Physical, Mental and Emotional Benefits of Cat Grooming

Although cats often spend a lot of their time grooming themselves to keep healthy, they benefit from regular grooming. Perhaps kitty has gotten chubby and can't reach where he or she needs. Or your old fluffy friend can't quite do the cleaning job they used to. What we need to do is to give them a little assistance with regular grooming. Besides, grooming lets you detect injuries and strengthens the bond between you and your cat.

There are a number of reasons to get in the habit for grooming your cat. Cats can benefit from regular grooming physically and mentally.

Physical Benefits

1. Examine Your Cat’s Physical Condition

Grooming your cat is the perfect opportunity to examine its physical condition. As you stroke your cat's coat deeper than you normally would, you may find cuts and bruises that need attention. Then it may be wise to purchase some vet select Skin-Eze cream from your local pet hospital or store to calm the sore.

If you find anything more serious (like new lumps or bumps or deep wounds), you may need to bring your cat to the vet.

2. Reduce Hairballs

Firstly we should know how hairballs (also called “fur balls” by people) exists. We all know cats groom themselves by licking their fur and during this process they swallow a lot of their hair. In most situations, cats will digest the hair that they swallow and eliminate them with the feces. But sometimes the hair doesn’t go through the intestinal tract. Instead, the hair gets stuck and your cat has to find an alternative way to eliminate the hair. That usually leads to vomiting.

Regular brushing is very effective to prevent hairballs in cats. It can reduce the amount of loose hair your cat swallows. Besides, removing clumps of shedding hair also reduces the chances of your cat having hairballs, some of which can be quite severe. 

So regular brushing is important. In this way, your cat will feel better, and you won’t have to worry about cleaning up hairballs nearly as often.

3. Check for Parasites

Parasites may result in an infection which can range in its severity. While some parasites such as fleas and ticks may cause merely an annoyance, others can even prove to be deadly.

Gooming is also the perfect time to check for parasites. When you’re grooming your cat, keep an eye out for raw patches as well as parasites like fleas and ticks. These tiny parasites can be easy to miss, but a grooming session is a great time to take a closer look at your cat’s skin and fur.

If you notice small black specs on the comb, for example, your cat may have a case of fleas. And if your cat does have fleas, pick up some flea shampoo and cat spot on.

4. Improve Coat Health

Grooming also do a great help in removing matted fur and distributing the natural oils that promote healthy skin and fur. Using a grooming brush to stroke and brush your cat regularly will not only stimulate his or her circulation but also spread their natural oils throughout their fur and increase blood circulation. This effectively keeps your kitty’s skin healthy and also gives your pet a shiny coat.

Start brushing your cat once or twice a week, and you may start to see a noticeable improvement in the appearance of his or her fur.

Mental and Emotional Benefits

Grooming your kitty on an ongoing basis is a great way for you to strengthen the bond between you and your cat. It creates a physical connection between you beyond simply petting your pet.

Many cats really enjoy being brushed. It is relaxing for them, like getting a massage. It can be particularly helpful in reducing stress if the cat enjoys it.

For many older cats or cats with mobility issues, brushing is even more important as they may not be able to groom themselves properly.

If you have never groomed or brushed your feline before, here are several tips: