Cat Grooming: How To Groom Your Cat?
However, as mistress or master, we can help our feline companions have a softer and cleaner coat, and at the same time strengthen our loyalty to them through these moments spent together.
Getting Your Cat Used To Grooming
Cats that have been groomed from a young age are totally receptive to this care and accept a brush without any problem. They even appreciate this moment which is for them a moment of relaxation, even of massage, in the company of their master.
Cats who, on the contrary, have never, or very little, experienced grooming, may be refractory, even fearful at the sight of a brush. They must therefore be accustomed little by little because nothing can be done suddenly with our little companions. Caress them first with your hand, speaking to them in a reassuring voice, and gradually introduce a stroke of the brush in the direction of the hair between two caresses, so that they can gradually perceive this brushing as simple caresses.
Why Groom Your Cat?
Cats are animals that take care of their own grooming. You don’t have to do much work to help them take care of their hair, but this care is still not without meaning.
In fact, regularly grooming your cat with a brush is primarily used to untangle the knots if there are any, but it also helps to stimulate blood circulation and improve muscle tone thanks to the slight pressure applied to the muscles by the brush.
Brushing your cat regularly also helps to remove all the dead hair that it may have swallowed while washing itself and which can cause stomach and/or intestinal problems if there are too many of them, or even simply cause it to spit up hairballs regularly.
Finally, brushing stimulates the glands present at the base of the hairs, which contributes to their better sealing as well as better protection of the hair.
How Often To Groom Your Cat?
Not all cats need the same grooming frequency. Indeed, it depends on their hair type, but also on their lifestyle.
The Frequency Of Grooming According To The Type Of Hair Of The Cat
Short-haired cats only need weekly brushing, just to remove dead hair. It also allows to control the state of the skin (presence of scabs or wounds) and to check if there are no external parasites, such as fleas or ticks.
Long-haired cats need more maintenance, brushing once a day. Their long tufts of hair tend to tangle. Brushing and untangling them daily prevents the formation of knots and solidification.
The Frequency Of Grooming According To The Lifestyle Of The Cat
Cats living in apartments need much less brushing than cats that can go out regularly. As they are not in contact with parasites or all kinds of particles coming from the outside, their hair generally remains cleaner.
Cats that go outside on a regular basis, on the other hand, should be brushed quite frequently, since they may come into contact with parasites, possibly injure themselves, etc. In addition to cleaning, more frequent brushing serves as a regular check on the condition of your cat’s skin and hair.
Bathing Your Cat, Good Or Bad Idea?
It is well known, cats hate water. Even if some have been accustomed to contact with this liquid from a very young age and are therefore less reluctant to be immersed in a basin to be washed, these are still very rare cases.
However, giving a cat a bath should be a very occasional act because it is simply almost never necessary to wash your cat with water and shampoo. Indeed, washing it in this way dries out its skin and also reduces all the protective properties of its hair.
Giving a bath to your cat should therefore only be done on rare occasions and only if it is essential: when the cat is covered with a harmful substance such as glue or tree sap for example.
If it is only persistent bad odors, prefer the use of a dry shampoo. Available in specialized stores, it comes in the form of a spray to spray on your cat. This type of shampoo allows you to wash it without having to use water. Again, however, it should only be used occasionally as these products are not healthy for your cat’s skin.
How To Bathe Your Cat?
If you find yourself in a situation where giving a cat a bath becomes necessary, you have to go about it in the right way.
To start, and especially if your cat is not used to it, it is strongly advised to do this with the help of a second person because the cat may have the reflex of struggling strongly. It is therefore impossible for you in this case to be able to wash it properly without hurting it.
Also get in advance, in a specialized store, a cat shampoo. It has the particularity of having a neutral pH, a very important characteristic so as not to irritate the skin of your little companion.
Start by filling a basin with lukewarm water so that the temperature does not displease your cat. Avoid doing it in a shower as the noise can also make him panic.
Once filled, immerse your cat in the basin, then ask the person helping you to hold it firmly while you take care of wetting its entire body, avoiding the face, mainly the eyes and ears, which are best cleaned with specific products.
Once the cat is completely wet, apply the shampoo by rubbing all over, then let it act between one and three minutes. You can then rinse it, checking that there is no shampoo left on the cat’s body. This could indeed leave a crust if it is not properly rinsed.
It is finally a question of drying the cat. Avoid the hair dryer because the noise can make him panic. Simply wrap it in a towel and rub it gently.
Don’t forget to give him a small treat to reward him when the process is complete, because it is a real test for him.
Cut Your Cat’S Claws
While most cats don’t need their nails trimmed because they do it themselves on tree bark or a cat tree, some don’t care for them properly and need you to take care of them.
First of all, you need to equip yourself with a claw cutter, sold in specialized stores. Scissors and nail clippers are not recommended. You risk injuring your cat because their shape is not suitable for animal claws.
Again, get someone to help you by holding your cat because he doesn’t like having his claws cut and he may panic.
To cut your claws, you first have to get them out. For this, nothing very complicated: exert a little pressure with your thumb in the middle of the pads while holding his paw.
Using your claw cutter, you now need to cut them, but especially not at the base of the claw on which you can notice a small red area. This area is actually a nerve and cutting it is very painful for your cat, in addition to causing him to lose a lot of blood.
To be sure not to cut this area, hold your cat’s paw very firmly so that it does not move, and take the time to aim about three millimeters after the nerve. It will be necessary to repeat the process for each of the claws.
When finished, don’t forget here too to reward your cat with a small treat.
If you are unsure about nail trimming, ask a professional such as a groomer, who will be able to trim it without harming your cat.
