Mary Allen
Does your cat no longer groom itself or only a little? We explain the background and when you need to act.
How Often Do Cats Usually Groom Themselves?
Cats normally clean their fur themselves: when they are awake they spend 10-30% of their time grooming themselves, cleaning themselves thoroughly from ears to tail several times a day. With the help of their tongue and front and rear paws, they can reach every part of their body.
Cats generally clean themselves regularly, even without corresponding stimuli such as dirt on the skin. Occasions for cleaning are, for example, after eating, after using the litter box, or when coming in from outside. Even if the cat has settled down on its cuddly blanket and is planning a longer nap, it likes to clean itself extensively. The same applies to the time immediately after getting up.
What Is The Purpose Of Cleaning?
Dirt, loose hair, tangles, and foreign objects are removed with the tongue and teeth. The pads of the paws and claws are also cared for when cleaning, loose horn is nibbled off. In summer, cleaning the cat also serves to cool down.
Grooming has social and comfort functions: mutual grooming creates a closer bond among cats, a shared smell and relieves tension. In addition, endorphins (“happy hormones”) are released when the cat grooms itself. So you can use it to calm yourself. If a cat is prevented from cleaning, e.g. with a neck brace, this severely limits its well-being. Some cats also groom themselves as a “skip behavior” during or after a stressful situation. The animal relieves the tension by briefly beginning to lick itself. This usually only takes a few seconds.
By the way: young cats start grooming themselves from the second week of life.
Normal brushing behavior is usually sufficient to keep the coat and skin intact. However, if it is a long-haired cat (e.g. Persian, Maine Coon) you must also brush it regularly so that the fur does not become matted.
Cat Doesn’t Clean Itself: What’s Behind It?
Your cat doesn’t clean itself more or less? That should draw your attention. There are possible physical or psychological causes. It is therefore important to observe: Are certain areas no longer cleaned? (Example: The cat no longer cleans its back.) Or does it clean itself less overall? The question is: the cat cannot groom itself, or does it avoid it for some reason?
Pain Or Physical Limitations
For example, if there is pain in the spine, the cat neglects to clean the rear half of the body, especially the anus, hind legs, and tail. This applies above all – but not only! – towards old cats suffering from arthrosis and generally restricted mobility. (Read more about age-related diseases here.)
Sick cats also brush themselves little or not at all. Cats tend to rest, especially when they have a fever or are in severe pain. As a result, the fur can become sticky and greasy, and the mouth and anal region are dirty.
In the case of animals heavily infested with parasites, for example, one can observe that at some point they “give up” and also no longer clean themselves. If they are treated and are in better health, the brushing will start again on its own.
Mental Limitations
Does the cat groom itself less or not at all? Maybe the animal doesn’t find the right rest to clean itself properly. This can be the case, for example, when there is stress in the household in the form of children, other pets, noise, etc.
In fact, cats even have mental illnesses that are close to those of humans. In the so-called “acute post-traumatic stress syndrome” the cat shows behavioral problems after a very stressful situation or even a trauma, e.g. the cat stops cleaning. There are also depressive disorders in cats. They can lead to irritability, but also great tiredness. This can mean that the cat does not clean itself.
My Cat Won’t Clean Itself: What To Do?
Is your young cat not grooming itself? Maybe she didn’t learn it properly. “Show” her what it’s all about with a washcloth. Clean them gently, e.g. after going to the toilet. (Some also recommend encouraging the cat to groom by smearing tasty food, such as anchovy paste, onto the fur inaccessible areas.)
If the adult cat no longer cleans itself for a long time or only very rarely and insufficiently, the problem should be investigated. Grooming is an essential behavior in cats, failing means something is wrong. Does she also show other symptoms, e.g. fever, diarrhea, or vomiting?
If your cat no longer grooms itself, please consult a veterinarian and describe your observations!
What Helps?
The veterinarian will look for the cause of the lack of brushing behavior and treat it: Pain can have many causes. Osteoarthritis that occurs in older cats in particular often requires long-term treatment with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Your old cat doesn’t groom itself anymore because it’s physically not able to do it anymore? Help her out with a damp warm washcloth and/or regular brushing. Find out what she likes. She will thank you because cats are uncomfortable when they are dirty!
Psychological reasons why the cat does not groom itself enough must also be researched. Adjusting your living conditions can help here. For example, there may be too few litter boxes available, the cat has too many children and needs to be introduced to them in a different way, or a move has unsettled the cat. Fixed rituals, retreats, and friendly speeches then give the house tiger security and security.
Cat Doesn’t Clean Itself: Conclusion
If your cat hasn’t groomed itself properly for a long time, you should definitely have this checked out. There is usually something behind it because grooming is a very important behavior for the cat.
By the way, there is also too much cleaning, the so-called “overgrooming”. If you have any questions about this, you should also contact your vet in confidence!