Why Cats Groom Themselves
Cats groom themselves for several important reasons related to health, comfort, and social bonding. Grooming is an instinctive behavior for cats to stay clean (Hill’s Pet Nutrition). Their tongues are covered in backward-facing spines called papillae that act as a natural comb to remove dirt, loose hair, and parasites (The Spruce Pets). Grooming also helps cats distribute natural oils across their fur to keep it smooth and waterproof. Additionally, grooming removes scents from their environment, allowing cats to regulate their own scent profile. Finally, mutual grooming can be a social bonding activity between cats who live together.
How Cats Groom
Cats are fastidious groomers and dedicate much of their waking hours to cleaning and caring for their coats. Grooming serves several important functions for cats. The main ways cats groom themselves are by licking with their tongues, biting their nails, and scratching with their hind legs.
Licking with the tongue is the primary method cats use for grooming. A cat’s tongue is covered in backward-facing barbs or hooks known as papillae that act like a brush to comb through their fur and remove dirt, debris, and dead hair. The tongue also spreads the cat’s natural oils over their coat to condition it and make it water-resistant.
Cats frequently bite their nails to keep them trimmed and sharp. The scratching action of their back legs on their head and neck also pulls out loose hair and works as a self-massage. By licking, nail biting, and hind leg scratching, cats are able to keep their coats clean, healthy, and well-groomed.https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/behavior-appearance/why-cats-groom-and-lick-themselves
Parts Cats Groom
Cats are meticulous groomers and dedicate a significant amount of time each day to cleaning and caring for their coats. There are certain areas cats pay particular attention to when grooming themselves.
Cats place great importance on grooming their coats. Their tongues are equipped with tiny barbs or hooks that act as combs to smooth fur, remove loose hair, massage the skin, keep coats clean, and help with temperature regulation. Cats methodically lick their fur in order to spread saliva over their coats. The saliva acts as a cleaning agent and contains enzymes that kill bacteria.
A cat’s head is another area they pay close attention to when grooming. Cats use their front paws to wipe and lick their faces clean. Their flexible spines allow them to bend in ways to reach all areas of their heads, including around their eyes, ears, mouths and nose. Cats also lick their front legs and then use them to wipe and clean their faces and heads.
Ears get special attention during grooming sessions. Cats use their paws to hold ears in place and then lick the inside and outside of ears to remove dirt and debris. Cleaning the ears is an important part of grooming for health and hygiene.
Cats spend time licking their legs and paws during grooming as well. Their agile tongues are able to reach all areas of their legs and paws in order to clean them. Keeping their paws clean is essential for staying healthy.
Paw Grooming Importance
Grooming their paws is very important for a cat’s health and hygiene. Cats spend time licking and biting their paws for several reasons:
Remove dirt – Cats’ paws pick up dirt, dust, litter particles, and debris as they walk around throughout the day. Licking helps remove these particles before they can get lodged between the paw pads or toes. Keeping paws clean prevents infection or irritation.
Spread scent glands – Cats have scent glands on the bottom of their paws. As they lick, they spread this scent around their body and environment. This helps cats mark their territory and feel secure in their space.
Sharpen claws – By biting and nibbling on their claws as they groom, cats work to sharpen and maintain their claws. This helps ensure their claws stay healthy for climbing, scratching, hunting, and self-defense.
Stimulate blood flow – The action of licking and massaging their paws stimulates blood circulation. Improved circulation helps keep paws and toes healthy and limber.
Sources: https://www.hillspet.com/cat-care/behavior-appearance/why-do-cats-lick-their-paws, https://thevillagevets.com/blog/reasons-why-cat-licking-paw/
How Cats Clean Their Paws
Cats are fastidious groomers and spend a great deal of time cleaning themselves. One area cats pay close attention to is their paws. Cats use several techniques to keep their paws clean:
Licking between the toes: Cats have rough scratchy tongues that can get into the nooks and crannies between their toes. According to Hill’s Pet Nutrition[1], when cats lick between their toes it helps remove dirt and debris. The saliva deposited during licking can also help to keep the paws clean.
Biting the claws: Cats will often bite and nibble at their claws, which helps to sharpen the claws and also clean around the nail beds. Biting the claws allows cats to reach small areas between the toes and underside of the paws.
Rubbing on surfaces: Cats will rub and scratch their paws on surfaces like the floor, furniture, and scratching posts. This helps remove stuck-on debris and also deposits scent from glands in the paw pads. The friction from rubbing can dislodge dirt and does the cleaning work for the cat.
Evidence Cats Clean Their Paws
It’s common to see cats licking and biting at their paws as part of their grooming routine. As discussed in “How Cats Groom” by Vetwest Veterinary Clinics[1], cats are fastidious groomers and will lick themselves all over, including their paws, to clean and condition their coats. When a cat grooms its paws, its rough tongue removes dirt, debris, and loose fur stuck between the toes and pads. The grooming motion also spreads the scent glands located on the bottom of the paws, marking the area with that cat’s unique scent.
Reddit users on r/CatAdvice report frequently witnessing their cats licking and biting at their paw pads after using the litter box[2]. The damp fur between the toes likely picks up litter particles and debris which the cat then diligently grooms away. So while a cat’s paws may get dirty from digging in the litter, evidence indicates that cats clean themselves effectively through self-grooming.
Why Clean Paw Pads?
Cats have several important reasons for cleaning their paw pads. First, cleaning helps remove debris like dirt, mud, litter, food, or anything else that may get stuck between their toes or pads while walking around. Cats’ paw pads are very sensitive, so it’s important to keep them free of irritants. According to CatHealth.com, “Clean paw pads allow a cat to walk in comfort.”
Second, cats have scent glands located in their paw pads, so licking keeps these refreshed. As scent-focused creatures, refreshing their scent glands likely provides cats with a sense of comfort and familiarity through their own scent, according to VetStreet. Refreshing the scent glands also helps ensure a balanced scent across their body.
By grooming their paws, cats keep their sensitive paw pads clean and comfortable for walking while also refreshing their natural scent in an balanced way across their body. This everyday grooming habit supports a cat’s overall hygiene and scent-oriented nature.
Challenges Grooming Paws
Cats face several challenges keeping the underside of their paws clean due to physical limitations:
Cats can’t easily see the underside of their paws to know if they are dirty or have debris stuck to them. Their eyes are positioned on the front of their face, making it difficult to inspect the fur on the bottom of their paws. Without being able to visually assess the cleanliness, cats may miss areas needing grooming.
A cat’s tongue also can’t easily reach the underside of their paws due to the angle and their body position. They have to curl to contort themselves into awkward positions just to get their tongue at the right angle to lick the fur and pads on the bottom of their feet. The tongue’s reach is limited, so grooming the underside of paws takes extra effort.
Cats have to twist, curl, and crane their head in uncomfortable postures to try grooming the hard-to-reach areas on the underside of their paws. The unnatural body positions required make it challenging for cats to thoroughly clean their paw pads.
Solutions for Unclean Paws
If a cat’s paws become unclean, there are a few solutions cat owners can try to clean them. Trimming the fur between the toes is one simple solution, as too much fur can trap dirt and debris (source). Using small scissors or clippers designed for pets, carefully trim the long fur growing between the toes. This allows any dirt to be wiped away easier.
Gently wiping the paws with a warm, wet washcloth can also help clean dirty paw pads and remove any dried mud or debris. Focus on wiping between the toes and pads. A soft brush like a toothbrush can also be used to gently brush dirt away from the paws (source).
Regular brushing and wiping keeps cats’ paws clean and removes any clumped fur or dirt. Check paws after outdoor activity or litter box use and address any cling-ons right away before they become matted or sticky. Keeping paws clean this way helps avoid issues like infections or matted fur.
Key Takeaways
Cats are meticulous groomers and dedicate significant time to cleaning themselves. An important part of their grooming ritual is cleaning their paws, including the pads on the bottom. Cats will contort their bodies in various positions to ensure they can reach all areas that need grooming.
Observational evidence shows that cats do in fact groom the undersides of their paws. Their rough tongue is able to scrub away dirt, debris, and parasites that may accumulate on their paw pads after walking around. Keeping their paws clean is essential for staying healthy.
While grooming the underside of paws can be challenging, cats are highly motivated to get the job done. Their flexibility and determination to stay clean leads them to find ways to successfully clean even hard to reach spots.