Tabby Cat Grooming a Raised Hind Paw

A flexible spine lets a cat reach with its tongue almost every part of its own body, even the pads of a hind paw held straight up in the air. The one stretch it can't reach is the head and neck. It cleans those with a licked forepaw. Cats that get along groom each other mostly in the same spots, which is part of why friendly cats lick each other's ears. This silver tabby is doing the hard part alone, sitting on a jute mat by a sunny window. It's a tabby cat jigsaw puzzle full of stripes and soft gray fur.