Grooming For A Beautiful Cat Coat

Leonard da Vinci said, �The smallest feline is a masterpiece�. Having a cat is like having a living sculpture. You, as a cat owner, want to keep that masterpiece beautiful, clean and tangle free!

Grooming is important for your cat’s his health and well being. If you already own a cat you know that grooming is an essential part of his life. Cats constantly groom themselves. Watch a mother cat with her kittens. She is constantly licking them and cleaning them. Sometimes she has to hold them down to get those ticklish places!

Although your cat grooms himself, he still needs help from you. Grooming is something you can do at home with good cat brushes. Good cat brushes remove hair that your cat might ingest as they lick themselves. This helps prevent hair balls. Grooming allows you to check for lumps, bumps, and other abnormalities that may need medical attention.
Both long and short haired cats need grooming. The type of hair and density of your cat's coat determine daily grooming or weekly grooming. This also influences which cat brush to buy. An average short haired cat needs brushing weekly while a long haired cat needs it more often- sometimes even daily! It is especially important during those seasonal changes (spring and winter) as the old coat is shedding and the new coat is growing in. You may need several types of cat brushes to accommodate his changing coat. A de- shedding tool works very well to remove the old coat quickly and efficiently.

Your cat may prefer one type of cat brush to another. On the short haired cat, try a stiff bristled cat brush. This will probably be sufficient. Try a cat brush with long and widely spaced bristles on the long haired cat. A steel comb also works well on longer fur.

Have on hand a flea comb to use as well, if you find the characteristic �white and black’ grit left by fleas. If you see, the tell-tale black and white �grit’ from fleas as you are grooming your cat, use your flea comb to comb them out! To kill the fleas that your flea comb brings out, dip the flea comb into a container with flea shampoo. If you don’t trap and kill them, you will only transfer them from your cat to your carpet! Click here put this link here: http://www.pet-dog.com/Pet-Supplies/pc/showsearchresults.asp?pageStyle=H&resultCnt=21&keyword=flea+shampoo

To start the grooming process, place your cat in a work area which you can easily clean. Gently pet your cat to relax him and reassure him with your voice. Gently brush the cat with long seeps on the back and tail. Use short choppy, outward, and upward motion on the ruff, belly and pantaloons (long hair behind the legs). Cats don’t usually like their bellies rubbed so be gently but persistent like the mother cat. Pay attention to the hair between the body and legs. This is where the hard lumps of matted hair -�cots’form . A cat slicker brush will help trap hair. Use it first and then follow with a soft bristled brush for a soft and shiny cat coat.

If your cat doesn’t like cat brushes you can always use a grooming mitt or glove. The grooming mitt fits on your hand like a glove. The grooming mitt allows you to groom him while you pet him. The grooming mitt removes the loose hair while massaging your cat.
After you are finished grooming with the cat brush, gently work your fingers through the fur to feel for lumps or matted hair. Sometimes the cat brushes and combs will not find matted hair. Gently work the matted fur loose with your fingers. If you can’t work them out with your fingers, use small sharp scissors to cut them lose. Warning: Be very careful not to cut the skin. If the fur is very matted, take your cat to a professional animal groomer!
�There’s no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat.� Wesley Bates. Grooming your feline sculpture will keep him healthy, beautiful and tangle free!
Julee Wing
3653 Nicklesville Rd Ne
Resaca, Ga 30735
Fox-wing2@msn.com