If you are anything like me and have a cat, you may wonder why your cat can spend so long grooming another cat.  The main reason that cats groom each other is that it is a hark back to when the mother cat groomed them after they were born.  Cats are very keen to keep themselves, and each other, thoroughly clean.

 

Cats are licked immediately after birth

As soon as cats are born, the mother cat would carefully groom them – this is to make sure the debris following the birth is removed and to help reassure herself that they are breathing.  She also cleans their anal area after feeding them to encourage waste elimination.

The mother cat will do this automatically, and she will continue to groom her kittens for the first few weeks of their lives – it is something that is in her nature because she cares for her kittens and wants to make sure they have the best start in life.

A mother cat will continue to groom her kittens until they are capable of doing it for themselves.  Another reason a mother cat licks her kittens is that she does not want them to smell as she fears that the smell will attract unwanted attention.

Because cats are groomed after birth, they carry on that action throughout their lives with other cats because it reminds them of those few precious moments with their own mothers, and are carrying on what she has taught them to do.

 

Cats groom each other more during hot and cold temperatures

Cats groom each other more often in cases of especially hot and cold temperatures because this action helps the cat to regulate its body temperature.

A cat can help another cat prevent losing heat from its body in cold weather by licking the fur to flatten it, thus trapping the warm air.

If the weather was warm, the other cat’s saliva left on the fur could help to bring down a cat’s temperature because when the saliva evaporates, it cools them down.

 

Cats lick each other to show affection

Cats spend hours grooming themselves and other cats because it is their way of showing affection for each other.

You should be happy if you see cats licking each other because cats are more likely to fight each other than to spend time licking each other.  This motion shows they are happy in each other’s company and have a close bond.

A cat must trust another cat implicitly to allow it to lick it because it could become very vulnerable.  If one cat grooms another, it can be very relaxing for the cat because it feels like a massage.

Two cats from the same family can strengthen their bond by licking each other which deposits their smell on the other’s fur so they can identify them as being a member of the family and dispel outsiders.

It is also a way for a cat to show to another cat that it is protected and cared for.  The male cat can also take on this responsibility for a younger cat it has become close to.

If a new cat comes into a home where a cat is already present, the cat who lives there may start to lick and smell the incomer, which is a good sign because it shows that the cat is willing to protect and nurture the other cat, which can help make the transition much easier for the cat.

 

Cats may have noticed something is wrong

If a cat recognises that another cat has an injury, it may lick another cat in the problem area.  It could also mean that the cat has noticed that the other cat is unwell, and is attempting to offer all the comfort it can.

If one cat licks another in the same spot constantly, and you are unable to notice any physical signs of a problem, it may well be worth getting your cat checked out by a vet just to reassure yourself that nothing is wrong.

 

Cats sometimes ‘play fight’

Cats sometimes, after they have groomed each other, start playing with each other.  Cats can sometimes stop the ‘fight’ and begin grooming each other again, just to reassure the other that they are in no way seriously fighting.

If they are male and female, the male cat is showing that he is the more dominant.  This is the way that male cats perform when they want to mate.  Cats biting each other can be a sign that they love each other and are becoming closer.

 

Cats are very clean creatures

Cats are, by nature, very clean animals, licking each other to help them to clean parts of themselves that one cat would find difficult to reach.

As you have doubtless seen your own cat do, cats wet their paws and then wash their faces, but it is a difficult place for them to reach, so other cats help each other undertake this task.

Cats sometimes seek out other cats if they know their faces are not clean and wish to obtain help to clean these hard to reach areas.

 

Why cats get hairballs

When a cat grooms another cat, or itself, it uses its tongue, which has barbs which can pick up stray hairs from its coat.

These hairs are then swallowed by your cat because it is not able to spit it out, and if it is unable to pass the hair naturally in its faeces, a hairball can form in its stomach, which it will sometimes vomit to get rid of.  It is not very pleasant for the cat, or you, who have to clean it up, but it is a perfectly natural occurrence.

Cats who groom themselves more often have more hairballs because they are swallowing more hair.

Long-haired cats such as the Persian or British Longhair are more likely to develop hairballs because they have more fur that could be swallowed by them.  Hairballs can become very dangerous to your cat because they may block your cat’s digestive tract or intestine.

If you ever hear your cat retching or gagging it is likely that it has a hairball that it is attempting to dislodge.  If you see your cat eating grass, it is because it is trying to make itself vomit so that it can dispel a hairball, so it is nothing to become upset or distressed about.

If your cat is unable to dispel the hairball and continues to display these symptoms, and also begins to suffer from a lack of appetite or lethargy, you should contact your vet because these occurrences can become life-threatening.

You should take extra care to watch out for this during spring and autumn because a cat molts more during this time, with the cat shedding the old hair which is then replaced by healthy hair.  This is because a cat grows thicker layers of fur in the autumn to help it get through the cold winter months, which it then sheds in the spring.

 

You can help prevent hairballs

Most cats can throw up hairballs without a problem, but there are some things you can try which may help to prevent them occurring so often.

If you groom your cat regularly, especially if it is a long-haired breed, you can help prevent hairballs developing because it has less loose fur that it can swallow.  If you do not wish to groom your cat yourself, you can take it to a professional groomer, who can do it for you.

If you are conscious that your cat is over-grooming itself, leading to it suffering from more hairballs, you can help the situation by playing with it to distract it from washing its coat frequently.

If your cat develops hairballs on a regular basis, you can purchase a special anti-hairball dry food, which helps to improve the quality of your cat’s fur.  This food also contains plenty of fibre, so can help your cat to dispel the fur though its faeces.