Tips and techniques for grooming your cat

Cats are clean pets and they take good care of their coats. Even wild cats are regular groomers. For the most part, she can take care of herself very well but sometimes she will need help from you. Therefore you should groom your cat regularly.

Grooming your cat will make him look nice. It stimulates circulation and removes dead knots, dirty and loose hairs which prevent unpleasant hairballs in cats. It establishes a bond between you and your cat. The three important ways you can help your cat stay well groomed are bathing, brushing and clipping nails.

 Tips for brushing your cat

Regular brushing will keep your cat’s hair in good condition by spreading natural oils throughout her coat and removing or preventing dirt and tangles. If your cat is long- haired then you should brush her once a day and if your cat is short- haired then she needs to be brushed once a week. While brushing, it’s best to use a special cat brush and other cat grooming tools developed for this purpose.

Brushing technique for short- haired cat

• First, with the help of metal comb, work throughout her fur from head and tail.
• Then use damp cloth or rubber brush to remove loose and dead hair but while brushing her chest and belly, be extra- gentle.

Brushing technique for long- haired cat

• First, comb her belly and legs and be sure to untangle any knots.
• Then brush her fur in an upward direction with a bristle or rubber brush.
• To brush her tail, make a part down the middle and brush the fur out on either side.

Tips for bathing your cat

Bath is the least pleasurable part of grooming for your cat. Shorthaired cats do not need to be bathed until they become very dirty or have any allergies. On the other side, occasional bath will be best for long- haired cats as it prevent build up of grease in them.

 How to make them bath?

• Pour slightly warm water over the coat until it is wet down to the skin.
• Then starting from the cat’s head, gently work in the shampoo from head to tail.
• Rinse thoroughly and wait for a few minutes. Be sure not to pour water directly on the cat’s head.
• At the end, gently pat dry with a large towel.

Tips for clipping nails

You must have noticed your cat chewing his or her toenails. They do this because they want to remove the outer sheath of their claws. Here are some tips that will help you in clipping nails of your cat.

• First, gently apply pressure to the top of the foot as this will cause her to extend her claws.
• Then with the help of nail scissors, cut of the white tip of each nail from just before the point where it starts to curl.
• Do not cut pink area which you can see through the nail as it may start the bleeding.

Things to consider while grooming cat

• You should have proper tools available for grooming of your cat.
• While grooming, make sure that your cat is on a stable surface like the sofa or the floor. Make your cat comfortable while giving him treats.
• Avoid forcible grooming as this can cause stress and grooming will become a bad experience for cat.
• You should introduce grooming to cats at an early age as cats will learn to enjoy this. Therefore you should begin grooming of your cat at age of eight weeks.
• While grooming, check out body language of cat. If she is uncomfortable then she will show signs like skin rippling or twitching.