Grooming Your Cat

No cat wants to be dirty, and it's up to you to keep your cat clean. Grooming is very important as it helps keep your cat clean and healthy. Grooming begins with brushing, as brushing helps prevent the cat's hair from becoming hairballs. Brushing will remove loose hairs and help prevent the risk of hairballs. Many cats have trouble dislodging hairballs. If the cat is unable to extract a hairball, it could lead to a blockage in the intestines. Blockages are very serious and can quickly put your pet's life in danger.

Long-haired cats should be brushed and combed daily, while short-haired cats should be groomed once a week. When brushing your cat, you should always watch out for lumps in the coat and skin irritation. You should start brushing along the cat's back, working from its head to its tail. Do this several times on one side, then switch to the other. Each area should be brushed several times in the direction of your cat's hair growth.

When brushing your cat, you should always avoid brushing her face and paws. If a cat doesn't like being brushed, you can always groom it with another tool. The grooming mitt is a great alternative to the brush, as most cats don't bother with it at all. Starting young is key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming. Some cats who started grooming as kittens end up loving it, many of whom often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, be sure to check its ears, eyes, teeth and claws. His eyes should be bright and clear and nothing lies in the corners. Their ears should be clean, pink in color and have no signs of ear mites. Mites result from accumulated dirt in a cat's ears and can lead to wilting of the ears and loss of hearing in your cat. Mites are very annoying for the cat and difficult for you, the owner, to eliminate. The best way to get rid of them is to keep your cat's ears clean and healthy.

Whenever you groom your cat, you should always aim to take your exams a step further. When your cat stands still, you should always praise it and give it a treat. If your cat is uncooperative and begins to struggle, you shouldn't fight him, but rather let him go and try the next day. Once your cat gets used to the grooming, he will look forward to it every day.