Grooming Your Cat

Unlike a mucky Labrador, you won't be seeing your cat enjoying a deep mud bath. In fact, cats are very proud of their appearance and like to spend a lot of time cleaning their coats, tails and paws to keep every inch of their body crystal clean. It’s very rare to see a cat with a dirty coat.

A cat enjoying being combed

Give Your Cat A Helping Hand

Most cats spend a lot of time grooming themselves, but this doesn’t mean to say that they don’t need a helping hand every once in a while. Although they do a good job it is still sometimes up to us as owners to give them some extra pampering.

Cats with short hair require significantly less grooming than their long haired siblings, but they can still develop mats or get something caught in their thick fur.

A British Shorthair cat with beautiful grey short hair

Cats with long hair need more assistance with maintaining their coats because their fur is more likely to hold the dirt, get tangled and become matted.

Grooming, Bonding And Improving Your Cat’s Quality Of Life

Grooming your cat is a good way to show your cat attention and affection whilst improving their quality of life. By regularly grooming your cat you can reduce irritation to the cat’s skin, spread essential oils throughout their coat, and keep an eye out for any serious health problems.

A cat owner brushing her beautiful cat

Grooming Preparation

Before you start grooming your cat ensure that she is comfortable and settled. You don’t want to surprise her and have her wriggling away from you as you start brushing her coat. Gather all of the necessary equipment and try to stay relaxed. To help the next grooming session go smoothly try your hardest not to agitate your cat. If it gets to a point where your cat is not enjoying it, stop and try again later.

All the necessary cat grooming equipment

7 Cat Grooming Tips

Start brushing your cat from a very early age. This allows her to get used to the feeling so that when she grows up she doesn’t hate it.

Always brush your cat’s entire body, and make sure that you brush in the direction of the hair.

Leave brushes and combs in places around the house that your cat likes to sleep. This will allow you to get grooming when your cat is calm and sleepy.

Always give your cat a treat as soon as you have finished. You can even give her treats throughout the grooming session so that she knows she’s doing well.

Believe it or not cats can sense your mood, so stay calm and confident.

If your cat is really uncomfortable with being brushed try using a grooming mitt.

Know when enough is enough. If it gets to the point where your cat is in a lot of discomfort then stop and try again another time. If you continue making your cat feel uncomfortable she will hate the next time even more.

Brushing a beautiful young tabby kitten

Grooming A Cat With Short Hair

Begin by running a fine comb through the cat’s fur whilst keeping an eye out for small black specs that could indicate fleas. Examine the cat’s skin and feel for any lumps and bumps. Small black bumps that may look like moles or skin tags are probably ticks, but nodules or lumps under the skin could be more serious. Next you can use a bristle, rubber or metal brush which is designed to remove loose and dead hair.

A beautiful brown Abyssinian Cat with short hair

Short hair cats don’t need to be groomed more than once or twice per week but do keep to this schedule so that your cat is always receptive to grooming.

Grooming A Cat With Long Hair

Use a wide toothed comb to gently run through the cats coat. If you find any knots or tangles you must gently try to untangle them. Try not to pull the cat’s skin whilst doing this otherwise your grooming session may come to an abrupt end. Examine the cat’s skin and feel for any lumps and bumps. Small black or white bumps that may look like moles or skin tags are probably ticks but nodules or lumps under the skin could be more serious.

A beautiful white Ragdoll Cat with long hair

When you are happy that there are no knots or tangles you can begin using a bristle, rubber or metal brush which will remove loose and dead hair. Do this by brushing in an up and out motion and keep an eye out for any black specs that could indicate fleas.

How To Groom A Cat With Clippers

When grooming your cat with clippers the most important thing to think about is your cat’s safety, so take your time and give your cat a comfortable grooming session. It’s worth keeping in mind that some cats might enjoy the vibration of the buzzing clippers, but other cats might try and run for their life (or coat for that matter).

A beautiful grey cat sitting on the sofa

Cats have skin that is very easy to move, which can make using clippers very difficult. The last thing you want to do is bunch up your cat’s skin and get it caught in the clipper blades, so take your time and keep her skin taught.

Hold your cat gently and begin at the top of her body. Slowly work your way from the top of your cat’s neck down towards the tail, but don’t actually trim the tail.

General Anesthetic

If your cat is in serious need of a grooming but just can't stand it she can be put under general anesthetic to avoid wriggling, scratching and biting. This method prevents any accidents and can be over very quickly. If it’s a thick matted knot that you want removing, but your cat just won’t stay still then have a think about this option.

The only downside to this is that you are going to be faced with a vet bill - but who can put a price on your cat’s health?