injury to their skin.
Teeth of combs are set together in a fine (meaning close), medium, or coarse pattern. Medium to coarse combs work well for long-haired cats, while the medium to fine ones work best for short-haired breeds. Here is something – there are special gloves that you can wear called “cat gloves” for the grooming session that short-haired cats tend to enjoy a lot. They have inset rubber nubs in the palm area that both smooth the fur and remove loose hair. These are a favorite of cats because the action seems like you are simply petting them. Make it a routine. Your goal is that the cat learns to expect and relish the experience. Daily brushing is recommended for all cats during the shedding seasons, (spring and summer) especially important for long-haired cats, and if there are changes in the house that could cause stress for your cat. Stress felt by felines causes excessive shedding. For short- haired cats, grooming a few times a week may be enough to make a difference in how much fur gets swallowed, but you’ll want to feel this out.
I n this week’s episode of Raising Your Paws, I talked about cat hairballs, why and how they are formed, the two ways your cat gets rid of them, and the best thing to do to greatly reduce how often your cat has hairballs. Prevent your cat from swallowing the hair in the first place which is what happens as they clean themselves. You do this by becoming a partner in grooming. No, I don’t mean you have to start licking their fur along with them; you will be combing and brushing them to remove a lot of the shed fur so that it cuts down on what they could consume. Since this is going to be a new life long practice, (remember, you don’t like hairballs and tell yourself it will be worth the time
investment) you’ll want your cat to have positive feelings about the whole brushing and combing experience and actually like it, so to make sure this will be a resounding success, follow these tips. Pick the right equipment. Purchase quality grooming tools, meaning the correct kind of combs and brushes. Kittens and cats have very sensitive skin so you need to buy combs that have smooth and rounded teeth such as Teflon coated combs or ones with rolling teeth which glide more easily through the fur, and won’t pull. For brushes, make sure the bristles or nubs are soft enough not to scratch the skin but firm enough to reach through the fur. Avoid combs and brushes with teeth that are sharply pointed. It won’t be a pleasant experience for your cat and could cause
Try to pick the same general time of day
Missouri Pet Breeders Association | Page 34
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog