SCIENCE LAB SCENICS : CATS ANNOYING BEHAVIOR

' You think your cat is being nice ? Maybe not : Mutual grooming, called allogrooming, is widespread in the animal kingdom and found in primates, birds, horses and even insects.

The grooming is typically focused on parts of the body that are difficult for an animal to reach on its own, making the behavior an act of kindness that supports social bonding and win friends.

Cats that lick each other have also been considered an indicator of social bonding.

'' So far, mutual grooming in cats has been categorized as affiliative, or 'friendly' cat behavior, '' said Noema Gajdos Kmecova, a cat behavioral scientist at Ghent University in Belgium and an author of the new study.

Or we thought.

Researchers in Europe asked 53 households with two or more cats to submit videos of the animals' interactions. The scientists randomly selected a video from each participant and tried to tease apart the hidden nuance in cat-licking behavior.

The results revealed two scenarios. In the first, the cats were much more likely to mimic other's postures, each cuddling or sitting side by side before and after grooming. The licks were clearly friendly gestures.

In the second, the licking often preceded conflict. In these interactions one cat might stand and lick a sitting cat. The licks were followed by signs of stress in the licked cat, including staring, yowling or swiping at the other cat.

The unwanted licks might be an easy way to jab at another cat, without getting into a fight.

While a scuffle could result in injury, an irritating lick might be a safer way to tell your furry '' friend '' to get lost.

!WOW! thanks Taylor Mitchell Brown.