Kitty’s Awake, Time To Groom
September 18, 2019
If you’ve ever owned a cat, you’ll know they spend much of their waking hours grooming. Considering how many hours they sleep on average a day (about 15), that’s almost half their lifetime! So what are some of the reasons for such finicky grooming habits?
Using their tongues, teeth, and front paws cats are well-equipped to keep themselves looking their best. But there are some reasons why grooming is of utter importance to your cat that might surprise you.
Good Hygiene
Those barbed tongues are excellent at removing dirt from a cat’s fur and at the same time, help to remove loose hairs from their coat. So grooming is ultimately about good hygiene, but there's a little more to it than that.
Why is staying clean such a priority? It’s in a cat’s nature to remove any giveaway odours that may alert an adversary to their presence. It’s also a good way to stay hidden from scent-detecting small animals that your cat may be wishing to catch. Get downwind of a smelly cat and the game’s up!
So after a good dinner, those paws get busy and go to work on removing any traces of food and other telltale signs. Nothing is left untouched. They give it the full treatment – eyes and ears too.
Keeping claws trim and free of claw husks is also vital in their daily hygiene. Using their teeth to extract debris stuck in between the toes is part of the procedure to eliminate odours. Those teeth come in handy too when they need to tackle a matted fur ball, teasing it out with care.
Skin and Coat Health
Your cat knows that daily grooming will keep their skin and coat in good condition. All that licking helps to spread natural oils to create a protective layer against cold temperatures and moisture.
Temperature Control
Your cat may also lick their fur if they’re overheated or in hot weather, as it helps to cool them down.
Stress Relief
Licking has an enormous calming effect on your cat, and they may resort to grooming after they've experienced a stressful situation, like going to the vet or being startled by a loud noise. This is a behaviour to keep an eye on, though, as excessive grooming can signal anxiety issues and lead to hair loss and skin infections.
Bonding
If you have more than one cat and they’re best buds, then you’ve probably noticed how much they love to primp and preen each other. This is a loving gesture that many kittens display, but bonded older cats too can continue grooming their friends as a sign of affection and acceptance.
With so many reasons to keep themselves in tip-top shape, no wonder cats spend so much time grooming. It’s a big event of their day, one driven by instinct, self-preservation and survival.