Tag Archives: social grooming

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Apparently I Need Grooming

After my shift at the cats only boarding facility this morning, I decided I was going to spend some time with three of our resident cats. They’re generally happy to see anybody who comes in to clean or fill food and water bowls, but today, they seemed especially lonely. It was the pitiful meows and the weaving between my legs that was my first clue. So once the morning’s work was done, I went and sat down with them for a while. A quick description of each: Ru: a lovely dark grey tortie cat with amazingly dark green eyes. The … Continue reading →

Social Grooming

If you’ve spent any time with a cat, you know that they spend a lot of time grooming! This is an innate behavior that started as a survival tool in the wild: a cat that smells of the blood of prey can become a target for larger predators. Studies suggest that cats spend as much as fifteen percent of their waking hours grooming. And grooming isn’t just for hygiene! It can also help a cat regulate her body temperature: the evaporation of saliva can help cool a cat in hot weather. Overgrooming and undergrooming are both signs of health or … Continue reading →