Cat Grooming 101

Not many people realize the importance of grooming their cat, because most folks mistakenly believe that cats groom themselves. While to a certain extent it is true that cats need less maintenance than a dog, it is essential that they are groomed to keep them clean, comfortable and to prevent excessive shedding in your home. Most importantly, however, grooming keeps your cats health at its optimum level if done regularly.

Brush Your Cat! It is critical that you brush your cats hair regularly to prevent tangles and hair balls. As a rule of thumb I suggest brushing a long-haired cat daily, with Cat Brush. If the hair is very tangled you will need to cut the hair off to remove the tangle. I like Groomax Scissors with Soft Grip Finger Holes as they are comfortable to use and have a rounded safety tip.

Cut Your Cats Nails! Cutting your cats nails regularly will not only help protect yourself and family from getting scratched, the furniture and draperies, it will help your cat walk more easily. I suggest purchasing a good pair of clippers like Bamboo Care Cat Nail Clipper, Styptic and a scratching post. You will likely have to train your cat to use the scratching post at first, but you will find that they learn quickly and enjoy using it. Some recommended scratching posts are

Clean Your Cats Eyes! To help prevent irritation and infection it is important that you gently remove dirt, discharge and tear stains around your cats yes with Premier Pet Natural Eye Wipes for Dogs & Cats.

Dental Health! Do you brush your teeth everyday? Well, guess what, you need to brush your cats teeth everyday too to help prevent tartar and plaque. I use the Four Paws Petdental Dental Care Kit for Cats because I find the small brush much easier to use. If your cat has particularly bad breath this could be a sign of a more serious condition and it is important to take your cat to the vet for a check up.

You should begin grooming your cat regularly as early as possible. This will help get your cat used to being handled and will make grooming easier in the years to come. Another important thing to bear in mind about cats is that they love routine. Set aside a consistent time everyday to do your basic cat grooming, this will aid greatly in establishing comfort for your pet during grooming. And remember, no matter how much your cat may fuss you are doing all these things to keep him/her healthy. Don’t let your cat con you into not grooming them properly.