How to properly care for a Scottish Fold cat?

Furminator for cats - what is it?

A furminator is a hand-held device designed to comb out the undercoat of cats, dogs and even rabbits. The device resembles a classic brush, but only with a trimmer. Thanks to special teeth, it is possible to easily grab fallen hairs and pull them out of the general mop. Some compare a comb to a rake.

Important! With the help of a furminator, the combing procedure is not a torment, but a real pleasure for the purr, because it combines massage with combing.

Some believe that such an innovation is useless, and that the undercoat can be removed using a regular brush. However, this is not true, since combs only smooth the hairs or pull them, instead of removing unnecessary ones.

With the help of a furminator you can:

• Speed ​​up the molting process.
• Improve the structure of hair hairs and the appearance of the coat.
• Avoid damaging the guard hairs.
• Improve the functioning of the sebaceous glands.
• Improve blood circulation through massage.

You can use the device when you need to comb your pet in the shortest possible time without scaring it.

Nutrition

Every responsible owner must correctly approach the organization of the diet for his Scottish kitten from the first days of his life. Sometimes it may happen that the pet will have a poor appetite, but this may be due to the fact that cats of this breed simply need time to get used to the new environment. Remember that feeding the kitten should only be done with warm food, but never cold food.

If your kitten is several months old, then it needs to be fed about 5 times a day. When your lop-eared pet reaches 4-8 months, you can start feeding him 3 times a day. After 8 months of age, the cat can be fed 2 times a day, just like an adult.

You can feed your Scottish Fold kitten with homemade food or purchase special food; here everything depends only on the owner’s decision. If you decide to cook for your cat yourself, you can give him chicken or beef. In order for your pet to fully develop, you should sometimes give him some fermented milk products. Also, if we talk about the care and feeding of fold-eared cats, it should be noted that they are forbidden to give smoked meats, fried and salty foods, and semi-finished products.

If you decide to purchase special food, this will be an excellent decision, because premium food contains all the minerals and vitamins necessary for a Scottish cat, which will not only improve your pet’s health, but also make its coat shiny. It's up to you to decide how to feed your Scottish Fold cat.

How does a furminator work?

The combing procedure with the help of a device occurs due to a certain distance between the teeth of the comb, which have a special sharpening. That is, by running the device over the fur, it rises a little, and then only those hairs that are lifeless and come out without difficulty are captured. The same wool that fits tightly is simply passed through the furminator.

People who have been using the device for a long time note that with its help it is possible to reduce the duration of shedding, because the undercoat is removed much faster. In addition, in a short time you can remove about 90% of the hair that should fall out . Regular use of the device ensures that fat and dirt do not accumulate in your pet’s fur coat.

Causes of severe shedding

But not all cats shed according to the season. Many owners of furry cats complain that their pet “throws” its fur all year round. The reason for this is the constant presence indoors. The fact is that the cat simply stops feeling seasonal changes, since the microclimate in the house is almost always the same. Another reason for prolonged “apartment shedding” is the heating season in the winter-spring period.

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The source of excessive hair loss can be severe stress - moving, changing owners, switching to a different diet, adding another animal to the house, visiting a veterinary clinic, etc.

The cat is sick

Improper care and unbalanced nutrition also lead to severe hair loss in cats. A lack of vitamins and minerals and a mono-diet primarily affect the condition of the coat and disrupt the natural process of coat renewal.

The same applies to incorrectly selected care products. If, after using a new shampoo, you notice that the animal’s fur has begun to fall out or change in some way (for the worse), then it should be replaced with another product.

Rating of cat shampoos for different purposes

Often, severe shedding occurs due to diseases - allergies, ringworm, dermatitis, etc. Often, intense hair loss is a symptom indicating a malfunction in the animal’s body.

Both uncastrated cats that are not allowed to copulate, and cats that have just given birth can suffer from severe hair loss. This category also includes cats who are already nursing kittens.

Advantages of a furminator for combing cats

Undoubtedly, the Furminator for British breed cats has many advantages.

Among these:

• There is no discomfort during the procedure, and as a result, pets do not have any fear of the manipulation.
• While licking, cats do not swallow large amounts of hair; all excess hair is easily removed.
• With the help of the device, not only combing is carried out, but also massage, which the animals especially like.
• Thanks to the device, you can painlessly remove dead hair located in the “pants” area, under the tail or on the stomach.
• A reliable device will last for more than a year.
• Using a furminator eliminates the need for people to constantly clean their apartment due to the large amount of wool on sofas, beds and even furniture.
• The device is easy to use.

How to choose a furminator for a cat

Some owners, having learned that there is a unique grooming device on sale, without finding out anything, begin to place orders and purchase a device that is not suitable. In order not to make a mistake with the Furminator, you should first assess the dimensions of your four-legged friend and weigh him.

Important! The Furminator is purchased based on the width of the blade, which is selected taking into account the size of the Briton.

