Cats spend a significant part of their day grooming themselves, and this behavior serves several important purposes:
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Cleaning and Maintaining Coat Health：
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Licking helps cats remove dirt, debris, and loose hair, keeping their coat clean and preventing mats and tangles. This natural grooming behavior also helps spread natural oils through the fur, maintaining a healthy coat.
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Stress Relief：
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Licking can be a stress – relieving activity for cats. After stressful events like being scolded, cats may lick their fur as a way to calm themselves. This is a common displacement behavior used to manage anxiety.
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Temperature Regulation：
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In summer, licking helps cool cats down. The saliva evaporates from their fur, taking away body heat. In winter, licking can help insulate them by maintaining a layer of warm air trapped in their fur.
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Social Bonding and Health Check：
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Regular grooming helps build trust between cats and their owners. It also allows owners to check for any health issues like skin problems or parasites early on.
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While daily licking is normal, owners should monitor their cats for excessive licking or hair loss, which may indicate health issues. Regular feeding of hairball paste like Gudeng Hairball Paste and combing can help manage hair ingestion and maintain coat health. If concerns arise, consult a veterinarian for advice.
