Top Five Reasons to Brush Your Cat
Cats are really good at grooming themselves but it’s good to give them a helping hand as well.
1. Increases Bonding
Brushing is a really nice way to bond with your cat. As a kitten, one of your cat’s earliest memories was being cleaned by their mother after birth. Mother cats continue to groom their kittens as they get older to teach them how to do it.
Cat grooming is a very social behaviour and cats sometimes groom each other to show affection and reinforce friendship. Some cats will reciprocate your grooming by licking your hand in response. So cute!!
When you groom your kitty you bring back that comfort that we all feel at our mother’s touch and gives you both a sense of kinship and trust.
2. Spreads The Love
As you know, your cat’s fur contains a delicate balance of natural oils. These oils are responsible for keeping the fur sleek and shiny.
When you brush the fur the oils are circulated all over the coat to help protect it. This is especially beneficial in older and cuddlier kitties who may find self-grooming more difficult.
3. Reduces Hairballs
Some cats, especially ones with longer or fluffier coats may have a problem with hairball swallowing causing the poor kitty to retch or vomit. Regular brushing can help to reduce this problem.
4. Reduces Shedding
As much as we all love our kitty we’ve all had this issue. You get ready for work in the morning and pull on your favourite white dress only to find it’s covered with fur!
It’s a real nightmare sometimes to clean up all the loose fur from kitty and regular brushing enables you to take out the excess fur in a controlled space making it easier to dispose of.
This is especially important in the spring, when cats may shed more fur.
5. Increases Touchability
All cats are different, some love to be petted and touched whilst others are more aloof. They still love you but just want to have more of their own space.
Having a kitty means a lifetime of commitment and as they get older they may require more tactile interaction, for example to brush their teeth or clean their ears or give them tablets.
The more used your cat is from early on in their life to you touching, petting and grooming them often means that these tasks will be easier in the future.
