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Three Cat Grooming Tips

Grooming is one of the cat owner’s responsibilities, just like keeping your kid clean, it’s important to make sure that your pet is clean. Three tips for cat grooming are regular baths, brushing, and nail trimming.

1.) Indoor cats do a fairly good job of keeping their fur clean with their rough tongue, however, a good bath with cat shampoo helps to remove excess hair, fleas, dandruff, and dirt or dust in their fur coat. Since cats don’t like water too much, get ready for a lot of yowling and meowing. You may need an extra pair of hands to hold her still while you bathe her. Take care not to get soap and water in the cat’s ears or eyes while cleaning the head. My technique for holding a cat during the bath is to place my left hand on her chest and to use my right hand to lather her up. This is a good time to do a thorough check of her skin for blemishes, sores, or fleas. I usually do two complete lathers and then rinse the cat with lukewarm water. During the bath constantly check to make sure the water is not too hot. The kitchen sink is ideal for bathing your cat. It takes two fluffy towels to dry your clean cat. One to soak up most of the water and the other to finish the drying. Its a good idea to hold your cat for a while wrapped in the towel for comforting and reassurances as a bath can be quite traumatic. There are dry shampoos but I’ve never had too much luck with them. (Note: bathing a cat is not for sissies.)

2.) After your cat’s fur is dry, you will need to brush her with a non static cat brush. Look for one at your local pet store or online. As you are brushing, talk to your cat. They respond to your calm voice and I like to tell my kitty how beautiful she is while I’m brushing her. Since most cats really enjoy brushing this should be fun for you and her both.

3.) Cats nails never stop growing. Outdoor cats keep their nails short from scratching on trees and logs and biting them. your indoor cat will need you to trim their nails. You can use a pet store nail trimmer or one of your own sharp nail clippers to do the nail trimming. Now some cats don’t mind this grooming task at all but others really hate it. Oh my, I hope your cat is the first kind! What you have to do is gently hold your cats paw in one hand and trim with the other. Press the ball of the cat’s foot slightly and smooth back the top toes and the nails will come out. Hold them out while you clip. Don’t clip too short. Just trim the tips. If you trim too close, it will bleed and hurt your cat, so be careful.

In conclusion I hope this information inspires you to keep  your kitty fresh and clean. Clean pets are healthier and more enjoyable to have around. Hugs, Rosalyn

Pet Grooming With Diana – #2 Persian Cat Comb Out