Grooming is a vital bonding tool.

Grooming your cat is important as it both increases the bond between you and your pet as well as giving you the chance to spot ill health.

Getting involved in your cat's grooming, however, helps to strengthen and deepen your relationship and also gives you an opportunity to check up for any signs of illness. You'll soon find that, given patience, most cats get used to grooming and love it.

Grooming not only stimulates blood circulation and improves muscle tone, but also reduces hairballs in the stomach by removing loose hairs. Fur is smoothed down to insulate the body more efficiently and stimulates glands at the base of the hairs that provide waterproofing for the coat.

In the summer, licking spreads saliva that cools your cat as it evaporates. Grooming also spreads sebum, a natural oil that protects and waterproofs the hair and skin across the coat.

Remember that some cats can't groom themselves properly because of their long hair or because of old age. You'll need to groom these cats regularly.

Make grooming part of your cat's regular routine, introducing it when your cat is still a young kitten. Grooming not only gives you the chance to spot fleas, ticks and skin wounds and keep fur off your sofa, you'll also be spending quality time bonding with your pet.

If you have a shorthaired cat, then use a fine-toothed metal comb weekly and a natural-bristle or rubber brush to remove any dead hairs. Gently brush or comb your cat's hair, using strokes in the direction that the fur grows. Use the bristle brush to sweep up the coat in the direction of the head, and then smooth it down again.

For longhaired cats, you should groom daily with a steel comb. Any knots should be teased out with your fingers, or cut off carefully with blunt-ended scissors. If this proves difficult it's a good idea to get your vet to do this, as it is very easy to cut the skin.

If grooming is a struggle and your cat wriggles and is unsettled, try offering food treats, stroking and talking reassuringly in low tones, then gently start to groom as your pet's attention turns to the treat.

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