Grooming Products for Cats

Cats are naturally clean animals, and will spend a lot of time grooming themselves. There are times when they can use a helping hand with grooming, and it is important to establish a grooming routine with your cat from a young age. Older cats can have trouble reaching all parts of their body, and so will need to be assisting with their grooming more often than younger cats.

Benefits of Grooming Your Cat

Grooming your cat provides an ideal time for a health check. This check should include the cat’s eyes, ears, mouth and paws. When looking at your cat’s paws pay attention to the gaps between the pads as dirt can become trapped here. The aim of the health check is to look for cuts, lumps and parasites.

Grooming your cat has additional benefits for your cat’s health as it will decrease the amount of hairballs that your cat will have. Grooming will also reduce the amount of unwanted cat hair in your home and on your furniture and clothes. The action of brushing will stimulate circulation, and prevent matted hair from causing pain and skin problems.

Beyond these benefits, grooming is also a good bonding opportunity for you and your cat.

Grooming Technique

Short haired cats should be groomed at least once a week, whilst long hair cats should be groomed daily. You should brush your cat in the direction that their hair grows. If you come across tangles, you should try to untangle them with your fingers or if necessary trim them with blunt ended scissors. Remember to be gentle with your cat, especially when dealing with tangles.

Cats should not need to be bathed often, and they do not always appreciate being bathed. There may however be times when your cat is very dirty or requires a bath for other reasons. In order to loosen dirt and dead hair it is best to comb or brush your cat before their bath. Prepare yourself for getting wet, and if possible ask a friend to assist you. Do not immerse your cat in water; instead use a shower head to rinse them. After washing, dry your cat with a towel.

It is best to introduce cats to grooming at a young age. When you first groom your cat, start by using a very soft brush and focusing on the areas where they like to be touched. Make a fuss of your cat and try to make the experience an enjoyable one. Treats, petting and praise can help your cat to relax. Aim to keep the grooming sessions positive, even if they have to be very short sessions. Try playing with your cat immediately after grooming them, and they may soon start to look forward to the grooming and play session.

Grooming Tools

There are a wide range of grooming tools available, and it is beneficial that you understand what they are used for and which ones you will need.

Slicker brushes are used for removing dead hair from cats. Slicker brushes can be used first when grooming, and then followed by use of a bristle brush.

Bristle brushes are used to provide a smooth finish to the cat’s coat. The bristle brush helps to enhance the shine of the coat.

Glove brushes are rubber pads that fit over your hand, and can make grooming easier as you can groom your cat whilst petting them.

Massage brushes have plastic pins which massage the cat’s skin whilst brushing. This motion will also aid circulation.

Metal combs are available with wide set teeth, or as a fine comb with thinly spaced teeth. The wide comb is for use with long haired cats. The fine tooth comb is ideal for removing dead hair and preventing the fur from becoming matted.

Flea combs are used to remove both fleas and flea eggs. As well as removing the fleas, they can be used as a quick check to see if fleas are present.

Undercoat rakes are designed to remove hairs from the undercoat of cats.

Thinning scissors help to thin out thick areas of fur.

Clippers are used on cats to remove areas of hair that have become too tangled to brush out. They come with different attachments with varying depths of clip.

Nail clippers are made for trimming cat’s nails. It is important not to clip too far up the nail as this will cause bleeding.

Cat grooming wipes are similar to baby wipes, and are used for cleaning small areas of dirt.

Cat shampoo is essential for those times when a bath is necessary. There are a few different types of shampoo available, including antibacterial shampoo, medicated shampoo, detangling shampoo, and dry foam shampoo. Antibacterial and medicated shampoos are designed to help common skin problems. Detangling shampoo helps cat hair to stay in silky condition, and prevent knotting. Dry foam shampoo is made to be used without water and does not need rinsing off. Dry foam shampoo is especially good for use on small spots of dirt.

Cat Grooming Products - Top Shops

These stores are well worth a visit for a decent range of cat grooming tools and equipment at great prices. Just use the links below to browse the grooming ranges.

PetPlanet

A nice selection of cat grooming equipment and tools from PetPlanet. See the range now.