Not everyone knows what it is cat grooming, although they are familiar with some pet care procedures. Grooming is an English term denoting cosmetic and hygienic procedures for caring for one’s appearance, including washing, cutting, treating nails and other actions.
In many English cities, grooming is a concept that applies to both people and animals. Not so long ago there was a profession of a groom - a groom, whose duties included caring for horses, and today there is a profession of a groomer. These are specialists who bring shine to pets.
Unfortunately, some owners consider caring for the appearance of their pets a privilege of exhibitions, but when was caring about hygiene and beauty superfluous?
What is grooming
Animals do their own grooming - cleaning feathers, fur, and claws. Such actions appeared as a result of early evolution: animals must be able to hide their smell and take care of their own health, so the procedure is carried out at the level of instinct.
You have noticed more than once how cats lick their fur and paws, how other animals bathe, birds rummage through their feathers, plucking weak ones and cleaning dirty ones. Take monkeys, for example—for primates, self-care is natural and obligatory.
Observations of any type of animal reveal actions aimed at putting one’s own appearance in order. It is unlikely, of course, that animals worry about how they look, but instinct does its job - a clean animal has a better chance of surviving and producing offspring.
Whether in the wild world or among pets, self-care involves keeping their fur and nails clean. But people concerned about their beloved cats carry out several additional hygiene and cosmetic procedures.
What is grooming done?
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> Grooming of animals is carried out with a special set of tools used depending on the type of procedure. Even the table on which the processing will be carried out plays an important role. If the table is unstable, the cat may get scared, and next time it will not allow either the owner or the master to manipulate it. Ideally, the table has a rubber non-slip coating.
The standard grooming kit includes:
- soap;
- shampoos based on algae, coconut oil or lanolin;
- air conditioner;
- water, vinegar or lemon juice for rinsing wool;
- coat shine sprays;
- towel;
- gloves;
- thinning scissors;
- machine with knife No. 3 for grooming cats;
- combs;
- hairdryer
It is important to make sure that the chosen products do not cause irritation to the animal's skin. During operation, prevent chemicals from getting into the cat's eyes.
Types of grooming
An integrated approach to cat grooming gives good results. Maintenance steps are as follows:
- hair cutting taking into account its length and the owner’s expectations;
- trimming is a procedure for comprehensive hair care, cutting off certain hairs, removing old hair;
- bathing and washing with suitable shampoos, using conditioner after them;
- keeping ears and eyes clean – natural secretions must be removed regularly;
- cleansing diseased organs from purulent secretions, this also includes antiparasitic treatment;
- trimming the tips of the claws;
- cleaning wool from tangles and matted particles;
- the use of brushes, combs and combs contribute to the beauty of the coat and maintain its healthy condition.
If you do not groom cats , especially long-haired breeds, then problems such as ingestion of mats are possible.
The animal will try to rid itself of the inconvenience, which will entail the problem of gnawing out an area of fur along with damage to the skin.
Grooming cats at home
At home, they provide a full range of animal care, with the exception of haircuts, if the owner is not a professional groomer.
Grooming is important during shedding for all breeds except hairless breeds. If a cat is hairless, this does not mean that it does not need body hygiene - pay attention to the accumulation of dirt in the folds of the skin. When the sweat glands work excessively, even more dirt sticks to the body. These pussies need regular baths.
All other purrs need to be constantly combed and sometimes trimmed. Animals are accustomed to the procedure at the age of a kitten.
The ears also need care - wax discharge is removed with a damp cotton swab after a careful examination.
A cat's eyes are dry and clean in a healthy state. If the owner notices dirt and dust in the corners of the eyes, then clean everything with a damp cloth.
The oral cavity needs to be examined and tartar removed.
Nails are trimmed with special scissors to 1.5 mm.
Mastering the techniques
The simplest type of care , trimming cats' claws, can be done yourself using nail clippers. We do not cut the claws short so as not to injure the blood vessels, leaving 2 mm to the sensitive area. In addition to nail clippers, you can try using nail clippers, regular scissors, or a guillotine trimmer. In addition to the above equipment, prepare a file for filing the edge of the claw (or an emery block), cotton pads and hydrogen peroxide in case of injury. To prevent the latter from happening, fix the position of the animal by pressing it to a soft base and keeping its paws pressed to the body.
Hold the paw to be trimmed with your left hand, press the pad in the center to extend the claws. Since the claws are transparent, the blood channels are also obvious; in the case of dark claws, trim no more than 1-2 mm at a time without damaging the nerve endings. Hold the tool strictly perpendicular to the claw, this will reduce the risk of plate delamination. Trim in one step, when you get the hang of it, you will spend no more than a couple of minutes on the entire correction. Next, treat the edge of the claw with a nail file - this will make both the cat and the furniture more comfortable.
