Most people think cats can take care of themselves—and they’d actually prefer it that way—but even the most fastidious feline groomers could use a helping hand.

If your cat is like most felines, she spends hours every day grooming herself. Lick the paws, check. Use the damp paws to clean behind the ears, check. Your cat is capable of bending and contorting herself into all manner of funny positions to aim that rough tongue “just so” at a particular problem area.

In general finicky cats are pretty good at keeping themselves clean.  However, it turns out there are other reasons your cat grooms him or herself besides cleanliness.

Cats are typically fastidious groomers and therefore ingest a significant amount of hair. Hair is undigestible and usually sits in the stomach until enough hair is accumulated to produce a signal that induces vomiting. Even though people often say their cat is “coughing up a hairball,” this is not the correct terminology. The hair is coming from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, not the respiratory tract (lungs).