Cat Grooming Tips

Most people that own cats don抰 think too much about grooming their cats, since they know that they take care of it by themselves, by licking their chests, back or paws.

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When the cat has short hair, they usually have no problems grooming themselves, without any help from their human owners. The same can抰 be said about Persian cats or other species with long hair.

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Besides keeping the cat clean, grooming will also help with the removal of hair which is loose. If you don抰 use the comb on the cat抯 fur, all that loose hair will go the stomach of the cat. Because digesting hair doesn抰 happen with ease, it will usually form hairballs inside the stomach, which the cat will cough up. Sometimes though, they can have health issues because of these hairballs.

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You might believe that cats don抰 like being groomed by someone else, but they might actually enjoy being brushed. Getting a cat used with grooming is easier if you start doing it when it抯 still a kitten.

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To groom a cat, comb or lightly brush through the coat of the cat, going from the neck to the tail, by following the fur抯 lie. Don抰 do it against the lie, since the cat will not enjoy that at all. He might get irritated, and if this happens stop the brushing and help him relax by playing with him for a bit. His paws and face shouldn抰 be groomed with the comb or the brush, as he will probably not enjoy that.

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If your cat doesn抰 enjoy brushing, a grooming glove might be a better fit for her. You simply stroke the cat while wearing this glove, so the bits and dirt from the fur will be removed, just like a brush would do it.

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The grooming process should also include checking the ears and the eyes. You should see clean ears and bright eyes, with no discharges. Ear mites are a definite possibility if the cat抯 ears are very dirty. If she has ear mites, she might suffer permanent damage to the ears, so take the cat do a vet, to make sure she抯 OK.

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When the hair is long, grooming the cat can be difficult, especially if the fur becomes matted. In this case, you should just cut the parts that are matted, if the cat lets you do it.

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Most people think that cats should take care of their own fur, but a little bit of grooming from their owners can help the cat to avoid potential health problems.

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