Keith And Amanda For Healthy Cats

Keeping Your Cat In Tip Top Condition

All cats require some sort of grooming. The amount of time you spend on grooming your cat and the way you do it, depends very much on the breed of cat and your cats temperament.As a kitten your cat will have been groomed by it’s mother. As soon as it is born, the mother cat will start her kitten breathing by licking it. This is why cat grooming is such a natural thing to do.

There are now many cat grooming supplies available, either in stores or on-line. These can range from cat combs, cat shampoo, cat clippers etc. Or if you fancy treating your pet to something special, you could book your cat in for a cat spa.

Cats mostly take care of their own grooming and only need a little help from their owners. Cats are very clean animals and very fastidious and frequently groom themselves throughout the day. However, there are many reasons why you should also groom your cat.

One of the most important reasons for grooming your cat is to help prevent hairballs. These not only make your cat sick, but can lead to intestinal blockages in extreme cases. Long haired cats especially need help with this to prevent matted fur.

Another good reason to regularly groom your cat is that it gives you the opportunity to do a general health check on your cat. Not only can you check the cats fur for fleas and knots, but you can check your cats skin and ears. Check for any unusual lumps, bites or scratches from other cats.

Cats are susceptible to ear mites, particularly kittens. So while brushing your cat check for a dark brown wax in your cats ear, which is the first symptom of ear mites.

Brushing or combing a cat is the most common way of grooming a cat. A long haired cat may need grooming every day to prevent it’s fur becoming matted. Brushing also helps reduce the amount of unwanted cat fur deposited on the furniture around your home or on your clothes.

There are now a wide variety of combs and brushes available to suit every type and breed of cat. You can choose from fine toothed combs for short haired cats to coat controlling combs that thins, strips and tackles small knots. This is especially good for thick coated cats and can also be used on dogs.

For all long or short-haired shedding cats there is now a tool called the Furminator. It removes the undercoat and loose fur and can reduce shedding by up to 90%. It is meant to bring out the pet’s natural oils, promoting healthier skin and a shiny coat. It is also great at eliminating hair

balls.

Some cats may require bathing as part of their grooming routine. This is probably the most difficult and disliked by cat and cat owner.  Fortunately,

for most cats this does not need to be undertaken unless trickily necessary. Sometimes cats and kittens need a bath because they have got something in their fur that either you or your cat cannot clean off.

Cat Bath

If the only answer to get your cat clean is to give it a bath, be prepared. If possible ask the assistance of another

person, so that one can hold and one can wash. Use a suitable container e.g. the sink or baby bath, a soft cloth and a large clean dry towel. You will also need special cat shampoo (never use ordinary shampoo) and a jug for rinsing.

If you are bathing your cat because of fleas, you will also need a special cat flea shampoo. Always check the temperature of the water before you put you cat in. Add the shampoo to the water and holding your cat firmly, lower him in. Avoiding the cats eyes, massage in the soapy water from the neck down. Rinse your cat well using the jug. Finally, wrap your cat in the towel and gently dry. Some cats may allow you to use a hair dryer on them on a low setting, but this is unusual.

If you really feel your cat will not allow you to bathe him, you can wipe him down with a soft damp cloth or kitty wipes now available.

Trimming your cats claws as part of their grooming is something that needs to be undertaken with care. Many cat owners prefer to have this done at a vets. However, you can purchase special cat claw clippers. Using them yourself does run the risk of cutting your cat and requires patience and a cat you know will keep still.

Starting grooming your cat while young will certainly get him into the routine of being groomed. It is best done when your cat is relaxed and comfortable. It not only builds a bond between you and your cat, but cat grooming can be a relaxing and pleasurable activity  for both cats and their owners.