Fact Check: Cats show their dominance by grooming others

A new study finds that sometimes cats groom each other specifically to be annoying. ... A study of 53 multicat households in Europe revealed two things: The first was consistent with typical, affectionate grooming behavior; the second revealed ...

This is why you will notice that dominant cats do almost all of the grooming while the lower ranking cats show their submission by getting themselves groomed.

In groups of big cats, such as prides of lions, cats groom each other to show dominance.

Why cats lick each other, what over-grooming means, and when grooming signals dominance. Insights from Certified Cat Behaviorist Rita Reimers

Journal of Ethology - Grooming interactions (n=83) occurring in a group of non free-ranging adult neutered male (n=14) and female (n=11) domestic cats (Felis silvestris catus) were analysed....

Surprisingly, Van den Bos discovered a link between this grooming behavior and aggression. When looking at social grooming, Van den Bos noticed that the dominant cats tended to groom the submissive cats.

As I stated in the “Facts We Know About Allogrooming” section, less aggressive behaviour co-relates with more allogrooming, but this could simply be because allogrooming causes there to be less aggression on the part of dominant cats – since they are ridding themselves of their pent-up aggression through the process of grooming the more submissive cat.

Animal behavior experts believe grooming can sometimes reflect social status, but in most homes, it is more strongly linked to trust, cooperation, and social bonding than dominance.

While two cats may regularly engage in allogrooming together, one cat will typically give the majority of the grooming. Dominant, confident cats are more likely to allogroom less-dominant, less-confident cats.