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.

Lanie L.

5:32PM PST on Dec 4, 2011

Please, NEVER give your cat a bath and let it outdoors too soon when it's cold! I heard a tragic story while I was volunteering at an animal shelter. A beautiful Persian cat was given a bath, not yet fully dry, let out, the temperature went down, the kitty got hypothermia and passed away.. If the cats coat gets wet from a bath, or the rain, and it cannot get dry, hypothermia will set in very soon..

send a green star

Vicky P.

10:27AM PST on Nov 27, 2011

made me smile, interesting article

Diana W.

2:41AM PST on Nov 19, 2011

Meow.
I've had a couple of cats that didn't mind the water so much, but smell of flea shampoos were cause for a fight.

Beverly G.

4:19PM PST on Nov 16, 2011

EVELINA you are so right DONT CUT CATS CLAWS they scratch them off for themselves. agree.

Evelina Z.

9:07AM PDT on Nov 4, 2011

Don't cut your cat's nails. Just teach it where to scratch its nails, and simply play with it carefully.
Otherwise, all the rest are fine :)

Donna R.

8:50AM PDT on Nov 3, 2011

I'm sorry, I found this article lacking. I could sum the info up in one sentence - Groom hair, nails, and teeth and call Vet for directions. On the other hand, it did enable some pretty informative comments.

Muriel S.

10:17AM PDT on Oct 31, 2011

Noted ... and smiled.

rene d.

1:54AM PDT on Oct 31, 2011

my friend's cat love it when I come round. It's almost like she knows its brush time.

Past Member .

7:23PM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

Good advice.

Douglas J.

6:12PM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

Hello fellow cat lovers....ahhh the great debate, to bath or not to bath? If for any reason your furry friend needs a little sprucing up..... try this, it works for my cat and she hates bathing.

I place a towel in my empty bath tub, ( this gives the cat something to sink her claws into) I then ladle from a bucket of
warm water onto my cat starting at the neck( If your reason for the bath is fleas, starting at the neck stops the fleas from escaping into your cats ears) I then shampoo my cat in the disguise of a massage and thoroughly rinse her off. Bundle her or him up in a nice fluffy warm towel and presto(well almost) a nice happy(well almost) clean cat.

Trying to place my cat into a tub of water is asking for trouble but she does allow me to wash her (without to much of a fuss) in the manner described above.