Almost all cats are addicted to neatness, and they dedicate over 50% of their day doing one sort of cat grooming or the other. Maintaining the cat's good looks is not the only function grooming performs in cats. Other benefits include:
- Maintenance of healthy skin. It contributes to the maintenance of a very healthy skin by aiding the formation of sebum, a very oily secretion made by the sebaceous glands at the tip of each of the cat's hairs. By licking the hair coat, the cat spreads this sebum with the aim of coating and waterproofing the fur, and gives it a glowing appearance. It equally gets rid of all loose fur and prevents the growth of wart and also gets rid of parasites like flea as well as dirt.
- Protection against all predating agents. By instincts, cats clean their furs of all foods and any other odor-causing deposit to make them less undetectable to all harmful animals.
- Cooling down the body. The paws of cats are known to sweat a bit, but they solely depend on the evaporation of the saliva they deposit on their furs to keep their body temperature regulated. Grooming takes care of more than one-third of the entire cooling process in cats.
- Nail Care. Grooming enables the cat to maintain the claws and keep it sharper.
- Relaxation. The ritual of self-cleaning makes cats feel comfortable.
- Stimulation of blood circulation. This is quite similar to how the hairbrush you use helps the flow of blood on your scalp. The cat's tongue has been found to contain very tiny and bristle hairs-these tiny hairs aid the circulation of blood in the cat.
- Friendship. When cats are familiar with each other, they groom themselves as a sign of affection. You can consider it a kind of kitty kiss, since it has to do with mutual trust and the exchange of saliva.
Nevertheless, if you cat is fond of licking, chewing or scratching himself excessively and compulsively, you must have to check the following factors:
- Parasites. Fleas are mostly responsible for all compulsive cat licking and scratching behaviors. Whenever you find your cat scratching and licking the lower part of his back with obsession, it shows there might be fleas in its furs, whether there are scabs on his neck or not. Other types of parasites like ticks, ringworms, and mites, can also induce licking, chewing, or scratching.
- Allergies. Cats may develop itches and skin irritations once anything they are allergic to enters their immediate environment. So they groom constantly to relieve the allergic symptoms.
- Dry Skin. Several factors such as nutritional imbalance and dry winter air can make your cat's skin dry and flaky. This often results in licking and scratching as the cat struggles to get some relief.
- Pain. Anything you observe your cat chewing and licking one particular spot in his or her body repeatedly, it might be a sign that it is having some discomfort and pain on that particular spot.
- Compulsive disorder, boredom, or anxiety. Indoor cats are most likely to develop these mental disorders, which is not unconnected to the fact that they do not engage in adequate exercises and therefore experience less excitement than outdoor cats. Changes in the environment where the cat lives ushers in compulsive disorder. Some changes that can bring about this condition are the arrival of a new baby or pet, and moving to a new environment. Additionally, some behaviors that start as after effects of certain ailments can continue even after the health issue has been resolved.