If my face were dirty, and I licked my arm, then rubbed my arm on my face, it might move the dirt around, and transfer some to my arm. I guess if I then licked my arm, I might remove dirt by swallowing it. But unless I wiped my arm off on another surface or something, I don’t see how this could remove dirt.
I know there are other reasons why cats groom themselves, e.g. to spread oils around their coat. But, in terms of actually removing dirt … does it help?
In: Biology
I think the answer other people aren’t quite answering is that, yes, cats are often licking up dirt from their own paws and fur. They have particularly better ways of sorting out dirt and things than humans do. A lot of it is caught in hairballs, for instance.
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