First-time owners are often surprised when their cats’ grooming noise drowns out the volume from the television or stereo. I didn’t realize it was much of a problem until I read several posts from irritated owners complaining about their noisy cats. Excessive grooming is unhealthy and often the result of allergies, anxiety, and other health problems, but loud grooming isn’t unusual or harmful.
High-Decibel Grooming
My Siamese cat stayed clean and groomed his fur consistently until he got kidney disease, but he didn’t make as much noise as Olga. Olga’s coat isn’t as dense and doesn’t shed as often, and although it shouldn’t take her long to clean it, she devotes a lot of her time to grooming and wants everyone to hear it.
Her lip-smacking is loud enough to wake light sleepers, but I’m used to it. She likes to hide and sneak up on me, and her plans are foiled when a sudden urge to groom interferes with her stealthy approach. Her grooming racket lets me know where she is when I’m too lazy to search for her and provides an opportunity to tease her when she’s nearby.
Teasing Olga
When I imitate the sounds she makes, she stops grooming and gives me an evil glare. Since she has lived with me for several years, she’s used to being teased, but she doesn’t tolerate physical contact during her licking sessions. If I mess up her recently groomed hair, she tears up my hand with her claws.
I don’t suggest discouraging the behavior if you have a loud groomer. Interrupting your cat’s grooming by imitating them occasionally isn’t inhumane, but shouting or throwing something at them when the lip-smacking annoys you is. Unless you wear noise-canceling headphones or move to another area of your home when your cat is grooming, there’s not much to do but accept it.
Indoor Freedom
I’m pretty tolerant of Olga’s odd behavior and probably allow her to get away with more than most cat owners. Like many people with indoor cats, I regret confining her indoors, even though it’s the safest option. She’s a natural predator and explorer, and I wish she had more space to run, climb, and pounce.
I don’t let her jump on the countertop, but she can scratch up her favorite chair, slam the rocking chair against the wall, play in the unused bathtub of the spare bathroom, and sleep anywhere. She’s a quiet cat, and it entertains me when she makes a lot of noise as long as it doesn’t involve knocking office supplies and devices off of the desk in my office.
Olga isn’t as violent and destructive as she was as a kitten, and she’s never eaten my clothes or defecated on my bed. She’s spoiled rotten but reasonably well-behaved. I don’t let her get away with murder, but I’m not strict or care when she acts insane. Since Olga is an indoor-only cat, she has limited ways to entertain herself, and she’s happy I don’t act like an authoritarian.
