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What's in it for the feline groomer?

post #1 of 4
5/28/11 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 
I've always wonder why cats like to groom each other. I can understand why they may like to be groomed but what's in it for the groomer? I've heard it's a sign of affection but I have some doubts about that theory. One of my cats is the house groomer and she will almost forcefully groom the other cats including those she doesn't really get along with otherwise. I don't think she has much affection for these cats.
My foster cat Lucky is sitting next to the keyboard right now interrupting my typing because he wants to groom my hand. He grabs my hand with his paws and starts licking it. If I start to remove my hand he reaches out and grabs it again holding it with a firmer grip so he can continue to give me a hand grooming. I'm really wondering what he gets out of it. Anybody knows?
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post #2 of 4
5/28/11 at 12:24pm
I'm also curious. My two 10 week old kittens always groom each other. They lick each other's heads, bellies and even privates. And they are both boys :O
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post #3 of 4
5/28/11 at 9:17pm
I dunno, but I'd be very curious too. Mine have been mostly separated from each other due to the male recently attacking the female. But when I DO allow them to see each other for more than a moment, an intense grooming session usually begins quickly.

It's almost like a contest to see who can groom whom, and I'm starting to think the groomer is the dominant one. The female usually somewhat aggressively grooms the male, and he often gets nervous and runs away as she becomes more determined, or else he begins wrestling with her.

They used to lie together and take turns gently grooming one another. That looked like affection. What they do now looks like a power struggle.
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post #4 of 4
5/29/11 at 2:56am
Grooming isn't just grooming, as it depends on subtle differences.

Grooming can be solicited like Wesley often does, flopping on his back and putting an arm on his sister or walking up to her and touching noses and raising his head to a side at which point she gladly starts grooming him. They often switch off too, and this allogrooming serves to strengthen social bonds.

Grooming can also be a form of domination though, often with a cat standing over another while grooming, sometimes biting the neck of the cat (s)he is dominating. Its not related to aggression, its just, "hey, I'm happy for you and Ima let you finish, but I'm the best kitty of all time"... as Kitty West would say.
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