How and Why Cats Groom?
The one activity that your cat will return to with unfailing regularity is grooming itself. Close to half of a cat’s waking hours is spent in some form of self-grooming. Many pet owners ascribe this to the fact that cats are among the cleaner pets that one can keep. The grooming instinct is natural to cats. They start grooming themselves almost within weeks of being born. They groom at all times of the day, on rising from sleep, before going to sleep, and before and after feeding. As a pet owner you may have wondered why cats groom so frequently and so religiously. There are a number of different reasons that cats groom. Grooming in cats is an evolutionary feature from their days in the wilderness as hunters and survivors, and grooming plays a major role in many areas of a cat’s health. Here is a quick overview of why cats groom.
Grooming Ensures Good Cat Health
Grooming is a way for cats to keep their fur clean. Fur plays an important role in cat health. You may have noticed how a cat can fluff up its fur when threatened. It can use the same ability to pack in more air in between the hair of its fur. This help to improve the insulating aspect of fur. As a result, cats can use their fur to stay warm in cold weather. Similarly, in hot weather, by grooming and licking the fur, it can stay cool due to the evaporation of saliva from the fur. The grooming process also helps them untangle the fur and keep it at optimum efficiency for fluffing up. Grooming also lets them keep the fur clean, and free from bugs and parasites, and even heals sores or blisters that may have happened on the skin under it. Grooming also helps the cat get rid of hair that it is shedding on an ongoing basis.
Grooming as a Social Activity
Cats have evolved into domesticated pets over the centuries, but their instincts go back to the ancient days of hunting and surviving in packs. They learned to help each other not only in hunting but also in grooming the difficult to reach areas of the body like the neck and the back. As pets, you may find them often indulging in mutual grooming. This is their way of bonding and networking. You may also find them grooming your skin or hair. Don’t be alarmed or repulsed. This is their way of expressing their affection and trust towards you.
Grooming as a Response to Stress
You may have laughed at your cat when he or she mistimed a leap and fell awkwardly and immediately started self-grooming. This is because grooming is often a response to an unfamiliar or stressful situation. You will sometime see this when they are faced with the addition of a new pet, or when faced with aggressive behavior from another cat. This type of grooming is referred to as displacement grooming, and is a defense mechanism to help the cat deal with an unfamiliar or threatening situation. You may also see this when you are trying to deprive the cat of something it is accustomed to such as certain food items, or being able to roam outside freely.
Grooming is a Survival Instinct
Grooming for cats is a way of getting rid of scents, especially scent of food or other animals (and that includes you, the pet owner) so that it is free from all scents. This is a residue from its ancestral insecurity of being smelled out from a distance by other predators in the wild.
Grooming is indicative of normal activity. As a pet owner, you do not need to worry too much about your cat grooming itself much of the time. However, if your cat is a long haired one, you may want to help it by gently brushing its coat once every other day. If you have a single cat you may want to help it groom the head, neck and upper back areas. If your cat is grooming excessively, though, it may indicate a health problem, either physical or psychological and it is best that you consult with your vet at the earliest.
