No, cats lick themselves, and licking doesn't resolve various issues such as shedding, hairballs, tangles, mats, dirty hindquarters, eye stains, ingrown claws, fleas, dandruff, and other skin conditions.
Cats tend to accumulate natural oils over time, contributing to greasiness. Licking does not effectively remove this grease from their skin and coat. Shedding occurs throughout the year, and the greasiness can cause shed hair to clump together. As more hair sheds, it adheres to these oils and forms tighter and thicker tangles. If these clumps of matted hair are not removed, they can grow larger and become uncomfortable for the cat, pulling the skin into the tangled mass. This can lead to the formation of a pelt covering the cat's body, potentially resulting in skin irritation, infections, flea bite dermatitis (hypersensitivity to flea bites from fleas trapped under the matting/pelting), and impairing the cat's ability to walk properly, urinate, and defecate. Left untreated, these conditions can cause sepsis and ultimately lead to death.
