Cats groom each other as a means of bonding and building relationships. It’s one of their main ways of saying another animal or a person is important to them. Ultimately, it falls back on both maternal instinct and the head of clowder (or cat “pack”) instinct, basically meaning, “You are mine.
It’s Very Normal for Cats to Groom Each Other
As you can see, letting your cats groom one another is safe. This can be a sign of closeness and bonding between your cats, and it’s a perfectly normal aspect of feline behavior. It indicates that they are extremely close in cat terms, even though it doesn’t mean that they “love” each other in the sense that we humans understand love!
If your cats are prone to grooming each other, make sure both of them are healthy and free of parasites before doing so. If one cat develops a skin or coat health problem, you may need to try to prevent shared grooming until the problem clears up.
Even though this behavior is typical, you should always see a veterinarian if you have any concerns about your cat’s behavior or would like to find out more about why cats groom one another. You can schedule an appointment at any Heart Paw location, and our staff will be pleased to offer you insights into the behavior and health of your pet.
4. Mothers and Kittens
Almost as soon as the kittens are born, mother cats develop the instinct to groom them. In addition to cleaning the kittens’ afterbirth, the mother cat grooms their rear ends to help them when they go potty for the first time, if a human does not do it for her.
This grooming instinct never goes away in many mother cats. Having kittens makes female cats far more likely to groom other cats just by virtue of this innate behavior.
Cats may groom each other to communicate that they accept each other as part of their territory, colony, or “family,” so to speak. This is also one of the most common reasons why cats groom their human family members! Being groomed by a cat indicates that the cat does not see you (or the other cat) as a threat or a stranger any longer, but as part of the group.
Seeing your two cats groom each other for the first time can be particularly satisfying if they were adopted separately and have taken some time to get along.
Finally, cats may occasionally groom one another because they are aware that there are body parts they find difficult to access on their own. Cats require assistance from others to groom certain areas, such as the area beneath the chin, which they are unable to do on their own.
Given that every cat goes through this same experience, they probably have some understanding of it in relation to other cats. For this reason, cats are more likely to groom people in difficult-to-reach places.
4. Mother Cats Groom Their Kittens
For a newborn kitten, one of their first experiences in life is being caressed by their mother. When a kitten is born, its mother will groom it right away to encourage bowel movements and clean up after her young.
As the kittens grow and become independent in their elimination, the mother keeps up the grooming habits. Mother cats licking their kittens is primarily motivated by hygiene, but it also fosters bonding, offers comfort, and teaches the kittens how to groom themselves, according to Arden.