How to Keep Your Cat Clean
Groom your cat’s coat as often as necessary., Comb your cat’s coat in the direction of the hair growth., Brush your cat’s coat using a firm-bristled brush., Understand that failure to groom your cat’s coat will result in knots and tangles., Undo...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Groom your cat’s coat as often as necessary.
Long haired cats need daily grooming, while short-haired cats need to be combed and brushed roughly three to four times a week.
Grooming helps to remove loose hair so that this ‘shed hair’ does not begin to form knots.
Grooming your cat regularly can also help you to find knots early so that they can be brushed out more easily. -
Step 2: Comb your cat’s coat in the direction of the hair growth.
To groom a cat, start by combing the cat’s fur.
Use the same technique you would use to comb your own hair; make sure that the comb reaches down to the skin and is dragged along the length of your cat’s hair.
Work methodically; perhaps start at the head and work your way to the tail, combing sections at a time.
Make sure that you comb your cat’s hair in the direction that is grows naturally.
To determine what way your cat’s hair lies, run your hand along your cat’s back from her head to her tail.
You should see that her hair smoothes down under your hand, which means that this is the way her hair grows.
Now run your hand from her tail to her head; you should see that her hair sticks up, which means this is not the way the hair grows.
If you are gentle and do not tug on the hair, most cats tolerate or even enjoy being combed. , Use a brush with firm bristles or short metal prongs to brush your cat’s hair.
Again, work from the head down towards the tail, brushing the surface of the coat and gathering shed hair on the brush.
Don’t forget to brush your cat’s tummy as well. , If your cat’s coat in not regularly groomed, both short and long haired cats can gets knots.
Of these, short haired cats get knots that are easier to deal with.
The tangles are caused when dead hairs are not shed but retained in the coat.
This chokes up the fur, which then felts together and form lumps.
These lumps can be felt as knobbles, and may appear as dull, almost dusty looking patches.
Knots and tangles are completely avoidable with regular grooming. , If your short-haired cat has clumps in her coat, these knots can usually be loosened, teased apart and then combed out.
To brush away the lump, start near the hair tips and pluck at the lump as if trying to divide it in two.
Keep working away at the lump in this manner until the knot is no longer dense but has started to be teased open.
At this stage you may be able to pluck out clumps of dead hair.
If not, use the comb to further separate the clumps and comb out the retained hair causing the knot. , Long-haired cats generally develop more serious knots.
Long-haired cats have fur that is soft, which causes the mats and knots that form to become more dense.
Small knots can sometimes be groomed out by inserting the comb between the skin and knot and pulling gently until the knot gives way and comes away from the skin on the comb. , It is very easy to accidentally cut your cat’s skin when trying to cut out a knot because the skin often gets puckered up inside the knot.
Never cut a knot unless you can slide the teeth of a comb between your cat’s skin and the knot, and then cut above the comb.
If you have access to clippers, use them rather than scissors.
Run the clipper blade parallel to your cat’s skin, and make sure to never dig the clipper into the skin.
If you are not sure what you are about to cut, stop. , Some long-haired cats become so matted that their coat forms a cocoon like shell over their bodies.
These cats need to be professionally clipped out by a groomer.
If your cat is aggressive or feisty, you may need to bring her to a vet to be sedated while the vet clips away all of her mats. , Some older cats forget to groom themselves and their coats become starry and unkempt.
It is essential that you comb and brush your old kitty every day to make sure that no knots develop.
If your old cat is not washing herself, get some cotton balls wet and wipe these water-logged cotton balls along your cat’s coat.
Pay special attention to her face.
This will keep your cat’s coat clean and fresh, and will help your old cat to feel better about herself. -
Step 3: Brush your cat’s coat using a firm-bristled brush.
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Step 4: Understand that failure to groom your cat’s coat will result in knots and tangles.
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Step 5: Undo knots and tangles in short-haired cats.
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Step 6: Deal with knots and tangles in long-haired cats.
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Step 7: Be very wary about cutting out knots.
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Step 8: Take long-haired cats to a professional groomer if their coats are completely matted.
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Step 9: Pay special attention to older cats.
Detailed Guide
Long haired cats need daily grooming, while short-haired cats need to be combed and brushed roughly three to four times a week.
Grooming helps to remove loose hair so that this ‘shed hair’ does not begin to form knots.
Grooming your cat regularly can also help you to find knots early so that they can be brushed out more easily.
To groom a cat, start by combing the cat’s fur.
Use the same technique you would use to comb your own hair; make sure that the comb reaches down to the skin and is dragged along the length of your cat’s hair.
Work methodically; perhaps start at the head and work your way to the tail, combing sections at a time.
Make sure that you comb your cat’s hair in the direction that is grows naturally.
To determine what way your cat’s hair lies, run your hand along your cat’s back from her head to her tail.
You should see that her hair smoothes down under your hand, which means that this is the way her hair grows.
Now run your hand from her tail to her head; you should see that her hair sticks up, which means this is not the way the hair grows.
If you are gentle and do not tug on the hair, most cats tolerate or even enjoy being combed. , Use a brush with firm bristles or short metal prongs to brush your cat’s hair.
Again, work from the head down towards the tail, brushing the surface of the coat and gathering shed hair on the brush.
Don’t forget to brush your cat’s tummy as well. , If your cat’s coat in not regularly groomed, both short and long haired cats can gets knots.
Of these, short haired cats get knots that are easier to deal with.
The tangles are caused when dead hairs are not shed but retained in the coat.
This chokes up the fur, which then felts together and form lumps.
These lumps can be felt as knobbles, and may appear as dull, almost dusty looking patches.
Knots and tangles are completely avoidable with regular grooming. , If your short-haired cat has clumps in her coat, these knots can usually be loosened, teased apart and then combed out.
To brush away the lump, start near the hair tips and pluck at the lump as if trying to divide it in two.
Keep working away at the lump in this manner until the knot is no longer dense but has started to be teased open.
At this stage you may be able to pluck out clumps of dead hair.
If not, use the comb to further separate the clumps and comb out the retained hair causing the knot. , Long-haired cats generally develop more serious knots.
Long-haired cats have fur that is soft, which causes the mats and knots that form to become more dense.
Small knots can sometimes be groomed out by inserting the comb between the skin and knot and pulling gently until the knot gives way and comes away from the skin on the comb. , It is very easy to accidentally cut your cat’s skin when trying to cut out a knot because the skin often gets puckered up inside the knot.
Never cut a knot unless you can slide the teeth of a comb between your cat’s skin and the knot, and then cut above the comb.
If you have access to clippers, use them rather than scissors.
Run the clipper blade parallel to your cat’s skin, and make sure to never dig the clipper into the skin.
If you are not sure what you are about to cut, stop. , Some long-haired cats become so matted that their coat forms a cocoon like shell over their bodies.
These cats need to be professionally clipped out by a groomer.
If your cat is aggressive or feisty, you may need to bring her to a vet to be sedated while the vet clips away all of her mats. , Some older cats forget to groom themselves and their coats become starry and unkempt.
It is essential that you comb and brush your old kitty every day to make sure that no knots develop.
If your old cat is not washing herself, get some cotton balls wet and wipe these water-logged cotton balls along your cat’s coat.
Pay special attention to her face.
This will keep your cat’s coat clean and fresh, and will help your old cat to feel better about herself.
About the Author
Jerry Murray
Specializes in breaking down complex organization topics into simple steps.
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