Cat’s cleanliness can be envied. A cat can lick for hours, giving this procedure almost half of his free time from sleep. The cat is more sloppy in this respect, which is associated with the distribution of roles in the pride. The female, going after the prey, tries to get rid of the characteristic smell, while the male is busy protecting the territory and warns of his presence with his own scent marks.
Maternal instinct
A mother cat licks a kitten not only for hygiene reasons. This procedure allows you to solve a set of tasks, in particular:
- Eliminate the characteristic smell that predators can run to;
- Stimulate proper breathing,
- Facilitate bowel movements and urination in crumbs.
- Guide newborns to the nipples.
Kittens begin to lick themselves from 2 weeks of age, and from 3 weeks of age, fluffy lumps perform the same actions with their mother and relatives. Scientists have noticed that if an unscrupulous mother cared for the kids, then sloppy children grow up in her.
Reasons for washing cats
All animals lick themselves in different ways: some begin the procedure from their hind legs, others from the face or shoulders. The tiny tongue does not reach the whole body, then periodically licked wet paws come to the rescue.
Hygiene sessions bring undoubted benefits to the animal, namely:
- Activate the glands that secrete the oily substance sebum. It protects the coat from getting wet and is carried by the tongue throughout the coat.
- The secret contains cholesterol, which is converted under the influence of ultraviolet radiation into vitamin D.
- With cosmetic manipulations with fur, dirt, dead hairs, parasites are removed. Fleas and ticks do not stay on a clean and well-groomed body for a long time.
- They regulate the temperature regime by laying the villi in different directions. The presence of an air gap between the fur and the skin allows the body not to overheat in the heat and not freeze in the cold, therefore keeping the fur clean serves as a guarantee of the health of the predator.
- Vigorous washing may indicate an animal’s confusion or a stressful situation, such as a fight with a neighbor’s cat. Washing your face gives you the opportunity to calm down the nervous system, think and move back to the occupied positions. There is an opinion that during a conflict, a cat’s body temperature rises and licking allows you to quickly bring the body back to normal.
Why do animals lick each other?
Mutual licking of tailed pets is a kind of communication. Often there is a demonstration of the pattern in the form of rubbing cats’ heads, especially after a long separation. Vylization serves as an indicator of trust, caring and friendship. If attention extends to family members, then this sign should be considered as a manifestation of love.
Quite often cats gather together on neutral territory in “night clubs”. Most often, meetings take place on the roof, where all members of the congregation sit in a circle. Having purred their fill and got out of each other’s fur coats, the cats go home only in the morning. A pleasant head, neck and back massage is a pleasure for both the masseur and the client. Cats take their owners, in particular me, for a strong and big brother. And if suddenly the pet begins to lick his hands or face, it means that this person has managed to earn his respect. In addition, the predator has other reasons, among them:
- Licking salty areas on human skin can help fill in certain nutrient deficiencies.
- The pungent odor is eliminated as if it were its own.
- The cat makes sure that all family members have the same smell.
