Cat grooming: caring for the health and beauty of the animal

Grooming cats is often not a whim of their owners. In most cases, cat grooming is about caring for the health of the animal. But sometimes kitty owners want to improve their appearance in this way. Why not?

If you want to look at crazy cat haircuts, we recommend checking out this article

A haircut is necessary if the matted fur tightens the cat's skin, causing it pain and discomfort. As a result, the cat may become nervous and not allow itself to be petted.

• 2 How often should you get a haircut?
• 3 What do you need to know before grooming a cat?
• 4 Types of cat haircuts

  4.1 Hygienic haircut

• 4.2 Model haircuts

Types of fashionable haircuts

a lion

The hairstyle is perfect for Maine Coons, Siberian, Norwegian Forest or Persian cats.

The body hair is cut short. The covering on the head, chest and neck is left long, and hair is removed from the limbs to the joints. A tassel or herringbone remains at the end of the tail.

This haircut is done for hot weather or to reduce the amount of hair on the floor.

Puma

Selected for British Longhair, Himalayan, Burmese or Ragdoll cats.

The coat is shortened only on the back half of the body. The covering on the head, tail, paws and chest is not touched.

The Dragon

This hairstyle is created for aesthetic reasons. Suitable for all long-haired cats.

The pet's body is cut short, except for the head. A carved ridge with steps, teeth or stripes is formed on the back along the line of the spine. Sometimes, instead of a crest, mohawks are created.

Kitty

This haircut will help cats survive the hot period. The hairstyle also reduces the number of tangles and the amount of shedding.

Long hair throughout the body is cut to the length of short-haired breeds. The animal looks younger and does not suffer under a hot fur coat.

Puss in Boots

The hairstyle looks like a lion. The head, the tip of the tail, and the paws below the joints remain uncut. There is no “mane” with this hairstyle.

Suitable for plush cats: British, Scottish fold.

Why do you need to cut your cat's hair?

The main reason why a cat needs a haircut is mats.

They can cause serious harm to the animal's health.

• Firstly, the matted fur tightens the kitty's skin, causing it pain and discomfort. As a result, the cat may become nervous and not allow itself to be petted.
• Secondly, in places where tangles form, blood flow and heat exchange are disrupted. Naturally, such conditions are ideal for the proliferation of all kinds of pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The animal's skin may become very inflamed, itchy and flaky.

This article will tell you what to do if your cat’s hair falls out and bald spots form.

During daily licking, cats eat a lot of their fur, which can harm their digestion. To avoid problems, regular grooming of cats is necessary.

• Thirdly, a kitty may try so hard to get rid of tangles on her own that she will injure herself. A side effect of such diligence can also be eating a large amount of wool, which becomes a lump in the stomach, causing vomiting or, even worse, clogging the passages in the digestive tract. In the latter case, you cannot do without the help of a veterinarian. A cat also eats a lot of fur when shedding. During these periods, it is also recommended to groom your beauty and comb her with a furminator .
• Fourthly, due to age, the cat may not be able to take good care of its fur. In this case, tangles can appear literally every week, and the old kitty’s coat will look untidy.

Another reason why cats are cut is due to various skin diseases of the animal. In some cases, a cat's haircut is necessary because its owner is allergic to fur.

We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with the list of hypoallergenic cat breeds in the article

- A haircut? No, I haven't heard

Creative haircut

There are no clear rules here. Everything is limited by the imagination of the owner or groomer. You can create any pattern from wool: make waves, stripes, twisted lines. Moreover, the patterns can be on the body or tail or everywhere at once.

The groomer can offer to cut any shape: bow, stars, etc.

Before you decide on such a haircut, think about whether you really need it. The animal doesn't really need patterns. Shortening the length will be enough for him. It often happens that creative grooming disfigures the appearance, you will have to get used to the strange appearance of your pet.

Features of grooming

The concept of cat grooming combines the care of fur, eyes, ears, claws, and intimate hygiene of the animal. Grooming cats differs only in the frequency of washing (most breeds are not recommended to bathe frequently).

The most basic grooming procedures include:

• ear care – depending on the specific breed, the frequency ranges from 1 to 4 times a month;
• eye care, especially for the Persian breed due to the structural features of the head;
• fur around the muzzle if dirt appears when eating;
• cleaning gums and teeth (removing plaque and tartar);

The procedures and frequency of their implementation differ depending on the breed, conditions of detention, and physiological characteristics of the animal. In other words, grooming is not only a haircut, during which excess or too long hair is removed from a cat. This is a full range of hygiene and cosmetic measures for your pet.