On sale you can find the following options:

• Small is a product whose blade is only 4.5 cm wide. This option is ideal for those four-legged animals whose weight does not exceed 5 kg.
• Medium is a device in which the blade width is 6.7 cm. The presented option is ideal for animals weighing 8–10 kg.
• Large is a device with a blade 10 cm long. You can ignore such a furminator, because the weight of even the largest Briton does not exceed 10 kg. At the same time, if there is a Maine Coon in the house, for example, then such a device will be ideal for him.

There is also an x-small product for kittens, but it is rarely used because babies do not shed much.

However, this is not all you need to know to purchase the right brush. To choose a Furminator for a British cat, you also need to be aware of the length of the coat. Thus, devices marked “long hair” are suitable for long-haired cats, and devices marked “short hair” are suitable for short-haired cats.

There are devices on sale with an ejector, thanks to which you can remove all unnecessary hairs with one press of a button. If there is no such function, then the hairs that have been selected will need to be collected manually.

For ease of use of the device, special attention should be paid to the handle. In some furminators it is long, in others it is short and wide. There is a large selection, so you need to look for one that you can easily hold in your hand. Otherwise, combing with a regular comb will seem like a simpler and more convenient way, although this is not the case.

If several Britons live in a house, then it is best for the owner to pay attention to tools with a removable blade. This is the best option if, in addition to cats, there are also dogs or rabbits living in the apartment.

Eye hygiene

These animals require special eye care. Some Scottish Folds suffer from increased lacrimation. Discharge accumulates near the eyelids and settles on the fur.

For rinsing, you can use special veterinary products, for example, “Diamond Eyes” liquid, or you can get by with weak tea leaves or ordinary boiled water. Wet a cotton pad and gently move it from the outer corner of the eye to the bridge of the nose. If it was not possible to remove all the mucus that appeared the first time, change the disk and repeat the procedure from the beginning. Remember: use a clean swab for each wipe.

How to use a comb

There are cat owners who believe that understanding Furminators is very simple. This is true, but it wouldn’t hurt to learn about some of the nuances so that the animal doesn’t have to be caught throughout the apartment in the future.

These nuances are:

1. Before you start using the Furminator for British cats, you need to bathe your pet with a special shampoo, and then dry your pet dry.
2. If the animal has recently been bathed, then all visible dirt should be removed from the fur: twigs, threads, so that they do not get tangled in the fur coat.
3. Before processing long-haired beauties, you should carefully inspect the wool and make sure that there are no tangles on it. Having noticed such ones, they must be cut off. Otherwise, the device will constantly cling to them, giving your pet unpleasant sensations.
4. Refuse to treat the four-legged animal if there are various types of damage to the skin.
5. During treatment, behave calmly, gently stroking your pet. Animals perfectly sense the mood of their owner, so if he is nervous, the British are nervous too.
6. The animal should be combed in a position that is comfortable for it. The cat should feel maximum comfort at this moment.
7. Combing is done in the direction of hair growth and nothing else. Otherwise, the pet may get angry and never let its owner brush it again. Particular attention should be paid to the tail, belly and muzzle. These areas are sensitive and must be approached with caution.
8. If animals were previously scratched with ordinary brushes, and the procedure itself was not enjoyable, then you need to prepare your four-legged friend. To do this, you just need to move the device over the fur so that the purr gets used to the new sensations.

Combs for the British

Every loving animal owner thinks about which comb to choose for his British cat. On the shelves of pet stores there is an incredible variety of such items that can be selected according to the individual preferences of the owner of the furry animal, for every taste and budget. There are different types of combs:

Such a device can be made in the form of a mitten.

• with Teflon coating;
• comb rake;
• with stainless steel teeth;
• with rotating teeth;
• comb with multi-level teeth;
• brush-mitten.

The length of the brush teeth is selected depending on the length of the pet’s coat; it is very convenient that this information is indicated on the product packaging. The hair of the British is quite short, so that all of the above combs can be used; caring for the delicate fur of this type of breed can be replaced by regular wiping with a wet hand. As a result of this procedure, much more hair is removed than with brushes. The British fur coat is the main advantage of a cat, which is why care should be as thorough and effective as possible.

Furminator and its types

This is a very popular miracle tool for combing the coat of a British cat, and the process does not cause discomfort to the animal, and more often, even the opposite. There are two types of furminators - classic type and deluxe. The only difference between these varieties is the presence of a FURejector button in the deluxe line for automatically removing hair from the comb. Each of them is designed separately for each type of cat - short-haired and long-haired.

There are devices for animals with short and long hair.

Before brushing your cat with a furminator, you must comply with the following conditions:

• It is advisable to bathe the animal and dry the fur before the procedure.
• Do not use if there are lesions or wounds on the skin.
• Before the procedure, comb with a regular brush.
• Cut off all tangles using scissors.
• Start combing slowly according to hair growth. Particularly carefully comb the area of ​​the abdomen and anus.

How often to brush your cat

The molting season begins at the end of summer and can last until the beginning of winter - this is autumn. And the spring season makes itself felt at the end of February and ends only in May-June. Considering this point, it is best to use the furminator a couple of times a week. If the owner notices that little hair is lost, it is allowed to reduce the number of procedures.

The rest of the time, the device is used no more than once a month. This is quite enough to make the fur coat look well-groomed and beautiful.