Introduction
grooming in cats is not a hobby or something to simply pass the time, it’s an essential habit related to their survival, in this FiverPet Article, we explain five reasons why cats lick and groom themselves.
1-To Regulate their temperature
Cats sweat from their paw pads, but not from their body as they lack sweat glands in these areas, grooming leaves saliva on the cat’s coat which cools their body as it evaporates, this cools them down in hot weather and helps avoid heat stroke.
2-To Protect Against external agents
A cat’s tongue has tiny spines which are very useful in removing dirt parasites and germs which may lead to serious disease, grooming every day prevents a number of dermatological and systemic conditions, it stimulates blood flow to different areas of their body, conditioning their coat in the process, they also use their tongue to remove dead hair something which is generally good for hygiene, but can lead to hairballs and subsequent digestive problems, in some cases if the hair balls are unable to pass, surgery is required to remove them.
3-To maintain a neutral body odor
When cats clean themselves, they eliminate personal and external body odors which can be detected by potential predators, this is a genetic inheritance from their wild cat ancestors, which needed a neutral body odor to both prevent themselves becoming prey, and to catch their own.
4-To show affection
if two cats get along it’s not uncommon to see them grooming each other, it’s a sign of love and affection between individuals who do so to strengthen ties and show affection, they can also do the same with humans.
5-To transmit tranquility
when cats groom themselves it indicates they feel comfortable and at ease, they often carry out this behavior to relax, if the cat is able to devote their attention to grooming they are not worried about what is around them, they also groom others to provide the same sense of peace.
