Cat Grooming

Regular grooming of your cat consists of hair treatment, bathing, nail trim-ming, and ear cleaning.

Hair Treatment

Different coats need different strokes: the combing or brushing needs varyaccording to the length and coat type. Longer coats need bristle, wire, or cardbrushes, and pet combs with rounded teeth that avoid irritating the skin. Brushshort-haired cats weekly with a grooming glove. This will decrease the chance ofhair balls.

Long-haired cats often have matted hair (from infrequent brushing and comb-ing) behind their ears and under their legs. This should be pulled gently apart andcombed out.

Many breeds of cats need regular clipping and stripping. You can learn to doit at home or find a professional groomer, who should be gentle and have a clean,odorless establishment. Ask your neighbors and friends for recommendations.

If you start the brushing and combing early (about twelve weeks of age) andstay gentle and patient, this will be an enjoyable and healthy experience for youand your pet.

Bathing

Cats need baths just as humans do, because tongues are not adequate cleans-ing tools. Since the oils come back in the hair and skin within twenty-four hours,bathing could be done as often as necessary, but once every month or two isadequate.

Start bathing your kitten at fourteen weeks of age (sooner if it gets verydirty - just avoid chilling it) so that it will be accustomed to regular baths. The bestway to bathe is to make your pet comfortable and to make it a game. No noise andslow motions will ease your job. Before placing your pet in the sink or bathtub, fillit with a small amount of warm water (running water will only scare your pet).While talking quietly and stroking and petting your kitten, place it in the warmwater. Continue the petting motion and wet your pet with a soft spray hose at-tached to the faucet or use the water in the tub. The same petting and stroking canbe used to lather the shampoo (preferably a good pet shampoo or "no-tear" babyshampoo) into the hair coat. It is a good idea to protect the eyes first with a fewdrops of cod-liver oil or ophthalmic ointment and the ears with a small wad ofcotton. Rinse with a soft spray hose attached to the faucet, still stroking, petting,and talking to your pet. Rinse thoroughly, because dried soap can irritate the skin.A creme rinse or hair conditioner can then be used to make the hair softer andmore manageable for combing out. Don't forget to remove the cotton from the ears!

Towel dry your pet and continue all the ploys you used for the bath. Thenoise of a hair blow-dryer disturbs most animals, but you can try it later - afteryour pet is accustomed to baths. Make the whole experience pleasant and playful.A cat treat would definitely be in order after a successful bath. My cats are easy tobathe, although each needs special care. One has to walk around the water contin-ually while we lather him; another must be rubbed on the cheek and talked to whilebeing bathed.

If your cat doesn't take to bathing, try placing a window screen at an angle inthe tub. The cat can cling to the screen, making bathing easier. Holding the cat bythe scruff of the neck is also helpful.

Nail Trimming

Start trimming the nails at twelve weeks of age to accustom your pet to thismportant grooming practice. Long nails can get caught in carpeting, grow into theootpad, or cause your pet to stand improperly. The dewclaw (equivalent to theNumb) does not touch the ground and needs more frequent trimming.

You can trim your cat's claws with a "human" nail clipper, or with a Resco orWhite nail clipper. Trim just in front of the pink area, or dermis. which containsserves and blood vessels. If the nail is dark and the pink area cannot be seen easily,tune a bright penlight through the nail to see where the dermis begins. Otherwise,List trim the nail as it curves clown.

A nail trimmed too short will bleed. Application of a styptic pencil or directpressure with gauze or a clean cloth will stop the bleeding.

Ear Cleaning

Many owners neglect proper ear care and become aware of its importanceelf when their cat "smells funny." Then they look in the ear and discover an affection.

The wax in the ears should be cleaned once a month (more often if your catas a history of ear problems). Clean only that part of the ear canal that you cansee: otherwise, you may damage the eardrum. Use a cotton swab soaked in mineralcoil or alcohol. Wax protects the ear canal, so a small amount left behind is beneficial.

The hair in the ears should not be plucked unless there is so much hair thatR impedes air circulation. If your doctor feels this is necessary, use your fingers toremove only the hairs that come out easily. Plucking can expose the hair follicleso bacteria, so be careful. Some doctors recommend an antibiotic ointment afterplucking to prevent infection.