Cats are naturally very neat animals as they habitually clean themselves with their tongue. “Their tongue is comprised of hook-like, hollow scoops that are able to transfer their cleaning saliva effectively onto their fur and skin to more thoroughly groom their coats (research is actually being done to study cat tongues to improve technology for hairbrushes and carpet cleaners because they are so effective),” explained veterinarian Dr Tim Shu.
Cats can also use their paws, which they moisten with their saliva so they can clean the parts they are unable to do with their tongues such as the face, neck, and ears. Most of the time, cats have trouble tolerating a formal bath unless they were conditioned at a young age, so make sure to clip those nails so you don’t get scratched!
This article originally appeared on Reader’s Digest.