Cats are notorious self-groomers.

Cats love grooming so much that, when done with themselves, they'll often groom another family pet or even their owners.

It’s not uncommon, after petting, for a cat to engage in a thorough head-to-tip-of-tail grooming session. Possibly this reaction is a result of other scents and oils on their fur they want to dispense with.

Because they have tiny hook-shaped papilla on their tongue, they are very efficient at removing dead hair from their fur. The down-side to a cat’s self-grooming session is, they often ingest so much hair from licking that they form hairballs.

Your cat may cough up hairballs every now and then. If they do ingest hair and don’t get the hairball out of the stomach, there is a danger that the hairball will travel into the intestinal tract. If this happens, it can become impacted in their gastrointestinal tract and require an expensive trip to the vet.

Oftentimes, a cat will attempt to eat grass to help them pass the hairball. Grass contains fiber and roughage that can help move the hairball along, but more often they cough or vomit up the hairball. A gentler way to eliminate hairball is to use a good, commercial, veterinarian recommended hariball remedy.

Besides hairballs, your cat may deposit an excess amount of cat hair on furniture and clothes.

Kittens are born with all the hair follicles they will ever possess. Most cats have four different types of hairs:

• Guard – the outer topcoat of the cat, composed of longer, slender tapered hairs that grows in thicker than the other hair; guard hair becomes somewhat waterproof and protects the undercoat
• Awn - this is the middle coat of the cat and is composed of hairs with rough, broken or cracked cuticles and provides insulation
• Down hair – these hairs are closest to the skin and form the undercoat – comprised of soft, short, very fine hair (not unlike the down feathers in a comforter)
• Vibrissae – these are the specialized, thick hairs that are very sensitive to touch. The 24 whiskers (arranged in fours rows on each side of the muzzle) as well as the other sensory hairs on the upper lip, cheeks, above the eyes and on the wrists of the forelegs are all vibrissae hairs.

Brushing or combing your cat to enhance their grooming efforts is an important aspect of caring for your cat.

Long-haired cats need daily brushing, while short-haired cats require brushing once every week or two.

A regular pet brush or comb to help remove the dead topcoat (guard hair) is essential. You may also want to invest in a specila brush or comb that will also remove the dead middlecoat (awn hair) and under coat (down hair.)