Cats are great groomers, but owners should also give them regular grooming for health purposes. While cats naturally groom themselves, human-assisted grooming can help prevent a variety of health issues that may otherwise go unnoticed. Regular cat grooming ensures your cat’s coat stays clean, and their skin remains healthy, and it can even help detect early signs of illness.
Prevents Hairballs
Cats’ grooming habits often lead to hairballs. Cats have barbed tongues that help remove loose fur from their coats. As cats lick themselves, they swallow a lot of the hair, which then accumulates in their stomach. If not expelled, this hair forms into hairballs, which are usually regurgitated.
Why it happens: Hairballs mostly happen with long-haired cats or cats with thick coats. When they are shedding heavily, or during heavy shedding seasons, the amount of hair swallowed increases, hence increasing the chances of hairballs. Moreover, smart cat products take effect, such as a pet dryer box, which gently dries the fur, making it smooth, fluffed, and thoroughly dried to remove even more loose hair, reducing the form of hairballs.
How grooming helps: Regular brushing removes loose fur before the cat is able to swallow it. By not allowing an excess of hair to enter into the cat’s digestive system, owners decrease the chances of hairballs. This could prevent vomiting, discomfort, or even intestinal blockages caused by hairballs that fail to pass through.
Real scenario: The fact that Julie owned a Ragdoll, who continuously had hairballs, did not help. Bella would gag herself after meals and could tell she was uncomfortable after the incident was all said and done. So Julie brushed Bella more regularly to take off the loose fur before Bella could swallow it. In time, Bella gagged up fewer hairballs, and Julie knew her cat wasn’t as miserable and bothered by the extra fur.
Helps Prevent Skin Infections
Skin infections in cats can be caused by several factors, including dirt, oils, or parasites such as ticks and fleas. Grooming keeps the skin of the cat clean and free from accumulating dirt. It removes dead skin cells, which cause irritation if accumulated in one area.
Why it happens: If they are not regularly groomed, dirt, oil, and debris accumulate on the fur and skin. This acts as a very good medium for bacterial and fungal growth, which can lead to infections. The neglected parts of the skin may also be irritated, causing itching or inflammation.
How grooming helps: Grooming helps clean dirt and debris from the coat to prevent oil and bacterial accumulation. It also gives owners an opportunity to look at the skin of a cat for redness, sores, or unusual lumps, indicative of infection. Keeping a cat clean, with the added benefit of finding and catching problems early, helps prevent more serious infections.
Real scenario: David had a Maine Coon named Max, an outdoor cat. He began to scratch more than usual, and David noticed some red patches on his skin. After brushing him regularly, David found a rash that could have been due to dirt or parasites. He took him to the vet, who treated the rash before it became infected. Grooming allowed David to catch this early and avoid a more serious health issue.
Improves Blood Circulation and Stimulates Natural Oils
Grooming doesn’t only keep the coat of your cat clean; it is also highly important for general health since grooming stimulates the skin itself. Brushing your cat’s fur improves blood flow, encouraging health in the skin and growing coats of the cat, while spreading the cat’s natural oils across the fur.
Why it happens: If it doesn’t get stimulation from time to time, circulation to the skin diminishes and natural oils are distributed unevenly on the coat, leading to a dull and dry coat or flaky skin.
How grooming helps: Grooming helps because regular brushing, for example, stimulates blood vessels beneath the skin because of friction and results in better circulation of the blood. This ensures that oils produced by the skin distribute evenly, giving the horse a shiny, healthy look; these oils also keep skin hydration naturally.
Real scenario: Emily has a cat, Leo; his fur has always been a little dull. Recently, she started combing and grooming him, and it would appear this smoothed the oils spread all over his skin to their natural balance, allowing it to look healthy and not irritated. Emily is now delighted that, after a few minutes a day, Leo’s coat finally looks in such good condition.
