If you have raised a cat and observed it carefully, you will notice that cats have the habit of licking their faces after finishing a meal. So why is that? Actually, we can call this behavior "face washing". After eating, cats habitually first lick around their mouths with their tongues, and then they begin to "wash their faces" on a larger scale.

　　Simply put, the reason cats lick their faces after eating is to eliminate body odor and also to remove dirt from their bodies to keep themselves clean. Although the licking behavior can be summarized as "face washing," it is indeed a big task for cats.

　　When cats wash their faces, they first clean their whiskers at the corners of their mouths. They will lick their front paws and then use those paws to wipe the whiskers at the corners of their mouths. After wiping, they lick their front paws again and then wipe the whiskers once more. Repeating this process several times, they then use the same method to clean the whiskers on the other side. After fully cleaning the whiskers, cats will begin grooming their entire body. Because cats cannot directly lick their faces, they use their front paws to complete the "face washing" work, ensuring that dirt around their mouths, on their whiskers, and on their faces is cleaned thoroughly.

　　We know that cats are very clean animals. They cannot tolerate having dirt on their bodies. After eating, the corners of their mouths inevitably get some food residue, so cats develop the habit of cleaning their mouth and face thoroughly after each meal. Additionally, since cats are ambush predators, they do not allow any scent to remain on their bodies. If there were unusual odors, the prey they are stalking could easily escape. Therefore, cats must develop the habit of "face washing" after every meal.