Why Cats Groom Themselves So Often ?

By Franny Syufy, About.com Guide

Cats' Saliva

However, cats' licking, biting, or scratching humans can transmit "cat scratch fever,"(Bartonella Henslae) which is a relatively mild infection, but can be more serious in immunocompromised individuals. As such, Bartonella Henslae is considered a Zoonotic Disease.

More Reasons Why Cats Wash Themselves and Others

Cats' sense of smell is fourteen times more powerful than that of humans. Most predators, including cats, track prey through scent. By the same token, cats may mark their territory by leaving scent trails, e.g., spraying with urine or marking with facial pheromones; or try to hide. A mother cat in the wild will try to hide her young kittens by removing evidence of their feeding, i.e. wash herself and them thoroughly after nursing. For the same reason, cats will bury uneaten dead prey in the wild. You may observe that same instinctual behavior when you see a cat scratching at the floor around the food dish after eating.

One of the greatest experts I've ever known of on cats was Paul Gallico (1897-1976). Although Paul's writing career started as a sportscaster, he is probably better remembered as the author of The Poseidon Adventure, which became a blockbuster movie in 1972. Paul had 27 cats of his own, and his intensive study and understanding of their behavior was apparent in his book, "The Abandoned," also known as "Jenny," or "Jenny and Peter." Peter was a young English lad who was struck by a car while running across the street to see a little white cat (Jenny). In his subsequent coma, he dreams that he has turned into a cat and Jenny is teaching him how to do the job properly. "When in Doubt, Wash" describes the daily lessons in grooming, and includes the unforgettable lesson on "Leg O' Mutton." Anyone who has ever observed a cat meticulously washing her hind leg will immediately visualize that position.

When cats groom, their barb-like tongues stimulate the sebacious glands at the base of their hairs, and spread the resultant sebum throughout the hairs. Amy Shojai, former Contributing Writer on Cat Behavior, explains in Cat Grooming that their self grooming also helps rid the coat of dirt and parasites such as fleas. Further, since cats do not have sweat glands, their saliva somewhat helps them cool down on hot days.

When Cat Grooming Becomes Obsessive

Grooming to excess is often an obsessive-compulsive behavior, when it leads to bald patches and skin sores. In such cases the hair loss is called "psychogenic alopecia."

Cats' Ultimate Way of Showing Affection

• Vomiting Undigested Food
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Lethargy
• Lack of Appetite

When I read the popular Book, "A Street Cat Named Bob," by James Bowen, I was taken aback by a comment he made that "cats' saliva also contains an antiseptic." As that was a new concept to me, I decided to do some research on cats' saliva, and one thing led to another, because cats' propensity for cleanliness is almost legendary.

While most dogs require frequent bathing, most cats (except purebred show cats) rarely do. They do an excellent job of keeping themselves clean, an enjoyable task taught to them practically from birth by their mothers. Actually, the queen's first job after giving birth is to remove the amniotic sac, then lick the kitten with her rough tongue to help stimulate its breathing. Later, when the kitten begins nursing, she will give the kitten's anus a "tongue massage" to help stimulate a bowel movement.

Is Cat Saliva Really Antiseptic?

The question really should be "is saliva antiseptic?" Actually, recent studies in The Netherland shave found certain histatins (proteins) in human saliva have healing qualities. There is so much speculation about dog saliva that it is dizzying. However, I like Dr. Marty Becker's take on canine saliva - that it is not antibacterial, but dogs' licking their wounds is healing for another reason. As quoted by ABC 20/20, he says "And they'll be licking that wound and you'll notice that the wound heals very fast … what that tongue does is it gets rid of the dead tissue."

It would make sense that cats' licking of their own wounds would operate much the same way as dogs. On the other hand, one article by Jennifer Viegas for The Daily Cat considers the possibility that certain enzymes in cats' saliva turns it into a "natural antibiotic."

When Cat Saliva Turns to Drooling

Drooling can sometimes be a sign of intense happiness in a cat. However, the odor of bad breath when a cat drools is a warning sign of dental disease, most likely peridontal disease. My son is a patient in a V.A. Hospital in Sacramento. When I drove him there on Thanksgiving Day, the first sight to greet us was a gorgeous rusty black cat sitting in the sun in front of one of the buildings. Midnight was one of four or more semi-feral cats who live on the grounds. They have a symbiotic relationship with many of the patients there. The cats provide therapy, and the patients provide food and love.

Several days after we arrived, a series of major storms, dubbed the "Pineapple Express" because they originated in Hawaii, hit our area. Lance was shocked to see that Midnight was sleeping in a cardboard box with only a plastic bag underneath. I ordered a Petmate Kitty Kat Condo "igloo" and a self-warming mat to be delivered, and Midnight is now sheltered and warm.

She and Lance have become friends, and she allows him to pet her and groom her. The first thing Lance noticed is that her breath smells very bad - a sure sign something is going on in her mouth, most likely Gingivitis and/or Stomatitis. We're currently working on getting Midnight some veterinary dental care, as well as testing for FIV and FeLV. She appears to be at least ten years old, and is too precious to Lance and the other veterans to lose now.

As discussed earlier, cats wash their injuries to cleanse the wounds, and possibly to prevent infection. Mother cats also clean their newborn kittens to remove the amniotic sac to stimulate breathing, and later, to stimulate a bowel movement.

