When your cats clean each other, this is usually a great sign. It usually means that the two fur noses are very close and good friends. But why is this so?
It is well known that cats are very clean animals that spend a lot of time grooming their own fur. The velvet paws are taught as babies by their mother cat how to clean themselves. Occasionally cats not only lick themselves, but also their fellow cats.
When cats clean each other: Social behaviour
The hierarchy in groups of cats and the social structure under the velvet paws are very complex and not all rules of feline social behaviour have been fully explored. However, mutual grooming seems to be reserved for cats that are either related or very close to each other.
Licking the other one is then a proof of love, a sign of affection. It demonstrates trust. The cat wash usually has a relaxing and calming effect on the cat being groomed. So it is a tender gesture and strengthens the bond between them.
Note: Occasionally, the mutual grooming can also turn into an extensive game in which the cats playfully bite each other – keyword love bite. You do not have to worry. This form of biting is comparable to a pinch, which hurts easily, but has nothing to do with malicious fighting behaviour.
“maternal instinct” in mutual cat washing
That cats clean each other to show their affection for each other is probably due to their instincts. Mothers lick their kittens clean in the first two weeks, as the little furry noses have yet to learn to take the cat wash in their paws themselves.
Kittens feel especially comfortable and safe with their mummy and combine this feeling with cleaning and being cleaned. If they later want to give a fellow cat, whom they have taken to their heart, the feeling of security and safety, they clean him. By the way, this is not only done by female cats, but also by male cats.
It has sometimes been observed that cats with a higher status clean velvet paws more often with a lower status in the ranking and are less likely to be groomed. Possibly the higher ranked animals see it as their task to “mother” the other fur noses.
Mutual grooming: Practical for hard to reach places
Another reason for washing cats together is far less romantic: In some places on the neck and head, a cat alone is not so easy to reach.
If she lets herself be cleaned by a fellow cat, he can lick her there and help her with her coat care. Cleaning each other is also quite practical.
