I have two cats, one is Snickers and the other Smokey, they both love to go outside and roll in the dirt, Snickers is a clean freak but every so often she won't clean herself after she rolls in the dirt so her white fur looks really bad, Smokey has more dark fur so it's harder to tell but you can still see and feel she needs a bath, Smokey rarely cleans herself and at night time I put them both in my room, I always see Snickers give herself and Smokey a bath, would this make them sick? I know cats are supposed to clean themselves but would they get sick from overcleaning or cleaning their sister? My cat throws up sometimes too but she eats grass so that causes it (right?) and I know it's summer so they have to have wet noses to be healthy and Snickers seems to have a dry nose more often then Smokey.

Usually, cats get 'sick' from grooming because they ingest hair. This is really not sick, as much as the hair they ingest is hard to pass through the digestive system, and often more than not, comes back as hairballs.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Also, there is a chance that if your cat rubs against something foreign, and if its slightly toxic, then grooming and ingesting it, can also make your cat sick.

I'd say that hairballs are your problem, and brushing will help, but not totally stop this.

Some foods, that are higher in fiber claim to help with hairballs.

Hope this helps,

Tim had the best answer. Hairballs is what your cat prob gets, and brushing them both will help some (and they love it normally if close to you). And yes, cat's and dog's will eat grass when their tummys are upset. natures way of helping them throw up b-4 we domesticated them. Besides that, do you have a messy sibling? that's what you got, one messy, and a mother type.

I don't believe a cat will get sick from overcleaning -- itself or another -- unless the cats have chemicals on them [shampoo residue, flea controls, etc.], possibly.

Personal experience with cats. Note: I am not a vet.

They could possibly be getting something that stayed on them from using the litter box. If they go outside they could of gotten something in their fur the ingested it when they cleaned themselves.

Well for one, one day tour cats aren't going to come back sad as it is something will happen to them if you let them rome around outside.

they are supposed to get sick because they can't digest their fur and that's why they have to eat grass.

Wet noses do not indicate health. That's a myth. Cats throw up a lot because they are cats and that's what they like to do. Seriously. A lot of cats tend to eat very quickly. So they regurgitate it. It's not usually a sign of a problem. Cats will sometimes groom excessively if they have certain health conditions. Some will even do it if they are stressed. Eating grass does cause vomiting. Because they go outside, they are at higher risk of getting intestinal parasites (roundworms, tapeworms, etc.) and other diseases. They are also at higher risk of getting fleas (which transmit tapeworms). Sometimes intestinal parasites will cause vomiting or diarrhea or both. If your kitty continues to vomit I would take her to the vet just to be safe. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

P.S. - not trying to make you feel bad about having them outside by saying they are at high risk of getting parasites or diseases. Just letting you know that it's a possibility. Parasites are usually easily taken care of with a de-wormer from your veterinarian. :)