Cats are known for their cleanliness. Cat groom themselves by licking their
fur. The cat's saliva is a powerful cleaning agent, but it can provoke allergic
reactions in humans. Cats also enjoy grooming humans or other cats.
Cats may occasionally regurgitate hair balls of fur that have collected in their
stomachs as a result of their grooming. Longhair cats are more prone to this
than shorthairs. Certain cat foods can prevent hairballs. Also, remedies
can include the elimination of the hair with regular grooming of the coat with a
comb or stiff brush. Cats expend nearly as much fluid grooming as they do
urinating.
Video - This cat needs a bath (1920's style)
Indoor cats may be provided a litter box containing sand or similar commercial
material. This arrangement serves the same purpose as a toilet for humans. It
should be cleaned daily and changed often depending on the number of cats in a
household and the type of litter.
Some cats may be toilet trained, eliminating the litterbox and its attending
expense and odor. Training will involve two or three weeks of incremental moves,
such as moving and elevating the litterbox until it is near the toilet. For a
short time, an adapter, such as a bowl or small box, may be used to suspend the
litter above the toilet bowl. When training is complete, the cat uses the toilet
by perching over the bowl.
