Have you ever looked out into the garden to see your beloved purrfect kitty rolling gleefully in the dirt?
While our fur babies have dust baths and we fear for their beautiful silky coats getting dirty, they have good reasons for doing it.
Let’s take a peek at some reasons why cats roll in the dirt when they get outside.
A very simple reason why cats roll in the dirt is that they could just have an itch that they can’t reach. To relieve the itchiness, they will move in the soil on their backs.
Cats primarily communicate through smells, and by rolling on the ground, the cat can spread its scent. They do this by using their scent glands on their paws, flanks, and cheeks.
Your garden is your kitties’ Eden. Rolling in the dirt in the backyard is a way of entertaining themselves. The same way they like climbing trees, up fences, or along walls.
Sometimes, you’ll find that female cats often roll around and rub against things when they are in heat or after mating.
Their coats often pick up bacteria from the soil. The next time they groom themselves, they ingest these bacterias by licking. This is one-way cats can supplement their guts with good bacteria, maintaining their gastrointestinal tracts.
Subscribe to The Discerning Cat Newsletter and we'll send you a free 50 page ebook Why Do Cats…. Common Cat Behaviours Explained