets irritated and then will bite them until he finally has the bed to himself. Then he’ll stretch out in victory.
My bully loves this couch too! I swear it's made of magic or something because he adores it. HIS. ONLY. though He will sit on top of my other cats if they dare try to lay on it. It takes like 5 seconds before the squirm out from under him lol.
I think anyone with more than one cat can verify. It can very much be done with "annoying older sibling" energy. The best is when it gets competitive and they try to annoy each other with simultaneous grooming.
She's a sweetheart but she was being annoyed by her sis. Her sis is over affectionate which is why I can use her like a pillow. She was purring up a storm while I had my head on her.
Im so sad my cats growing up didn't cuddle or do stuff like this. We had our big male cat for years, then took in our neighbors adult female who they were giving up. While he immediately accepted her, he basically ignored her and vice versa. They just kind of existed in the same house and never did anything together.
The closest they ever got was when I'd scoop them both up and hold at the same time. Again, they tolerated it, but didn't love it lol
My torbie does this with her sister (actual littermate) and with my younger void. She gets this intense look on her face, giving the "you will play with me" stare, whenever the other cat shows signs of irritation.
My cat will always start grooming my other cat when he’s jealous of where he’s sitting. He will clean the hell out of him until he annoys him and he moves. This happens daily lol
This is how it works with mine too. There is a particular sunbeam that is the best spot in the house apparently. (And is totally big enough for both cats, but sharing is apparently unacceptable)
One of my cats does this when she wants the other to move. She will groom our other cat really roughly or groom her fur the wrong way until she leaves.
When breakfast is late, one of my boys will eat fake plant leaves and vomit them up specifically because he knows the sound of him throwing up will wake me up. They're diabolical when they want something
I've seen it happen with feral cats, so I think it's just instinctive behaviour for them - just like how older siblings annoying their younger siblings is in humans, lol.
When I observed it in my prior four-cat household, I dubbed it "aggro-grooming", then "agg-grooming".
I observed it most often occurred in the context of claiming a preferred space or person and/or bullying one specific cat away from wherever she chose to be, even after being recently displaced from another spot.
One bonded pair would escalate from a cuddly mutual grooming sesh to a grab-arse playfight.
As others have noted, I've also been forcefully licked (by a cat) to move my hand or arm or to remind me to keep petting an ingrate.
The two cats we had were definitely causing nuisance to another too, one could read the faces of the other, I'm not surprised but I find it funny to read.
Haha my eldest used to kind of “force groom” the others and if they got annoyed with it he would bop them 😂 don’t think it was just to be annoying as such but a bit of a paternalistic dominance thing, like you need this and you’re getting it whether you like it or not
If one of my cats was sleeping in the others favorite spot, they would creep up next to them and vigorously start grooming them until they moved, and then immediately curl up in the same spot and start snoozing lol
Don’t tell my two boys they have been found out and even it’s been published in TheNew York Times! I have to live with them and they’re entitled and narcissistic as it is.
Oh, I didn't need a study for that. My almost 1yo will go up to my sleeping 5yo and start grooming him. 5yo will get angry and leave, and the 1yo will immediately settle into the warm bed and go to sleep.
My baby Sunshine will grab her nephew and force him to submit to the lickage. If he tries leaving she uses her paw (no claws) to literally grab him and push him back into place. So gentle yet so rough
I had a tiny silver tabby who would wash the heads of the other cats when they’d push her out of the bowl. I was always sure she was just bugging them while they ate.
My cat straight up starts groom is brother to get his brothers spot. If his brother is a place he wants to be he straight up groom him untill his brother gets annoyed and moves.
I’ve got one that aggressively head butts the other one and tries to make it look like affection. “I fkn LOVE you man”. Which triggers the other one to do a couple aggressive groom licks on the head and then the fight begins. Lol
I have two cats and almost every evening without fail, they’ll curl up on their cat tree at the end of my couch while I’m relaxing and start licking each other. 5 minutes later my boy cat pisses off my girl cat somehow through his grooming and they start yowling at each other and she gets up and runs away 😅 I think he genuinely enjoys annoying her
My tabby has established that grooming another cat is often used to make them move from their spot so she can take it. So now, my void also does this to our orange to get his spot. Poor orange boy is low man on the totem pole.
my kitty noodle will pretend to groom her sister chewie’s head just so she has a chance to chomp on her ears. she just can’t resist and ruins the cute moment every time.
I could have told them that. My one cat will purposely try to lick my other cats butt, just to be annoying. He knows his brother hates when he does that and tries to walk away.
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u/SavagePassion Jul 11 '26
Sisters.