Cat Grooming 101

If you have a cat, then you’ll know a cat’s grooming habits put even the most glamorous Hollywood star to shame. Skip grooming school and learn how to properly groom your cat from us.

Cats spend a good deal of their waking hours grooming themselves. Of course, even with their natural skills, cats can benefit from a little human help every now and then.

Hair

Regardless whether you have a fancy cat like a Persian or a regular ol’ Shorthair, cats require hair brushing, not only to remove tangles, burs and dander, but to remove that extra hair your cat keeps leaving you in the form of hairballs. To be effective, brushing should be a daily routine for you and your cat. There are plenty of different tools on the market — brushes, combs, gloves, etc. — so choose wisely and ask your friends what works best with their cats.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Tanya W.

7:00AM PST on Feb 19, 2013

Cats ~ love them. I use Greenies to clean my girls teeth. They are cat biscuits that my babies just love.

February 19
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Michele W.

11:00AM PST on Feb 18, 2013

Thank you

February 18
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Danuta W.

1:33AM PST on Nov 6, 2012

Thanks for sharing.

November 6
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Kathy P.

2:52PM PDT on Aug 18, 2012

thanks. i miss my kitty but am so very allergic

August 18
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Dale O.

8:23AM PDT on Jul 31, 2012

Do not agree about bathing a cat, only if the cat has fleas, has gotten dirty by getting terribly muddy or something. Cats unless senile can bathe themselves with a tongue and if not a wet washcloth can often be used instead of a bath. In the rare event a bath is required, I filled the tub close to the cat's neck line, quickly put the cat into the water and most cats preferred this method to a partly filled tub - older cats only, not tiny kittens immersed this way. Unless you have a Turkish Van cat, a breed specifically born with the love of water or an unusual water friendly feline there is little reason for a regular cat bath. Many of the cats owning us went outside but rarely required baths.

Cats nails should be clipped despite what some say every three or four weeks. Often they pull the old sheath off but with many cats, especially older cats the nails can grow right into their paw pads if left unattended. If a cat goes outdoors they may well wear the claw down a little more but keep an eye on the length and avoid cutting the pink quick or a cat will be very, very displeased with you!

Grooming with a cat brush has always been a delight and purrleasure!

July 31
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Hannah M.

9:57AM PDT on Jul 16, 2012

I only get to brush my cat while he's busy eating his dinner. Once fulness sets in though, he realizes I'm brushing him and he gets peeved or walks regally away.

July 16
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agneau M.

1:34PM PDT on Jul 8, 2012

our cat prefers very little, if any, human interaction in this category. nail clipping, teeth brushing, bathing - not going to happen. the look on his face alone is enough to respect his wishes. we've tried "brushing" the old fashioned way - the brush immediately becomes a play toy. a soft flannel cloth or cotton sheet (preferably the one i'm sleeping under, it seems) is the early morning wake-up-smooth-me-down-let's-eat grooming ritual that he enjoys. so we will just stick with that for now.