How do cats keep themselves clean? After all, Fries are known to be the biggest cleaners in the house, in this respect they seem to dominate dogs. So read why cats clean themselves and how they stay clean.
Contents:
- How do cats keep clean?
- Licking fur
- Burying the excrement
- Why do cats often wash?
- Why do cats bury their droppings?
How do cats stay clean?The answer to this question could be observed by their owners ( although many would probably be offended by the statement that the cat "belongs" to them). Cats wash their fur very often, bury their faeces in the litter box - they seem to be born pedants and cleaners. Is it really so? First, let's check how cats keep them clean, and then - what really drives them.
How do cats keep clean?
Licking fur
It is not uncommon to see a cat licking its fur. During this activity, he can make quite a few extensions. First, cats wash the area around their mouths, and then moisten the inner side of one of their paws with saliva and use circular movements to start the toilet at the head and ears. Then they moisten the other paw with saliva and do the same with the other side. Then comes the chest, legs, back and abdomen. Finally, the tail remains.
The cat's tongue is rough and has special protrusions. With the help of the tongue, the cat not only removes the hair (which later eats a large part, which can sometimes cause indigestion), but also dirt and dust from the fur.
Cats have almost no sweat glands (small amounts are found on the pads of their paws, as well as on the chin and around the lips), which is why licking the hair is also a way to cool the body on hot days. The saliva on the fur causes the fur to evaporate and cool the cat.
Cats take a long time to wash after eating and being stroked by humans - this way they wash off their "cat" smells to smell like a cat again.
Burying the excrement
Cats take care of the cleanliness of the place where they stay from the day they are born. Kittens that are a few weeks old only kill themselves when their mother licks them on the belly.
Adult catsthey bury their faeces, but doing it exactly in a litter box is not a part of cat's nature. A cat in the wild would bury them anywhere - directly where it has defecated. In the human home, he is (more or less successfully) taught to do things in a litter box, so he does.
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Why do cats often wash?
Cats protect their fur and want it to be in the best condition because it is a layer that protects them from adverse weather conditions - cold, rain, snow, wind. Licking fur also allows, as mentioned above, to survive the heat.
Cats, by cleaning, which was also mentioned above, get rid of other odors from their bodies, including human ones. They send chemical messages to other purrs, so they prefer to smell like a cat, not a human.
Important
Often washing can also mean that the cat is stressed, e.g. with an infant arriving in the world and at home, introducing an unknown adult into the apartment, a new four-legged family member or changing the location of the litter box. Increased attention to hygiene can also cause cats to be too often alone, bored. Licking the fur allows your cat to release its anger.
It may also be caused by an infection, the appearance of a parasite in the cat's organism. Therefore, when we notice that the cat is washed much more often than usual, it is worth visiting a vet who will suggest appropriate medications or a way to deal with the purr.
Why do cats bury their droppings?
Also just because cats bury their droppings doesn't mean they are cleanheads. Cats are predators by nature, hunting for long periods of time, so they don't want their prey to smell them. Otherwise, dogs that chase their prey hunt, so it does not matter to them whether it smells them beforehand.
Of course, domestic cats have limited hunting conditions, but their hunting instincts are still dormant. They also bury the droppings for another reason - the hierarchy in the herd. The cat standing lower in it does not want to approach the one who is in the higher position, so on purposedoes not mark the terrain, wiping out the smell of the faeces.
Especially docile cats are supposed to do this, but in a human apartment it is difficult to say that one of them is dominant. Although, of course, there may be rebels, most cats, despite their aggressive, individualistic and rebellious nature, may consider humans dominant - they are bigger, stronger.
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