To Hide Scent From Predators

When in Doubt, Wash

I've observed that cats use self-washing as a sort of therapy to cover a multitude of emotions, including embarrassment. In case you doubt that cats can feel embarrassed, try laughing at a cat someday when he misjudges a leap, or crashes into furniture. Usually an embarrassed cat will at first stalk away from the laughter in anger, then find a private place where he will thoroughly wash away that shameful memory. Chances are that if you find him, sit next to him and apologize, he will turn his washing to you. Amy Shojai, quoted below, describes this therapeutic grooming as a "displacement behavior" which helps cats deal with conflict. She writes, "Perhaps the touch-sensation has a direct effect on the brain chemistry or neurologic impulses that make the distressed cat feel better. In other words, self-grooming may be self-medicating with a feline form of Prozac."

To Groom and Lubricate the Coat and Skin

Cats' overgrooming is often caused by stress, and may be likened to humans' habit of biting their nails to the quick. Amy Shojai wrote a fine article on How to Stop Cat Over-Grooming, which explains the causes and situations in which cats might start overgrooming. She points out a fact we're all familiar with: that cats intensely dislike change of any kind. A new baby, a death in the family, even the rearranging of furniture, could be the trigger for this obsessive grooming. Physical causes might include flea bites or ringworm, so it is necessary to rule those out before diagnosing psychogenic alopecia.

A Less Harmful Obsessive Overgrooming

Cats who were taken away from their mothers at a very early age were not allowed the normal weaning period, and will often self-groom by licking or sucking. My senior cat, Jaspurr, who was taken from his mother when he was only six 1/2 weeks old, has never outgrown nursing his own left front foot. Although he and his brother, Joey, were eating canned food at that point, they had not been completely weaned. Today, Whenever I sit on the living room sofa, Jaspurr will lie next to me and suckle his foot, while kneeding my thigh with his sharp claws, all the while purring like a contented kitten. I worried the first year that he would get skin sores, but that has never happened, and he does give himself a decent "toweling" with his rough tongue when he finishes. It is comforting to Jaspurr and I enjoy our companionship at day's end, so I wouldn't attempt to stop his little habit after all these years.

In section 1, We briefly covered the way mother cats wash and groom their kittens, until the kittens learn to groom themselves. However, even male cats engage in the grooming of other cats, usually younger ones, but not always.

Over the years, I've observed many of my cats engaged in patient, loving grooming of their housemates. Our white cat, Arthur, who was spayed and never had kittens of her own, used to "adopt" new kittens in the family. She would lovingly groom them and "mother" them until they reached that certain age, then would turn on them like the proverbial wicked stepmother.

Bubba "adopted" Jaspurr when he was but a kitten - groomed him, slept with him, and let Jaspurr follow him around. As Jaspurr and Bubba grew older, Bubba gradually abdicated his alpha cat status in favor of Jaspurr. By the time Bubba passed on in December of 2005, Jaspurr was the acknowledged alpha cat, and, as depicted in the accompanying photo, he had already "adopted" little Billy, and also inherited the legacy of grooming him, not only physically, but possibly to eventually yield his role of leadership of our pride to him.

Cats Grooming of Humans

Rare is the human cat parent who hasn't been groomed by a cat. I've had that (sometimes dubious) pleasure many times over the years. My Jennifur, aka Jenny, a dilute calico DSH, loves to groom me, both while sitting on my lap while I'm at my computer, and while lying next to me in the bed we share at night. Jenny will meticulously wash my hand with her rough tongue, then sometimes climb to the top of the pillow and start grooming my hair. Sometimes she will grasp a strand of it in her teeth and yank at it, and if I try to resist, she will grab the sides of my head with her needle-sharp claws until I yelp with pain.

Or while on my lap in our office, she will give me a hand massage with her tongue. Quite often this is a trade-off, because she will then push her head under my palm, expecting a pet or two. I always accommodate her. However, if I'm slow in complying, she will sneak in a little knuckle nip with her teeth, purring all the while. Clearly, I need to assert parental control at these times. I should start by trimming her claws, because I know her intent is not to hurt. By treating me this way, she is reversing the mother-child relationship during these grooming periods.

A Little Help From Their Friends

All this grooming not only accomplishes cleaning of the fur with saliva, but a side effect is removing the loose hairs. Unfortunately, these hairs often are swallowed, which produces the inevitable hairball. Hairballs are often regurgitated quickly, or sometimes immediately after eating. You'll readily recognize hairballs, as they are cigar-shaped, packed with fur, sometimes glued together with partially digested food. Unfortunately, if the hairballs do not come up, they flow down through the digestive tract, where they can cause an impaction, a veterinary emergency. Although hairballs might be prevented by using some hairball formula cat foods, high-fiber supplements, or giving cats anti-hairball products such as Laxatone, once they meet the impaction stage, a trip to a veterinary emergency clinic is indicated. Symptoms of impaction:

The Best Hairball Prevention is Brushing or Combing

Regular brushing or combing to rid your cat of loose hairs is by for the best way of preventing those nasty hairballs. A distinct side advantage is the bonding time together, as most cats enjoy being brushed, once they are accustomed to it. I'd suggest a minimum of three or four brushing engagements a week for short-haired cats, and daily or even twice-daily for longhair cats or short hair cats with dense undercoats. Although there are a number of brushes and combs on the market, my all-time favorite is the Furminator Deshedding Tool. It comes in differents sizes and configurations, and I have three of them, disbursed throughout the house so there is always one ready at hand.

The complete story about cats' frequent grooming is yet to be written. Some aspects, such as scientific studies of cat saliva, are still being done. I'm sure more studies are being done on the topic of hairballs, their prevention and potential treatments to prevent intestinal blockage. We cat owners can learn a lot more by observation of cats while they are grooming themselves and other cats or their humans. You are your cats' first line of defense for physical problems, and I urge you to observe and make note of any unusual behavior in your own cats. It will help them, and it will also help your veterinarian when they need medical treatment.