Cats not only groom themselves, they will groom (lick) catnip toys, people and other cats. Cats grooming other cats is called allogrooming – allogrooming refers to members of the same species grooming each other.
Allogrooming occurs in many social species – it is a way for animals who live close together to reinforce social structures and family links, and build companionship. It can be a maternal behavior or a means of conflict resolution (Reference 1).
cats grooming other cats – allogrooming
Cats grooming other cats (allogrooming) is considered an affiliative or friendly behavior among cats (Reference 2, 3).
A cat’s first experience with grooming is when she is born. In the first 3 weeks of life, her mother cleaned her nose to tail many times a day, stimulating the kitten to void her bowels and urinate. When the kitten reached 4 weeks old, she started grooming herself, and also grooming her litter mates and mother.
Allogrooming persists in family groups as the cats mature. Studies have shown that cats belonging to a family group are more likely to groom each other than cats who were not raised together (Reference 3). However, cats are “socially flexible”, and can adapt to different group living situations with other cats and other species. So, you will find cats grooming other cats in groups of unrelated cats.
the behavior of allogrooming in cats
A study of the allogrooming behaviors of a group of neutered cats (4 male cats and 11 female cats) in an indoor environment made the following observations (Reference 4):
Allogrooming is an affiliative behavior
Cats seek out their “preferred associate” to groom – they don’t just groom the cat that is closest to them.
Allogrooming in general is directed at the head-neck area.
Allogrooming Takes Two Cats
- There is a “groomer” and a “groomee”. Groomers are usually cats with a more dominant personality, and so are higher ranking in the pecking order.
- Groomers typically adopt higher positions – standing, sitting upright – where groomees are often sitting, lying down.
- The grooming session does not always end peacefully – there may be some swatting or the cats abruptly back away from each other. One thing that can happen is that the groomer will use his/her incisors too exuberantly, chewing and nipping at the groomee. This is a tactic to work on small mats of fur or removing fleas or other parasites. This is not always acceptable to the groomee, who may abruptly end the session.
- Groomers often groom themselves after grooming their partner.
Allogrooming and Conflict Resolution
- Allogrooming is a way for cats to redirect potential aggression and avoid physical conflict. Cats, being solitary hunters, prefer to avoid fighting. Fighting can result in injury, making a cat unable to hunt and feed himself.
- In urban cat colonies and in multi-cat households, the abundance of resources makes it possible for many cats to live close to each other, with abbreviated, overlapping territories. More cats closer together increases the likelihood of aggressive encounters.
- Allogrooming gives cats a way to redirect aggression with a few quick licks to the head, soothing a would-be combatant and avoiding a fight.
Benefits and disadvantages of cats grooming other cats
The benefits of allogrooming to cats:
- Allogrooming in cats reinforces social groups.
- Allogrooming is essential to the health of kittens in the first few weeks of life.
- Grooming is effective in reducing parasites such as fleas on a cat. A study looked at two groups of cats: one group wore E-collars, to prevent grooming; a second “control” group in the same environment did not have E-collars and were able to groom themselves. Flea counts on cats with E-collars were twice those of the “control” group of cats (Reference 5). The “groomer” can help remove parasites from areas that are difficult for the “groomee” to access – the head and neck.
A downside of allogrooming is that the groomee is at risk of contracting diseases such as Feline Leukemia, calicivirus and herpes virus that may be transmitted in the saliva of the groomer.
references
- Wikipedia contributors. (2024, November 18). Social grooming. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:19, December 21, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Social_grooming&oldid=1258124225
- Vitale KR. The Social Lives of Free-Ranging Cats. Animals (Basel). 2022 Jan 5;12(1):126. doi: 10.3390/ani12010126. PMID: 35011232; PMCID: PMC8749887.
- Terry Marie Curtis, DVM, MS; Rebecca J. Knowles, MS; Sharon L. Crowell-Davis, DVM, PhD. Influence of familiarity and relatedness on proximity and allogrooming in domestic cats (Felis catus). Am J Vet Res 2003;64:1151–1154, 2003
- Van den Bos, Ruud. The Function of Allogrooming in Domestic Cats, J. Ethol. 16:1-13 1998
- Eckstein, R. and Hart, B. Grooming and Control of Fleas in Cats. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 68 2000 141–150. Accepted Janaury 5, 2000.