Required Tools

Preparing for a haircut involves washing the cat if the fur is heavily soiled. You also need to arm yourself with certain tools. To cut a cat's hair, you need to prepare the following in advance:

• a high, stable surface, such as a table;
• fabric on which the animal is laid so that its paws do not slide on the surface;
• two pairs of regular scissors of different lengths and thinning scissors;
• cat clipper;
• miniature trimmer for cutting hair in hard-to-reach places (ears, paw pads);
• professional hair dryer with tripod;
• nail clipper;
• tangle cutter;
• massage brushes with natural bristles and a slicker brush;
• a set of combs for combing with frequent and rare teeth, as well as with rotating teeth;
• a first aid kit for disinfecting wounds that may be caused during the process;
• shampoo for animals.

The choice of tools is determined primarily by the quality and long hair of the animal. Before starting the procedure, scissors must be disinfected so as not to introduce infection into the wound when cutting.

Trimming excess hair with scissors.

Procedure technology

There must be preparation before cutting. The animal must be clean and free of visible dirt. Shampoo and conditioner are selected specially, approved by veterinarians. Human products negatively affect animal skin by drying it out too much. It is better to bathe the animal a couple of days before the expected date of haircut, so as not to further traumatize the pet’s psyche.

Grooming a cat is one of the grooming procedures. Typically, these animals take care of most of the hygiene by licking their hair. But for some breeds, especially those with hair longer than 3 cm, this is not enough. They need special care, which includes:

• regular brushing;
• removing tangles from wool;
• a haircut.

Most pet owners do this on their own; there is a special set of rules on how to trim a cat’s hair at home:

• Ensure good fixation. It is better to hold it lying down and hold it by the front and hind legs so that the pet does not break out of your hands.
• Using scissors, you need to remove tangles, and then remove excess hair on the sides and back. A dog and cat clipper is best suited for this.
• When cutting fur from the belly, it is important to carefully bypass the animal's nipples. It is better to remove hair in intimate places in advance, first with scissors, then with a machine. The skin of the animal is very thin, it is easy to hurt, you should not pull the cat's skin.
• The last thing to do is trim the paws.
• It is not necessary to cut your head, you can just give it a shape. Special thinning scissors are suitable for this.

If the cat experiences stress or nervousness, the procedure can be divided into several stages. This will save the animal from suffering and the person from possible scratches. When finished, wash the cat or remove hairs with a damp cloth. If this is done in winter or autumn, when the apartment is cool, it is better to dry the animal with a hairdryer or towel so that the pet does not catch a cold or get pneumonia.

Grooming a cat at home.

Tips for beginners

There are some tips on how to trim your cat's hair at home quickly and safely.

1. Do not use short blades to avoid damaging the skin.
2. The minimum blade length should be 0.5 mm.
3. A person should not be afraid of the procedure, be confident in himself, since pets are sensitive to the mood of their owner and nervousness from a person will be transmitted to the pet itself.
4. When cutting long-haired breeds, scissors are often ineffective; you will need a special cat clipper.
5. You should not cut your hair too short; this can disrupt heat regulation processes, which will lead to health problems.
6. The cat clipper should not overheat during the process and it is better to choose models with mains power. They are more powerful and can last much longer than their battery-powered counterparts.

Interesting read: How long can cats sleep?

An urgent need

We may or may not like trimmed cats - the photos only show the external side of the issue. Often, haircuts are dictated by urgent needs: mats, skin diseases, gastrointestinal ailments, old age of the animal, or allergies of the owner.

Of course, most often the need to visit a groomer arises among owners of long-haired cats.

Fashion industry for cats

Model haircuts for cats, photos of which are published on their websites by animal beauty salons and groomers, of course, often look quite exotic and shocking. These are the requirements of the current fashion industry, which, of course, does not forget about our smaller brothers.

Of course, because eccentric owners are ready to give any money to make their pet look like them. For such people, their own hairstyles are as important as the cats' haircuts - the photo of the pussy on the owner's page on the social network must correspond to the rest of the atmosphere of luxury and glamor!

Golden mean?

In general, this procedure of grooming cats is not such a bad procedure: photos of Siberian, Angora, Norwegian cats, ragdolls and other breeds show that the owners do not neglect it. It is unlikely that all these people are fools or monsters who abuse their pets.

Most likely, in this matter, as in any other, you need to look for a middle ground, choosing between the benefits and possible negative consequences of a haircut. We are confident that you will make the right choice!

Svetlana Mosolova