The cat and the water have always been enemies. Our lovely pet cats much prefer to wash themselves. Every day, in fact, they usually groom themselves and dedicate a lot of their time to this activity. This is why it is very rare to hear from people who bathe their cat. And yet, getting your cat used to bathing from an early age, after the entire cycle of cat vaccinations, is useful. In fact, to remove stubborn dirt, make the greasy hair shine or for other reasons that can be linked to pharmacological treatments, the cat must learn to be washed so that it does not suffer trauma.
As for dogs, some cat breeds such as the Persian, the Angora, the Norwegian cat or the MaineCoon, which have mainly the longest hair, suffer from the heat in the summer and it is common for knots to form in the fur which is why it is revealed. sometimes necessary to shorten it.
Cats love to be clean and have their coat well-groomed otherwise they can be stressed too. Therefore, clipping it helps to strengthen the bond with the owner to whom it will give more confidence. However, it is good to know that cats, like dogs, should only be shorn when their fur is intractable due to knots or has particularly resistant dirt and there are no other solutions.
Get your cat used to getting shorn
From an early age it is good to accustom the cat to being handled, touched and brushed. In this way, accepting more easily to get clipped when he is an adult.
brush the cat to remove excess dead hair to prevent hair from forming hairballs
later when it is still a puppy, shear the cat before summer so that it gets to know the machine
If the cat is an adult and has never been shorn, it is good to arm yourself with patience and proceed gently and carefully. Always handle the machine so as not to harm the cat if it fidgets or tries to escape.
The cat’s fur
Cat hair comes in different types. The undercoat is short and soft and provides body insulation. However, not all breeds, like dogs, have an undercoat. This is followed by the bristles which are slightly longer and bristly hairs and finally the dominant hairs or primary hairs which are longer and more visible in the coat.
The cat can be longhaired, semi -longhaired and shorthaired.
The fur protects the cat not only from insects and parasites or from dirt but works as a thermoregulation.
What it takes to shear the cat
Prepare a room with all that is needed for the care and shearing of the cat. The space must be quite large and indoors, so that the cat cannot run away.
Useful tools for cat grooming
scissors of different sizes
tea towels, towel
brushes
special razor
combs.
Bathe the cat
Before shearing the cat, it is necessary to give them a bath. Prepare everything you need in advance, so as not to stress the animal when bathing. On this occasion, you can also proceed to cut the nails, thus avoiding that the cat does not hurt if it scratches.
After washing the cat, dry it well with a towel to remove even the dead hair.
Comb the cat
Proceed with combing the cat, in order to remove and untangle the tangles of hair, without using scissors. It is a fundamental step with which to facilitate the moment of shearing.
Shorten the cat’s coat
Proceed with cutting the hair, shortening it as much as possible, using scissors and not a razor. In this case, you will need scissors of different sizes depending on where the hair is shortened.
For the more delicate points such as ears, genitals and breasts there are scissors with rounded tips.
Shearing the cat
At this point, the cat is ready to be shorn. With the clipper, the cut will be drastic. It is important that in this phase, the hair is not too long, otherwise, the clipper could be dangerous.
How to use the clipper or razor?
The razor and clipper must be used exclusively on the body of the fact: from the neck to the tail, avoiding sensitive areas such as ears, muzzle where there are many blood vessels.
movements must be straight and linear
don’t press too hard against the skin
proceed calmly, avoiding frightening the cat, perhaps with the sound of the razor
make light passes, passing again after checking the cut with subsequent passes. In some you can even continue another day, without forcing the animal
insist in some areas such as the tail
keep the same length all over the body
the head must not be touched. In case, use the scissors to shorten the hair in that area as in the other sensitive parts
Reward the cat at the end of shearing so that you associate it with a greedy snack.
Shearing the cat: sometimes it is wrong
Not everyone agrees in shearing the cat as not only the cat’s hair is thermoregulator. Shearing exposes the cat to numerous risks such as sun burns, insect bites. The animal can also create micro-lesions by licking or scratching in some places. Furthermore, the hair slowly grows back and therefore the cat risks being in the winter, exposed to the cold.
To keep the coat in order, without going to the drastic shearing, remember to brush the cat with the long hair weekly and daily in the period of the moult, helping to remove the dead hair and the impurities that can create tangles.
In the event that the cat gives problems both at the time of bathing and shearing, consult the veterinarian. Better to avoid putting too much stress on the animal or causing trauma.
