Cat Grooming 101

Learn the Basics of Keeping Your Kitty Pretty

Whether your cat has long hair or short, grooming is a necessity: not only for cosmetic reasons, but also as part of a healthy maintenance program. You can avoid many hairball issues, stimulate your cat’s blood flow to the skin and hair growth, and most importantly, spend some good bonding time, by grooming your pet on a regular basis.

Regular grooming habits should be established early. However, if you’ve just brought your kitten home,
wait a couple of weeks for him or her to settle in before you embark on a new experience. 
Before you begin, here’s a list of standard grooming equipment that you’ll need:

If you have a longhaired cat, you’ll need to set up a grooming routine that includes a thorough brushing every day and a bath every month or two. Contrary to popular belief, shorthaired cats need regular grooming too: brushing 2-3 times per week and a bath every two months. We’ll start with the shorthaired grooming process:

  Grooming a Shorthaired Cat 

1. Place your rubber mat on a surface that is waist-level, such as a table or countertop, so that you don’t have to strain your back. Lay your cat on the rubber mat, facing away from you, and take a firm grip on the scruff of his or her neck. Hold your cat just tight enough so that he/she doesn't escape but don’t grip them tight enough to bruise.
   
   
2. Using the slicker brush, begin at your cat’s head and slowly work your way to the tail. Brush your cat all over, but be careful around sensitive areas such as the ears and tummy.
   
   
3. Using your fine-tooth comb, repeat the process. This will remove any dirt and undercoat that was loosened during the first brushing.
   
   
4. When you’re finished combing, run your hands over your cat’s coat to so that it will lay flat. This portion of the grooming is soothing, but serves the added purpose of detecting any parasites, injuries, or unusual lumps that can be a sign of illness. Some groomers also recommend ending your grooming session with a rubdown using some type of velvet material or chamois cloth. This should give your cat’s coat a nice, glossy sheen.
   
   
5. After your kitty is relaxed and shiny-smooth, move on to the nails. Carefully, working on one paw at a time, clip the nails with the guillotine-style clippers. If you’re more comfortable with them, you can also use large toenail clippers (the people kind). Don’t trim the nails too short, since just taking the sharp tips off is all that is necessary. If by accident you do cut too short and your cat begins to bleed, reassure him or her and dip your cat’s paw into a jar of styptic powder or cornstarch to stem the flow.
   
   
6. As a final step, use a damp cotton ball to wipe your cat’s eyes free of any regular discharge (out of the ordinary discharge should be checked by a vet). Clean his or her teeth with toothpaste and toothbrush designed specially for cats and last, make sure their ears are dirt-free. Don’t attempt to use a Q-tip or go any further into your cat’s ear than what you can immediately see, as you can cause serious damage – stick to a regular cotton ball, just to be safe.

Grooming a longhaired cat takes a little more time and patience, as well as a couple of extra steps. You’ll have to take special care not to get your brush tangled in your cat’s fur, as this can cause you to get scratched and your cat to develop a dislike of the grooming process. After you’ve got your kitty settled on the rubber mat, gripping the scruff firmly, continue with the following steps:

  Grooming a Longhaired Cat 

1. Sprinkle your cat’s fur with a little bit of cornstarch and work it in with your fingers. This will loosen up any tangles in the making. While doing this, check your cat’s fur for any knots that have already formed. You’ll need to remove them with a pair of rounded scissors, but make sure that another person is available to hold him or her and you’ll avoid accidental nicks and cuts.
   

2. Just as with a shorthaired cat, use your brush (the pin brush this time) and begin at your cat’s head, working back toward the tail.

3. After you finish brushing, follow up with a wide-tooth comb. Section by section, work the comb gently from the tail, back to the head to remove all of the loosened fur. It will take time and patience for you to brush his or her tummy, but until you’ve reached that point, another person should be available to help.

4. Taking the pin brush again, begin at the head and brush back to the tail to flatten the coat. Smooth the fur with a chamois cloth, if you choose, and then move on to the face, teeth and nails.

If you find that your new kitten resists the grooming routine, shorten the grooming sessions to give him or her time to adjust. Older cats, if unused to grooming, will take much more time and patience, but with plenty of encouragement, will soon grow to enjoy the process.