Look what the cat dragged in—your used cotton swabs out of the trash. Gross. But what may seem like a bizarre behavior may actually be rooted in biology.
If you're lucky enough to call a cat your companion, it's probably become second nature to share things like your bed, your couch, your lap, and even some of your food with your purring pal. But what if your cat wants to share your earwax? Is that pushing the boundaries of the relationship (and perhaps your gag reflex) a bit too far?
Foraging for earwax might seem like a bizarre pastime for your cat, but there are some surprisingly good reasons why the strange substance holds such appeal. And whether your cat is digging in the trash or directly in your ears, we have some advice for redirection.
2 Reasons Why Cats Eat Earwax
If your cat likes earwax, he's not alone—nor is he irrational. In fact, there are two main reasons why you might have a literal cat burglar on the loose who's after your cotton swabs or earlobes:
1. Earwax is part of your kitty's diet.
Earwax (also called cerumen) is a waxy, protective oil produced by glands in the ear canal, which doesn't exactly sound like prime kitty kibble competition. But in 1991, a team from the University of Toronto broke down the organic composition of earwax, which can help shed light on why it may be catching your cat's attention. According to the results of their study, earwax contains, among other things, dead skin cells, fatty acids, and cholesterol.
These may not sound like the ingredients to a dish you'd like to order, but to your cat, they smell like survival. That's because felines are obligate carnivores, meaning they must eat a diet of mainly meat to get the nutrients they need. Thus, the animal proteins in your earwax may have your cat saying "Bon appétit!" to the bits he finds in the bin and in your ears.
2. Earwax is part of your kitty's love language.
If your cat's earwax interests are localized to your lobes, the reason may have very little to do with the substance itself. Your cat may just be grooming you—not because you're dirty but because he loves you.
"Allogrooming [i.e. grooming that takes place between members of the same species] is a common behavior among cats," says Pam Johnson-Bennett, CCBC, author and owner of Cat Behavior Associates. "In an outdoor colony, grooming each other is a way to create a common communal scent for familiarity, as scent is one of the most important methods cats use for identification and recognition." And when cats allogroom, she continues, they typically stick to the areas around the head.
But for some cats (specifically those who are bonded), the behavior goes beyond creating a communal scent, Johnson-Bennett explains. For bonded cats, allogrooming is a sign of affection. "I would guess that the majority of cats who groom their owners around the head and face, including the ears, are doing it as a sign of affection and not as a way to retrieve earwax," Johnson-Bennett says.
So in other words, your cat sees you as not only another cat, but a cat with whom he's bonded. Aww, shucks. What you thought was cringey is actually kind of cute (though we completely understand if you still prefer sonnets and flowers as signs of affection).