The Way to Good Sleep

Cats are fastidious groomers and basically very tidy creatures. They are in the habit of grooming themselves by licking every part of their body clean with their tongue. (Source: http://www.cat-world.com.au/GroomingYourCat.htm)

This habit of tongue-bathing has several benefits to them:
1) Promotes better circulation of the blood
2) Gets rid of dead skin cells
3) Removes excess/dead hair on their coat
4) Tones their muscles
5) Keeps the fur soft and clean

Of the three, Braun spends the most time in grooming and she does it in a meticulous manner; followed by Mikki and then Skoda. This also explains why Braun is more prone to hairballs. Skoda has her "limitations" - her tummy gets in the way so there are some areas beyond her reach (another reason why we need to help her lose weight).

I noticed before my girls knock off, each will spend some time in grooming, so I think the habit has a calming effect. I'm often amused by the whole process and the level of attention rendered. I captured Mikki going through the act here (while Skoda was fast asleep beside her):



"Cats do not have to be shown how to have a good time, for they are unfailing ingenious in that respect." - James Mason

Afternote: I nearly forgot to add this account. One night, I was lying on the bed and Skoda was just beside me. Out of a sudden, Skoda decided to give me a taste of what grooming is like. She started to lick the area above my eye brow and gave my eye brow some mini bites (like how a cat would when he/she is grooming). A cat's tongue is actually quite spiky so I wouldn't say it felt good but I put up with it because that was the first time Skoda did that to me and I didn't want to scare her off with my reaction. She was at it for like five minutes but it felt like eternity (I don't know why, maybe because the action was slow and delibrate). Eventually she stopped on her own. The next day, there was a light rash over the area but I thought the skin felt smooth (rid of dead skin cells?).