Why does my cat keep cleaning themselves?
Cats are extremely clean animals that invest several hours a day in grooming. It is therefore quite normal for a cat to groom itself. If and when your cat’s constant grooming can indicate a health problem, you will find out in the following.
Why grooming is important for cats
Grooming is an integral part of every cat's daily routine. Grooming allows the four-legged friends to clean themselves and to spread their own scent on their body, so that the animals can recognise each other.
In addition, the moistened coat helps to prevent your cat from getting too hot in the summer. This is because, unlike yourself, your four-legged friend is unable to give off heat by sweating.
Cat grooms themselves out of boredom
Apart from the fact that cats groom themselves for practical reasons, grooming can also be a way of keeping occupied when they are bored. Indoor cats especially, who do not exercise to their full potential, often tend to groom themselves extensively.
If this is the case with your four-legged friend, it can make sense to give them more attention in everyday life and to provide variety with suitable play activities in order to counteract boredom.
Constant grooming due to illness
If your cat is constantly cleaning themselves, this is not always benign. It may well be that excessive licking of the fur indicates a health problem.
Constant grooming can indicate the following health problems in cats, among others:
- Skin parasites
- Worms and giardia
- Allergies
Cat constantly cleans themselves because of skin parasites
Skin parasites are common in cats. They cause various skin problems, including severe itching. If your cat is constantly brushing and scratching, it may well be due to an infestation of cat fleas or mites.
If your cat suffers from skin parasites, you will, of course, have to counteract them promptly. Depending on the type of parasite, there are various preparations with natural or chemical active ingredients available for this purpose.
Cat constantly cleans themselves because of intestinal parasites
Besides skin parasites, intestinal parasites such as worms or giardia can also be responsible for excessive grooming in cats. This is more likely to be the case if the animal is constantly licking its anus.
In order to counteract these intestinal parasites in your four-legged friend, the administration of a suitable deworming agent for cats is necessary. Like to skin parasites, you can choose between classic worming treatments or more natural supplements.
Cat constantly preening due to allergy
Just like humans, cats can suffer from allergies. Common allergies include flea saliva allergy and environmental allergies. In addition, many cats are affected by food allergies. Among other complaints, allergies also cause severe itching, which becomes noticeable when the cat constantly brushes and scratches itself.
Our tip for cats with food allergies
The most effective treatment for an allergy is to consistently avoid contact with the allergen responsible for the symptoms. In the case of a food allergy, this means switching to a hypoallergenic cat food for your four-legged friend's diet.
We recommend our insect-based varieties for this purpose. The insect protein produced from the larvae of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) is characterised by its high biological value and its practically non-existent allergy potential.
This makes it possible to supply allergic cats with high-quality animal proteins on a permanent basis, in line with their needs, and at the same time reliably preventing allergic reactions.
Get to know hypoallergenic cat food with insects.
Other possible reasons for constant grooming in cats
The above reasons are just a few of the possible causes for constant grooming in cats. Besides boredom, parasites and allergies, various other cat diseases, such as autoimmune diseases, can also be responsible.
Apart from this, excessive grooming in cats can also indicate stress. This can be the case, for example, if you have just moved house or there has been another major change in the animal's everyday life that unsettles the four-legged friend.
Shiimun Skin for the skin and coat
Regardless of excessive grooming and the triggers responsible for it, it is very important for your cat's skin and coat health that you make sure you are providing the right nutrients with a high quality cat food.
In some situations, it can make sense to use suitable nutritional supplements as support, additionally.
With Shiimun Skin we have developed a natural food supplement for this purpose. The digestible shiitake-based preparation provides your cat with numerous valuable nutrients for a thick coat and healthy skin.
Get to know Shiimun Skin for cats.
Cat is always brushing - our conclusion
As you can see, there can be several reasons why your cat is constantly brushing. To a certain extent, conscientious grooming is part of the normal behaviour of a four-legged friend. However, if it gets out of hand, it is usually only a matter of time before excessive licking with the cat's rough tongue leads to bald patches or even open wounds.
Therefore, you should always take your cat's constant grooming seriously and, if necessary, consult a vet to clarify the causes and, if needed, take suitable treatment measures.
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