If you have a cat, I have no doubt that you will have seen it spending many hours grooming itself. Cats lick themselves with their barbed tongue, designed for that purpose, they can lick their paws, moistening them with saliva so that they can wash their faces with those paws, and they have teeth that they use to pick out bits of dust and dirt from their fur.
All in all, cats have all the necessary implements to help make themselves as clean as possible. My cat, Bess, spends many hours grooming herself. Cats can spend from approximately 15 to 50 percent of their time grooming themselves, the equivalent of around four to six hours each day, which is completely natural.
Many cats follow the same cleaning routine – they start with their chin, mouth, and whiskers before washing their shoulders, genitals, and legs before finishing with their tail.
This guide will give you the information that you need to understand how and why your cat grooms itself, and what you can do to help your cat ensure that this operation is pain and stress-free.
A cat’s barbed tongue
Cats groom themselves using their barbed tongue, which they use to remove bits of dirt and dust from their coats and remove any loose hairs. One problem caused by cats removing loose hairs is that they can sometimes swallow the bits of fur that they have removed from their coats, creating an item called a fur ball, which they sometimes eradicate by making themselves sick.
If you ever see your cat eating grass outside, they probably have a fur ball they wish to eradicate, and eating grass causes them to be sick. So that the number of loose hairs on your cat’s coat is kept to a minimum, you could try grooming your cat with a brush, especially if you have a long-haired cat, so that you can remove any pieces of fur that could otherwise present a problem for your cat.
Grooming your cat also offers an opportunity for you to strengthen the bond you and your cat have because it reminds the cat of the time that its mother used to do the same thing. Whilst you are brushing your cat, you will also be able to ensure that your cat’s coat is in good condition and that there are no strange lumps anywhere on your cat’s body.
If you do find a lump, a trip to the vet may be necessary, if only to ensure that the lump is not a sign of something more serious.
A cat’s paws
When you watch a cat washing itself, you will notice that it dampens its front paws to moisten them with saliva so that it can then use its moistened paws to wash its face. It is effectively using its paws like humans would use a face cloth. Cats are unable to reach their face with their tongue, so this is the next best thing for them to do. Cats help each other to clean each other’s faces for this reason.
A cat’s teeth
Cats use their teeth to remove any pieces of rubbish from their fur which they cannot dislodge by simply using their tongues. They chew their fur to ensure that all such pieces are eradicated. Cats also chew their claws so that any parts of the old claw are removed, replaced with sharper claws.
Now that we have discussed how cats groom themselves, we can discuss why cats carry out this function.
To be as clean as possible
One of the main reasons cats groom themselves is to remain as clean as possible. This involves ensuring that all pieces of dirt, dust and possibly fleas have been removed from their fur.
Cats often clean themselves after they have eaten because they wish to rid themselves of the smell of the food they have consumed. Domestic cats do not live in the wild but still have the same instinct for survival, and that involves eradicating the smell of any prey they have consumed.
A cat would not want to smell in any way similar to the prey it has eaten because other members of its family would not be able to recognise it by its smell. This forms a critical role in a cat’s fight for survival, especially in the wild.
Cats lick themselves after they have eaten or killed prey to remove any smell from their fur which would allow them to be sensed by predators because a cat’s sense of smell is more powerful than that of a human, with many cats having the ability to track their prey through their smell.
If you see your cat licking itself after you have petted it, it is not because it cannot stand you touching it, but because it wants to smell more like itself and that means eradicating your scent. Cats have particular feelings of how they want their coat to look and smell, so lick themselves to return their fur to that state.
Grooming helps your cat come to terms with upsetting incidents
Cats often groom themselves if they have become stressed, upset, or frustrated, an action which is known as ‘displacement behaviour’. If your cat sees another animal, it may be conflicted as to whether it should approach the other animal or run away. It may groom itself because it is uncertain what the best course of action should be.
If your cat is inside and sees a bird that it is unable to reach, it may again groom itself because it is upset by what it perceives to be its failure to chase or capture the bird.
Cats may lick any wounds they might have
You may have noticed that a cat licks a wound – this is to help guard against any possible infection because a cat’s saliva contains enzymes that can act as an antibiotic. You should always watch that your cat does not lick the wound excessively, however, as that could make the wound worse because bacteria from its mouth could contaminate the wound or reopen it.
Even though a cat may feel that it can deal with a wound by itself, you should always consult your vet to ensure that the wound is alright to allow to heal on its own or needs professional help. My old cat, Beauty, was once bitten by another cat, so I had to take her to the vet to be checked over.
To keep the cat’s coat in good condition
Cats love to keep their coat in good condition, which they accomplish by licking themselves to ensure that natural oils are spread around their fur. In the winter months, these natural oils can also help them to protect themselves against the cold. Cats also lick themselves in order to stimulate their blood flow and improve their circulation.
If you notice that your cat is grooming itself, you should not interrupt it because it is very important that it is able to undertake this action.
Grooming helps to promote friendship with other cats (and you!!)
Cats sometimes groom other cats, which is a habit that they picked up from their mother when they were 4 weeks old. This action helps to strengthen the bond that cats have with each other. Cats groom each other to show the great bond that has grown between them – when a cat grooms another cat, it is effectively accepting that cat into the family unit or colony.
Grooming each other is how cats learn to recognise one another – they can sense the other cat is part of their family or colony by their smell rather than by their visual appearance.
A cat’s mother grooms her kittens, especially around their anuses and abdomens, to teach them how to eliminate waste. The mother cat also grooms her kittens to comfort them, and to make them more accustomed to her smell.
Your cat may even want to lick you – this may be its way of showing affection and that it trusts you, or to spread its scent on you to mark its territory. It is claiming you as part of its family, and that should be considered a high compliment. Licking you may also be your cat’s way of obtaining your attention, however.
Your cat may also wish to lick you if you have a scent that your cat finds unfamiliar. If you are wearing perfume, or have used a new bath or shower gel, this could confuse your cat so it licks you to return you to the smell that it recognises. This is also true if your cat has sensed you have petted another cat or animal.
A cat can waterproof its coat
When cats lick themselves and bite into their fur to eradicate dust and dirt, glands at the base of their fur are stimulated meaning that liquid is released from the base of the hairs, effectively adding additional protection against cold, wind or rain!
Cats lick themselves to cool down (or become warmer!)
Sweat glands are located in your cat’s paws but it does not sweat in the same way as humans when the weather becomes too hot. Cats moisten their fur with their saliva, which then evaporates off their fur, allowing them to cool down.
A cat often stays in the shade during the summer to remain cool. My cat, Bess, often stays under a bush in the garden during the summer when she is outside.
In the winter months, when cats lick themselves air is trapped inside their coats, enabling them to keep warm.
If your cat stops grooming itself, it is either unwell or has become very despondent. It is best to have your cat checked over by a vet under these circumstances.
Why has my cat started over grooming itself?
If your cat has suffered from a stressful incident, it may well lick itself because this action helps to relieve the stress caused by the incident. If your cat has become severely stressed, however, it may over-groom itself because it believes that taking this action would cause it to feel better.
If your cat over-grooms itself, this can be dangerous to its health because this action could lead to it suffering from skin sores or even bald patches on its fur. Other reasons your cat may over-groom itself include infections, allergies or skin disease.
If you notice your cat is suffering from any of the above conditions, or it starts excessively licking a particular place on its body, you should take it to the vet so that you can be advised of the best course of action to take, if any.
If a male cat begins to lick its penis excessively, it may be a sign that he has a urinary blockage so you should make an urgent trip to your vet, or even make a trip to an emergency vet if your usual vet is unavailable.
It is also important to bear in mind that cats are creatures of habit and dislike change of any sort, so any action you take such as rearranging the furniture or bringing a new pet into the family home could trigger it to over groom itself.
My cat has stopped grooming itself
If your cat has stopped cleaning itself, it may have become ill, which could be a sign that it is suffering from arthritis or other pain. Please note that a trip to the vet may be necessary under these circumstances.
If your cat was taken away from its mother before she could teach it how to clean itself, this could be another reason for the occurrence. If you are concerned that your cat does not groom itself sufficiently, the signs you should look out for include a greasy coat, urine stains on its paws, a bad smell, or food particles on its face.
You could help to teach your cat to groom itself if you notice these signs by brushing its fur so that fleas can be eradicated. Grooming your cat also helps to encourage blood and skin circulation.