Why does my cat groom me

Cats always give people a special sense of vigilance. They show us their cold side all the time.
But cats sometimes behave in less aloof ways, such as being particularly warm when grooming other people and animals.
Almost all cats love grooming. They spend two-thirds of their time sleeping, and most of the remaining one-third of their time is spent grooming themselves.

There’s a reason why cats love grooming so much:

Keep clean

Thermoregulation

Eliminate odor

Change mood

Cats’ body odor is less obvious. This is the effect of grooming. They will always keep their bodies fresh by grooming frequently every day.
In addition, cats do not have sweat glands and cannot sweat even if they are hot. They can only make their saliva vaporize and sweat by combing their hair. In this way, the heat in the body is released in the summer, and the hair can be fluffed in the winter to achieve the heat insulation effect.
Not to mention that cats can also change their mood by grooming, which is a very good way for cats to relieve stress.
Of course, if cats comb the same area multiple times, they may be stressed. At this time, the cat should try to solve the source of the stress as much as possible.
The most important function of cats grooming themselves is to eliminate odors. They are very vigilant, so they will eliminate excess odors from their bodies so that they will not be pursued by enemies (even if there are no enemies, they will will do the same).

But what’s interesting is that cats will get rid of the smell left on them by the cat, but in turn they will leave their own scent on the cat, as if to show others that “the cat is only for the cat” Belong to me”.

If cats have so many reasons to groom themselves, what are their reasons for grooming other people and animals?

Reason No. 1: Communication

For cats who want to deepen trust and become closer to each other, grooming each other becomes a part of communication. We all know that some foreigners greet each other with kisses and hugs, and cats do the same. They show their care for each other by grooming each other.
More importantly, grooming each other deepens mutual trust. Even if some cats groom awkwardly at first, this can slowly shorten the distance between each other and make each other closer.

The second reason: caring

Cats will only groom people and things they like. For example, when two cats are grooming each other, the scavenger can see one cat pretending to bite the other’s neck. Although it seems dangerous, it requires deep trust in each other.
The first time a cat is groomed can be traced back to when they were still kittens. At that time, the kittens had to take care of everything. Not only did the kittens need to be nursed by the mother cat, but they also had to help them excrete.
Therefore, cats will care for each other by grooming their hair, so as to make the other person lower their vigilance towards it.

The third reason: kindness

Cats grooming each other doesn’t just happen to cats who are related by blood, they also groom people and other animals they are close to.

The object of grooming generally has the following three relationships with cats:

Between mother and child: It is natural for mother cats to groom their kittens, so they will naturally groom their kittens;
Male cats and female cats: If they want to choose a mate, they will groom each other to get closer to each other;
Cohabitants and cohabitants: Groom your cohabitants or cohabitants to express your affection;
Between female cats: Female cats with companionship will care for each other’s hair.
Male cats rarely groom each other because they have a strong sense of territory and don’t like other male cats stepping into their territory, so they won’t make such moves. (Even male cats who live together don’t tend to groom each other)
Except under certain circumstances, such as when two male cats are particularly close and have both been neutered, they may groom each other.
The former is because the two male cats have been together since they were young, and there is no longer any barrier between them; the latter is because sterilization surgery reduces their sense of fighting, so they no longer reject each other’s grooming behavior.

Of course, cats also pay attention to rules when grooming each other. They don’t start grooming as soon as they meet. There are mainly three rules:

The senior cat grooms the junior cat

When you feel comfortable, take the initiative to adjust the angle at which the other person grooms you;

The junior cat “returns the gift” to the senior cat

Although cats do not have a superior-subordinate relationship like dogs, they also know which cats are not easy to mess with, so some cats have so-called “mating priority” during the estrus season.
Take cats that have just arrived in a new home as an example. They usually regard the native cats as their “predecessors”, so they will give way to the native cats in many things. In order to play with the new cats, the native cats will groom each other to reduce their vigilance.
Then once the new cat feels very relaxed, it will involuntarily squint its eyes and adjust the angle at which it is being groomed, so that more parts of its body can be groomed.
Of course, the new cats will definitely “return the favor” to the original cats. They will groom the original cats after the original cats stop, or they will groom each other together.

If your cat grooms you (licks your face and hands), you can pet their head. When the cat feels comfortable, it will actively adjust the angle at which it is stroked. For example, when the cat is stroking the cat’s back, the cat will actively move forward so that the cat’s hands can stroke from the back to the tail.
Therefore, cats groom people and other animals to express a close greeting. If you encounter a cat, don’t refuse.