Anyone who has lived or lives with a cat will know how obsessed these precious animals seem to be for their personal hygiene. They groom themselves several times a day: after each nap, after each meal, after we pet them… But why?
En Noti Gatos We don't want to leave you without the answer, so don't hesitate to read on to find out. why do cats groom themselves.
When do cats start grooming?
Grooming, even if it seems like not to us, is an instinctive behavior. It appears very, very early, at three weeks old and is being perfected daily until the little furry learns to keep as clean as his mother, or his adult companions in case he has them. In fact, when a kitten lives with more cats, if there is a very good friendship between all of them, it is common to see an adult cat grooming it.
This behavior is a way for all group members to smell the same. A smell that is imperceptible to us, but which is very important for them, since this way they can be recognized from several meters away, since their eyesight is not very good (they see the world blurred, as if someone had lost their glasses).
Why do cats groom themselves so much?
Although now the cat has the possibility of living inside a home, in the past this was not the case. Living in nature, it has many enemies. Predators who, if they detect your body odor, could kill you in seconds. One way to avoid this is by grooming.
Grooming consists of removing as much dirt as possible from the hair, at the same time that it keeps it untangled thanks to its tongue, which on its surface has like very small "hooks" in which dirt, dead hair and some external parasites get caught.
In doing so, stays clean, so it prevents someone from finding it. Of course, when he lives in a house or flat, more than for his own protection he does it only to be clean. He does not like feeling dirty at all, and in fact, if he is very ill and has stopped grooming, we will have to take care of it ourselves, otherwise he could put his life at risk.
So, if you see that your cat is grooming ... just smile 🙂. Of course, if you see that he is grooming himself too much, even biting himself, do not hesitate to take him to the vet as he could have parasites or a disease such as allergy.