Psychogenic Diseases

Abstract

Grooming behavior is essential to keep the skin and coat of cats in good health, and cats spend a significant portion of their day grooming. Normal grooming behavior is a sign of good physical and mental health in cats. Changes in grooming behavior may be caused by medical problems, either dermatological or systemic. "Sickness behav-ior" that includes decreased grooming may be an early sign of underlying medical problems, but increased grooming can also be related to medical causes (Fatjo and Bowen, Medical and metabolic influences on behavioural disorders. In: Horwitz DF, Mills DS, editors. BSAVA manual of canine and feline behavioural medicine. 2nd ed. Gloucester: BSAVA; p. 1-9, 2009; Rochlitz, Basic requirements for good behav-ioural health and welfare in cats. In: Horwitz DF, Mills DS, editors.