Clean Cats, Weird Habits, and the Truth About Gross Stuff

Cats have a reputation for being clean. They bury their poop, they lick themselves constantly, and they act offended if their litter box isn’t perfect. But once you look closer, a lot of this “cleanliness” is actually about something else: scent, safety, and social status.

Take burying poop. Most people think cats do it because they’re tidy. Dog owners hear about it all the time: “Cats are cleaner than dogs.” But that’s not really the reason. Cats bury their waste to reduce the smell. And they do it because they’re lower on the social ladder. In wild cat colonies, the top-ranking males often don’t bury their poop at all. They leave it in obvious places—on hills, high spots, anywhere the smell will spread. That’s advertising. Only the weaker, more submissive cats hide their waste. Your pet cat buries its poop because, in its mind, you’re the boss. You’re bigger. You control the food. So the cat stays polite and covers up.

Now, grooming. Cats spend a huge amount of time licking themselves. It looks like cleaning, and it is—partly. But it does much more. Licking smooths the fur so it insulates better. In summer, cats don’t sweat like we do. They have very few sweat glands. Instead, they lick themselves and leave saliva on the fur. As the saliva evaporates, it cools them down. Cats also groom more when they’re anxious. This is called displacement grooming. It’s like a person scratching their head when they’re nervous. And when you pet a cat, you cover it with your scent. The cat may walk away and start grooming to restore its own smell and “taste” yours at the same time.

There’s also a social side to grooming. Mother cats groom kittens. Adult cats who are friends groom each other. This is called allogrooming, and it’s less about cleaning and more about building trust. Cats can’t reach behind their ears very well, which is why they love it when you scratch there.

But grooming has a dark side. Cats that groom too much can swallow a lot of loose fur. That can form hairballs. Usually a cat can cough them up, but large ones can cause serious blockage. Long-haired cats and cats that shed a lot need regular brushing. Nervous cats that over-groom may also have hairball problems. If your cat is over-grooming, look for the stress first, not just the hair.

Then there’s the weird lip-licking. You’ve probably seen it: your cat stares at something, then quickly licks its lips or nose. It looks like it suddenly remembered it needed to clean its face. But there’s nothing there. This is a displacement activity. It happens when a cat is conflicted—curious and annoyed at the same time. It wants to go closer, and it wants to run away. So it does a small, pointless action to break the tension. Different animals do different things. Birds rub their beaks. Chimps scratch. Cats lick their lips. A high-pitched rattling sound, like a coin rubbed along a comb, often triggers it. The cat stares, then licks. It’s not about hygiene. It’s about being stuck in two minds.

And grass? Cats eat grass, but not because they’re hungry. They don’t actually swallow much of it. They chew it and take the juice. The best explanation is that they’re after tiny amounts of folic acid, a vitamin that helps make hemoglobin. Cats can’t get much of it from meat alone. Indoor cats may chew houseplants for the same reason—which is dangerous, because many houseplants are toxic. If your cat is an indoor cat, you can grow a small tray of cat grass. And no, cats cannot be vegetarians. They’re obligate carnivores. A meat-free diet will make them very sick and can kill them.

Finally, smells. Cats hate some smells far more than we do. If you want to keep a cat away from a couch or a rug, there are a few old-school options. Rue, a bitter herb, was recommended back in ancient Rome. Onion can work too—rub a raw onion on the area, and most cats will avoid it. But the most effective household deterrent is vinegar. Cats hate the sour smell. It bothers their sensitive noses. Still, cats are stubborn. They may just move to another spot or eventually get used to the smell. The smartest long-term solution is to understand why the cat is doing the behavior in the first place, not just to spray something smelly on it.