Cat Grooming

Grooming is caring

Kittens start grooming themselves when they are about three weeks old. Grooming is exceedingly important for a cat.

Cat grooming helps improve vitamin D intake from the sun’s rays. Cat grooming helps to keep the fur free of dirt and foreign particles.

Grooming your cat is very important, as its biggest threat is hairballs.  A lot of cats have trouble removing hairballs.

Normally a cat will vomit the hairballs.

If the cat isn’t able to get a hairball out, it could cause in a blockage of the intestines and become a severe health problem.

Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

Grooming your cat starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs.

Brushing will do away with loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs.

How to brush your cat

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis.

For cats with short hair it is sufficient to be groomed on a weekly basis.

When you brush your cat, you should check for lumps in the coat and skin irritations.

Start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail.

Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.

Always brush in the direction of the way your cat’s hair is growing.

Do not brush a cat’s face or paws.

What if your cat doesn’t like being groomed?

If your cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can try grooming him using another gizmo.

The grooming glove is a superb alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all.

Start grooming your cat as early as possible, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming.

Cats that have experienced being groomed by humans when they were only kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

Every time you groom your cat, you may try to go a bit further with your inspections.

If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try again later.

Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it and stay calm and relaxed while being groomed.

Why your cat starts grooming itself after you finshed grooming

Do not feel offended if your cat starts grooming itself right after you have finished grooming.  This is perfectly normal.

One reason may be that your cat needs to apply its own scent after being handled by humans. Odors are extremely important in the cat world.

During hot weather a cat may groom itself more often. This is because cats don’t have sweat glands all over their bodies as humans have.

Cats may lick their fur to leave as much saliva on its fur as possible. This works similar to our sweat glands with its function of cooling down the skin.

Make it a habit to groom your cat on a regular basis. Your cat will avoid ingesting a lot of loose hair. It will contribute to keeping your cat healthier and more content.