The way to a cat?s heart is through? brushing!

You?re surely familiar with this scenario ? piles of cat fur lying around the apartment, covering upholstery, your clothes? covering everything! One word: standard scene in cat?s life. When I see another ball of fur falling off my cat?s back, I automatically reach for a hairbrush with the aim of combing the culprit.

Let?s stop here for a moment.

Brushing is an important grooming treatment, especially for long-haired cats. If you think that humans are responsible for ?inventing? cat-brushing routine ? think again! Let?s start with a fact that kitties are self-cleaning creatures. Several times a day (most often after eating the prey), they lick their whole bodies from head to paws! During this procedure, their hook-shaped papillae try to deal with every tangled hairball. So basically, during cleaning, cats also brush their fur. Well, I haven?t written anything surprising so far, have I?

Let?s play on! It may seem that brushing (with a cat?s tongue or a professional brush) is a typical hygiene treatment. Cats take care of their fur in order to get rid of dirt. Alternatively, the cat owner combs the cat to get rid of the excess hair. However, a trendy hairstyle isn?t everything! Brushing is a great opportunity to inspect the cat?s fur and skin, looking for possible tissue and skin damage, parasites or alarming growths.

Fur brushing has also a social aspect. It?s in cats? nature to comb through one another?s fur, in order to get rid of stress and build relationships. Cats that live in pairs or groups often help one another with licking poorly accessible areas, for example ears. This behaviour strengthens the bond between kitties, creates a sense of security and group membership.

So how does it look when it comes to cat-human relationship? If your cat lets you brush him, it means that he shows you acceptance and trust. If the creature is not particularly fond of brushing, you may want to consider why. Maybe he wasn?t accustomed to it since early days or maybe the brush is too coarse..?

All in all it?s useful to accustom your furry friend with brushing. Not only will you built a better relationship, but you will also get rid of excess fur (and your cat?s stomach will be grateful). You will also stay on the ball when it comes to your cat?s fur and skin. If you start brushing your cat regularly and you put your heart into it, who knows, maybe one day he will take to? returning the favour and brushing you! And that?s the biggest sign of affection! How do you recognise that your cat accepted you as a member of his herd and is trying to look after your fur? You will know when he comes up to lick your hands, neck or hair.