It’s the middle of winter, and your feline friend may be feeling a little out of her prime. How can you reinvigorate and revitalize a cat caught in the cold? Here at the CCSPCA we can’t think of a better way than a good cat grooming. You may not have any plans to put her on the cover of Cat Fancy magazine, but you’ll both be happy to have her looking and feeling fresh and clean. Keep reading for some great cat grooming tips and instructions from our experts.
Benefits of Cat Grooming
Cat grooming isn’t just about keeping a cat clean and neat. There are also several substantial health benefits to cat grooming that will help her to live a happier and longer life.
Fewer hairballs – Your cat is already getting rid of lots of hair through her own grooming process, but you can make her job a lot easier and help prevent the ingestion (and possible expulsion) of hairballs. This is especially important when she is molting or “shedding” her seasonal coat.
Shiny coat – The grooming process helps to stimulate the skin and increase oil production which is beneficial for her skin and leaves her with soft, shimmering fur (especially in winter when indoor heating can dry out the skin).
Tones muscles – As you draw the brush along her coat, you’ll be stimulating muscles that she will in turn flex and relax. This helps to keep your cat in shape, especially if she spends lots of time lounging indoors.
Examination opportunity – Regular grooming provides you with a chance to look over your cat’s body while you’re getting up close and personal. One of the best ways to keep your cat healthy is to catch anything unusual early on and get it checked out, so take advantage of this cat grooming time to check parts of her that are harder to reach or see on a regular basis.
Bonding time – The main reason we adopt pets is to build a bond with them that improves each of our lives. Cat grooming can also be considered cat bonding time as it helps to build respect and trust and can become a fun daily routine that you both look forward to.
How to Groom a Cat
Your cat is probably very familiar with grooming. In fact, she probably spends a lot of her time grooming herself already. That doesn’t mean you can’t lend her a hand with the hard parts. This section covers those of you with short-haired cats. For cat grooming tips that apply specifically to long-haired varieties be sure to check out the following sections.
What you’ll need:
- flea-and-tick comb
- bristled brush
- rubber grooming glove or mitt
How it’s done:
- Rub your cat down with your hand to remove loose hair and get her ready for the stimulation of the comb, brush, and mit.
- Use flea comb to check for flea droppings, which look like little black specks of pepper. If you find fleas or their droppings be sure to talk to your vet about a proper flea preventative.
- Follow up with the bristled brush, running it from the front of the body toward the tail. Be sure to brush the way the hair is growing (especially if your cat isn’t fully comfortable with the process).
- If your cat will let you, brush against the grain to bring additional loose hair to the surface. Some cats will never grow accustomed to this step, and it’s important that you don’t do anything to make your cat uncomfortable.
- Use your rubber grooming mitt to brush away loose hair.
- A damp cloth can be used to pick up stray hairs that remain on the fur.
How to Groom a Long-haired Cat
Long-haired cats typically need to be groomed on a daily basis. They have a lot more to clean and primp, so keeping up with regular cat grooming is even more important with these especially furry felines.
What you’ll need:
- wide-toothed comb
- rubber grooming glove or mitt
How it’s done:
- Start by rubbing your cat down with your hand to remove loose hair and prepare her for the stimulation of the comb and mitt.
- Separate the hair by hand to check for flea droppings, which look like little black specks of pepper. If you find fleas or their droppings be sure to talk to your vet about a proper flea preventative.
- Carefully use the wide-toothed comb to brush away debris, separate the hairs, and loosen dead fur.
- Be especially careful around the underarms, back of the rear legs, and other crevices, like between the toes, as the skin in these areas is extremely sensitive. You may find matted fur here and need to gently tease the hairs apart with your hands. Grooming these areas may be too uncomfortable, and your cat may only let you groom one at a time. Don’t force it.
- After the hair has been combed and matted areas have been teased apart, use the rubber mitt to remove the loose fur.
- A damp cloth can be used to pick up stray hairs that remain on the fur.
Cat Grooming Tips
Start slow – If cat grooming is a new activity, be sure to take things one step at a time. Don’t rush into a full body groom, instead try a few light brushes each day and work your way up from there.
Work around her schedule – As you probably already know, your cat is friendlier during certain parts of the day. If she’s just been fed or had a nice nap and wants to interact, make this cat grooming time. If she feels like keeping to herself, you may have a harder time getting her to sit still.
Keep her comfortable – You only want to groom your cat for as long as they are comfortable. If you can only get through half of her body before she wants to be done, that’s O.K. She’ll be happier next time and will gradually let grooming sessions last longer and longer.
Reinforce with rewards – Some cats will enjoy the grooming process, and others will need to be coaxed into it. Rewarding with lots of praise and even a treat at the end of a cat grooming session will help to reinforce her good behavior and help her become more and more accustomed to this strange new activity.
Cat Grooming Services
Cat grooming is an important part of being a cat parent and should be done on a regular basis. If you would rather leave it to the experts than try to tackle it yourself, come see us down at Ruthelaine’s Grooming Salon. We can help with everything from flea treatment to ear cleaning, so bring your feline down and we’ll send her home looking and feeling her best!
Head over to the Grooming Salon Page for services, hours, pricing, and more.
