The Reasons Why Cats Lick Themselves So Often
- U-Report
VIVA – Many people know that cats often lick themselves, but actually this is a normal thing. A cat can spend as much as 50% of their waking time grooming itself (or another cat). As a result, cats are typically very clean animals, though in some cases grooming can become a form of obsession.
Well, what are the reasons cats lick themselves so often? Here’s the explanation.
1. Clean the body
Ilustrasi kucing
- Animal Library
The mother cat's first job after giving birth is to remove the amniotic sac, then lick the kitten with her rough tongue to help stimulate its breathing. Later, when the kitten begins nursing, she will stimulate the kitten to urinate and defecate by licking its hind end.
Later, kittens start self-grooming by the time they’re a few weeks old. If they are part of a litter, they are likely to lick and groom one another as well
2. Cleanse injuries
Cats will instinctively lick areas that are painful or inflamed, including wounds. Though it may initially seem helpful for the cat to rid the site of dirt and blood, excessive licking can lead to infection and delay wound healing.
3. To hide scent from Predators
Ilustrasi kucing
- lifehack
As known, cats' sense of smell is fourteen times stronger than that of humans. Most predators, including cats, track prey through scent. A mother cat in the wild will try to hide her young by licking them to disguise the odor. Cats will clean themselves thoroughly after feeding.
4. To groom and protect the body
When cats are grooming or bathing, their barb-like tongues stimulate the sebaceous glands at the base of their fur and spread the resulting sebum throughout the coat. Their self-grooming also helps remove dirt and parasite such as fleas. In addition, since cats don't have sweat glands, their saliva helps cool the body in hot weather.
5. For pleasure
Ilustrasi seekor kucing.
- Pixabay
Licking themselves is fun for cats and they do seem to groom themselves just because they enjoy it. Cats will also groom each other (and their human friends) in a desire to share positive sensations.
