As a cat owner you’ll already know that cats are very clean animals, they spend their days sleeping, grooming and eating in that order. They even try to groom us with their rough tongue, maybe they think we don’t shower enough!

Do do we need to give them a helping hand to groom themselves? You’re cats not going to die from lack of human grooming, but it could make them very ill. They live full lives out in the wild without being groomed by a human but they do benefit from being groomed and you benefit from this activity too.

First of all grooming your cat should provide you with plenty of quality time with your cat. If they are anything like mine they’ll loved being showered with affection, but of course only when they’re in the mood for it. So with the social benefits of grooming out of the way, lets take a look at the health benefit for your cat.

One of the most immediate benefits is that it helps minimise the amounts of fur balls your cat has to deal with. If you’ve been near your cat when they’ve tried to cough up a fur ball you can see how distressing it is for them. You can help remove that excess fur by brushing your cat, that way you won’t have to watch your much loved feline in distress.

By grooming your cat regularly you’ll promote healthier skin and a shiny coat. Imagine if you’d not been able to have a shower or bath for weeks and all you get to do is wash your self down in the sink. I bet you’d be desperate for a proper clean. They’re would have been areas you wouldn’t have been able to clean since you just cant reach. It’s just the same for a cat, by grooming them we can help them clean those hard to reach places.

There also a benefit to your home as well. If you’re helping your cat groom themselves then there’s less fur to be left around the house, which should result in less cleaning. A couple of minutes grooming your cat could save to the hour it takes you to vacuum their hair from the sofa and you wouldn’t have to pick up the little piles of fur from the corners of your home.

There’s probably a health benefit for you too. They’ve shown that stroking animals is good for your blood pressure so I’m assuming the relaxed methodical method of grooming will have the same health benefits for you.