Persian Cats: Grooming Techniques Part 1

Some type of grooming is essential for the Persian cat. Obviously, a show cat will need more grooming than a pet. If you love the look of a show cat, but do not show, you can still groom to that perfect show look. This is a series of articles that will cover every aspect of typical grooming sessions for a Persian cat, both for show and pet cats.

It is a good idea to have all your grooming supplies in place before you get your Persian kitten. What you will need:

• A gentle slicker brush
• Degreaser especially for cats
• Stain remover
• Shaving cream (used for silvers and goldens)
• Q-tips
• Sharp blade or bikini razor (for silvers and goldens)
• Hemostats or tweezers
• 5” straight scissors, blunt nose scissors or small curved scissors
• Unscented mineral oil (if you are concerned soap will get in kitten’s eyes)
• Small, soft toothbrush
• Tearless shampoo especially for cats
• Small, soft cloth or baby wash cloth
• Towels

First thing to remember when grooming a cat is to stay relaxed. If the Persian cat senses you are nervous, he or she will become nervous as well. Set up a routine and follow the same steps each time. You will be less likely to forget completing a specific task and your cat will learn what is coming next, which may help alleviate nervousness. It is best to groom your Persian cat as quickly and efficiently as possible.

If you show your Persian cat, bathing and a full program of grooming is generally on a weekly basis as well as always before the show. The weekly maintenance bath is fine for a cat not in shows. However, to enjoy the full beauty of a Persian often requires doing the little extras as well. To avoid mats, regular daily brushing is recommended.

A kitten needs to be use to a bath by 8 to 10 weeks of age. The first sessions should be short. As time goes on, gradually advance to more grooming procedures.

Before the bath:

• Lay the Persian cat on his or her stomach on the grooming table
• Apply stain remover to areas where needed
• Apply a degreaser such as Goop to areas where needed (leave this on and allow it to set before the bath)
• Use a gentle slicker brush and begin brushing out the coat

Trim the Nose and Around the Eyes (only for silvers and goldens)

• Trim above the nose leather to reveal the nose liner
• While stain remover and goop or degreaser is soaking, apply a small amount of shaving cream to the nose liner area with your finger or a Q-tip
• Use a sharp blade or bikini razor to gently shave left to right, right to left (the result should be a small, straight, and even line)
• Avoid shaving up to high on the nose
• Use hemostats or tweezers to gently remove black whiskers from the face, pull one whisker at a time and try to grasp close to the roots without getting other hairs
• Stand from behind and to the side of the Persian cat
• Hold the cat’s head with one hand, and carefully trim around the eyes, using 5” straight scissors, remove longer strands of hairs and eyelashes (the result should: Wider and more open appearing eyes
• Caution: Do not trim around the eyes while standing in front of the cat
• Blunt nose scissors or small curved scissors may be substituted for the 5” straight scissors for cutting around the eyes

Follow the link in resource box of this article for a full page of all parts of these grooming techniques articles.

Continued in Part 2

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