When it comes to cat grooming, people don’t always recognise that a cat may at times need the same level of grooming care as a dog. This is especially true when cats have long fluffy coats with double coated hair and fur. Some cats such as the Siberian cat are even triple coated, providing them with the extra warmth they would normally require within their natural habitat. Older cats need care and support to remove old hair, grease and grime from their coats. Apart from all this, cats love to be cared for and to be clean, making this part of cat care and cat ownership important and essential to their comfort and well-being.
Cat grooming can even include bathing with shampoos designed for a cat. Cats are known to absorb more through their skin than dogs do when being groomed, therefore they need specific products suited to a cat’s biology. Certain products can be harmful for cats, and they are very sensitive to things like parabens, sulphates and some essential oils such as tea tree oil. Although the Elswick Cattery is not a full grooming facility, it is important that we understand these things should the need arise for any grooming needs of your cat, and to have an overall understanding of safe grooming techniques.
We at Elswick Cattery have experience in caring for the grooming needs of your cats. Different cat breeds have different needs in terms of grooming depending of their coats. Short hairs, such as the British short hair, a Siamese, or the short haired Persian cat, would generally need a fine-tooth comb in order to remove loose dead hair that can become matted if not shed properly. Although cats are known to spend some time grooming themselves, a lot of cats who live together, work together by grooming each other, relying upon the care of those around them to support their seemingly never-ending grooming sessions. Therefore, in the absence of a clowder of cats, humans are required to offer a helping hand in grooming their cats from time to time. Another perk to grooming your cat, it that it prevents hair balls from getting built up within their digestive tract, making life a bit less uncomfortable for them, and less messy for you.
For longer haired breeds such as Norwegian Forest cat, or a Maine Coon a slicker brush is preferable when initially brushing to remove tangles, preventing discomfort should other brushes have greater resistance in the coat. Once the slicker brush has removed the vast majority of tangles and any bits that have gotten caught up in the cat’s fur, you can then use the fine-tooth comb to remove old hair and winter coats.
Scratching posts are provided at the Elswick cattery, to enable your kitty’s to naturally care for their nails, stopping them from getting caught and tearing away, causing pain and damage to the nail bed.
For more information on what cat grooming we can provide for your cats when they stay at our cattery, contact us today.
