Cats Have Brushing & Bathing Needs Too!

Sure, cats groom themselves---to an extent. Grooming helps remove dead hair that would otherwise be shed on your furniture or end up in your cat's stomach as a hairball. 

Grooming prevents tangling and matting in long coats, which can otherwise mat to such an extent that the skin beneath the matted area can become infected. The hair around the anus may become encrusted with feces, and flies can even lay their eggs in it. Cats with severe matting may need to be shaved while under anesthesia. 

Grooming allows you to detect the presence of skin problems or parasites, such as ticks and especially fleas. "Flea dirt" refers to black grains of flea feces found where fleas have been. If you place some of these grains on a white surface and add a little water, they will turn red. This occurs because they are digested blood the flea drank from your cat. Look especially around the tail, head and neck for flea dirt. 

Grooming also allows you to spend some relaxing time with your cat, engaging in a bonding activity that you both should enjoy. Of course, that time will be much more relaxing if your cat isn't already matted and if you've taken the time to get him used  to being groomed while he was still a kitten. 

Consider purchasing some of the following brushes and combs:

• A flea comb is a metal comb with such fine spacing between the teeth that the comb captures fleas because they can't fit between the teeth. Have a cup of alcohol handy for depositing the flea in.
• A metal comb is good for preventing and removing tangles. They come in different spacing, with wider spaces better for thicker coats.
• A rubber curry brush is a brush with lots of short rubber bristles. These brushes are great for removing dead hair in shorter haired cats.
• A pin brush is a brush with lots of little metal pins in it, similar to many human brushes. This is a good choice for medium and long haired cats.
• A natural bristle brush is made with bristles (usually from a boar). They are good for distributing oils and giving a final polish to the coat of short haired cats.
• A slicker brush has many fine, bent wire bristles. They are good for removing loose hair and making the cat's coat look finished, especially in longer haired cats.
• An undercoat or shedding rake looks like a small yard rake and is good for removing dead undercoat in longer haired cats.
• A shedding blade looks almost like a fine hacksaw blade bent in half. It is good for removing dead undercoat in shorter haired cats.
• A grooming glove is a brush you wear over your hand. It may have rubber bristles or natural bristles on it, and may be less intimidating to your cat than a brush would be.

Cats with short, sleek coats (such as Siamese and Burmese) need very little grooming, just a weekly brushing. They need a flea comb, rubber curry brush, and a soft natural bristle brush.

Cats with short, dense coats (such as American and British Shorthairs) need more frequent brushing, but still only once or twice a week. They need a flea comb (but the teeth may need to be a little longer than the one needed for a cat with a closer coat), rubber curry brush, shedding blade, and a hard natural bristle brush. 

Cats with medium length coats (such as Maine Coon Cats) need brushing two or three times weekly. They need a flea comb, a metal comb with medium- and fine-spaced teeth, a pin brush, and a slicker brush. 

Cats with long, thick coats (such as Persians) need brushing every day or two. They need a flea comb for the shorter areas of hair, plus metal combs with both wide- and medium-spaced teeth, a pin brush, slicker brush, and shedding rake.
Consider these tips:

• To make for a more pleasant grooming experience, give your cat some catnip---or even store your brushes in a bag with catnip.
• To remove a mat, use a dematting tool to pull the matt apart lengthwise. Keep pulling it into lengthwise sections. Pull the hair from the mat, not the matt from the hair. If you must cut a mat out, wriggle a comb between the mat and the skin so you don't accidently cut the cat.
• To give your cat a chance to groom himself, mount a self-comber on a corner at your cat's level. By rubbing against it, he can groom parts of himself.
• Don't forget the eyes, ears, nails and teeth. Cats with flat faces need to have the area beneath their eyes cleaned every other day.

Bathing 

Most cats go through life without ever getting or needing a real bath. But cats with skin problems or cats that just get dirty may need bathing. Ask your veterinarian about the best shampoo for your cat's condition, and always use products formulated specifically for cats. It's easiest to bathe a cat in a large sink with a spray attachment.

1. Shut all the doors to the room and warm the room.
2. Fill the sink with warm water.
3. Ease the cat into the water. This is best if you have a helper. If your cat is unmanageable no matter what, you may be able to use a cat sack with fish net sides so your cat can't use his feet.
4. Use a cup to gently pour water over his exposed parts so the water reaches down to the skin. Do not pour water over his head, and don't get it in his ears.
5. Work the shampoo in the coat starting from the neck towards the tail. Then apply some to the head and if needed, face.
6. Use a wet washcloth to remove the soap from the face and head, rinsing it out several times and re-wiping. Use the spray attachment to rinse the shampoo from the neck towards the tail. The cat will usually protest less if the attachment is touching the coat rather than spraying from a distance. You can also refill the sink with clean water and let that remove some of the shampoo from his lower parts.
7. If needed, apply a conditioner and rinse again.
8. Use a towel to dry the cat. If he can tolerate a blow dryer, you can also use that. Use a low heat setting to protect your cat from burns. Never place a cat in a carrier with a blow dryer aimed inside. What seems like a good idea has killed many cats because they overheated when left and were forgotten. If using a blow dryer, start with the cat's back and sides, saving the tail, abdomen and hind legs for last as these are the areas most likely to evoke protests.
9. Comb as you dry.