Prevents Matting and Tangling
Matting is a common problem, especially in long-haired breeds such as Persians and Angoras. Mats form when tangles in the fur become tight and pull on the skin, thus causing discomfort to the cat. Such mats may trap dirt, moisture, and parasites, leading to skin infections among other health problems.
Why it happens: Matted fur forms because of loose fur that tangles together in clumps from shedding. If the clumps aren’t brushed regularly, they tighten into mats, which can be very painful to the cat.
How grooming helps: It removes tangles before they get matted. Along with preventing pain and discomfort associated with matted fur, grooming enables the cat’s coat to remain smooth, clean, and free from debris.
Real scenario: Sarah owned a Persian cat, the fur of which used to get entangled regularly, especially behind her ears. So, Sarah began brushing Tinkerbelle every day and soon disappeared all mats. The haircoat looked much fluffier, much more comfortable for her, and didn’t appear to reach or pull out at the tangled fur of her. Regular grooming played an enormous role in just avoiding those painful mats’ occurrence.
Early Detection of Health Problems
Grooming allows you a good opportunity to inspect your cat’s body closely for the first signs of ill health. Unusual lumps, bumps, and alterations in the coat may denote that your cat is ill.
Why it happens: Health problems, like tumors, infections, or parasites, often first show their signs very subtly. Without regular checks, these may go undetected until they become serious.
How grooming helps: Grooming allows you to find those abnormalities that you might not have normally felt. You are able to check for lumps and bumps, and by closely examining the coat and skin, you may catch early signs of conditions like flea infestations, rashes, or even worse, cancer.
Real scenario: Mark had a cat named Whiskers, and one day, while he was grooming him, he felt a small lump on his side. He’d never noticed it before. Concerned, he took Whiskers to the vet. It was a benign growth but one that could be watched. Mark was relieved he’d found it early through grooming, preventing any serious issues down the road.
Develops Bonding between You and Your Cat
Grooming can be therapeutic and a bonding moment not only for the feline but also for its owner. It allows time with your pet, consolidating relationships and giving a feeling of safety to your cat.
Why it happens: Cats are sensitive to touch, and positive grooming evokes a feeling of safety and trust. Those cats who enjoy being groomed may become much more comfortable being handled and, in general, more relaxed.
How grooming helps: Grooming allows the pet owner to spend time with their cat, which will help reinforce the bond between them. Grooming is a means of comforting and showing one’s cat that they care about them.
Real scenario: Laura had a skitterish cat named Mittens that just didn’t like to be touched. Over several weeks, this changed with just light grooming; eventually, Mittens began to even purr while on the table. With more weeks and greater trust between Laura and her skittery cat, eventually even hopping up onto Laura’s lap while grooming became his idea, not hers. What initially was simply part of an essential care routine developed into special bonding for the pair.
Keeps Your Home Clean
Grooming benefits your cat’s health and helps keep your home clean. Cats change fur throughout the year, and without regular grooming, their cast-off hair can fill your home, increasing dust, allergens, and mess.
Why it happens:
Cats shed fur naturally, and this fur can be found everywhere if it’s not managed. Hair finds its way onto surfaces through air currents, on furniture, or in corners in one part of the home, attracting a buildup of dust and allergens.
How grooming helps: Regular brushing reduces shedding and prevents loose fur from going around your home. It also minimizes the amount of pet dander in the air, which is important for people with allergies.
Real scenario: Alex’s British Shorthair cat, Simba, was shedding a lot, especially onto the couch and carpet. Then Alex started to brush Simba every other day, and soon he noticed that fur was significantly reduced everywhere in the apartment. The house felt cleaner, and even Alex’s roommate with mild allergies noticed fewer symptoms. Grooming Simba kept his coat healthy but also made the living space more comfortable.
Conclusion
Regular cat grooming will keep your cat in great all-around health. It will help to prevent some very common problems your cat could face, such as hairballs, skin infections, and matting. Grooming allows for healthy skin, increases circulation, and builds the relationship between you and your cat. By implementing grooming into your cat’s routine, you’re helping ensure that they live a healthy, happy, and comfortable life.