For the first time, you can watch a specialist work, and then you can do it yourself. Trimming for cats is an individual procedure, its frequency is determined by many factors (color, gender, body characteristics, pet’s lifestyle). Nowadays, special anti-scratch pads made of silicone are also common, they are of different colors, they will decorate your pet, and at the same time protect the furniture, you and your family from damage by the clawed animal.
Another type of home grooming is bathing your pet. Before it, check your pet’s skin for various types of damage and, if any, postpone water treatments. Do not use “human” products; consult breeders or veterinarians about this.
Combing fur is also a type of home grooming. To comb out excess hair, it would be a good idea to buy a furminator or a trimmer for animals (a human clipper is not a suitable option). The animal's fur becomes neat, slightly trimmed, and neat in appearance. Grooming may also include caring for the ears, hair between the toes, genitals and anus.
When to groom a cat
It is not necessary to give your cat a show appearance once a year. Despite the fact that pets know how to take care of themselves, they will not be able to clean their ears and wash their fur coat as thoroughly as their owner.
Since the animal will not cut its claws and will not remove the fleas that have appeared, it remains for the person to take this under his own control. It is especially important to groom pets that have a walk or interact with other fauna. Caring for a cat's fur coat is important if the cat has a thick undercoat and long hair; brushing cannot be avoided during shedding.
How often is grooming needed?
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//data-ad-slot=”2475549904″ $ads_google = empty($ads_google) ? false : true; ?> if ($ads_google == false) {?> $ads_google = true; ?> } ?> If a haircut is needed only when tangles have formed or the owner desires, then long-haired creatures need to be combed every day. Animals with short hair can be brushed once a week.
Ears and eyes are cleaned once every one to two weeks as they become dirty.
Nails and paws are examined regularly, especially if the pussy takes daily walks.
Wash cats as their fur gets dirty.
Why do they cut their hair - the main reasons
The main reason why many owners cut their pets' hair is mats. They can have an extremely negative impact on the health and well-being of a cat: 1) Lost hair tightens the skin, causes pain and causes constant discomfort. A cat in such a situation will react especially negatively to attempts to pet it. 2) Tangles disrupt blood flow in places where the skin is tightened and also negatively affect heat exchange. Such conditions are perfect for the proliferation of pathogens. 3) In places where tangles occur, the skin often becomes inflamed, peels and itches, causing discomfort to the pet. 4) Cats often try to get rid of tangles on their own, but due to the impossibility of using special tools, the pet may inadvertently injure itself. 5) The pet’s attempts to get rid of the problem often lead to the ingestion of a large amount of fur, which in turn can cause vomiting, as well as blockage of the digestive system. Because of this, owners will have to seek help from a veterinarian, since only a specialist can solve such a problem.
Grooming is also required during shedding, during which the cat also eats a lot of fur and becomes less attractive. Older cats often stop caring for their fur as carefully as they did when they were young, which is why they especially need help from their owners in dealing with problem areas and tangles.
IMPORTANT! Regular grooming reduces the amount of hair your cat ingests during daily grooming. This has a positive effect on the pet’s digestive system and its overall health.
Grooming is also recommended in cases of cat skin diseases and severe allergies to wool in humans.
Popular cat haircuts
There are two types of haircuts : hygienic and model. Hygienic reasons include matted fur, hot summer weather, skin diseases, older cats, and active glands.
Model haircuts are not a necessity, it is the owner’s personal desire to see the cat well-groomed and beautiful. If you follow fashion, you can get a “Lion” haircut and make your pet look like a real mini-lion. “Puma” and “Dragon” haircuts are in demand. Indeed, there is a similarity with the creatures of the same name.
It is not advisable to have a haircut more than 3 times a year.
Remember that any procedure is stressful for a cat, so unless clearly necessary, you should not include model haircuts in mandatory grooming.
We are watching the specialist
It’s better to watch a specialist work, then, after assessing your capabilities, try to implement it yourself.
A professional groomer's arsenal also includes:
- - rotary machines;
- -rakes for wool;
- - slickers;
- -combs;
- - tangle cutters for cats;
- - thinning scissors;
- — massage brushes for grooming;
- - styling hair dryers specialized for wool
- - stripping knives.
You can use all these tools at home, but at first you should limit yourself to, for example, a special glove. After putting it on, you simply stroke your pet, and excess fur remains on the surface of the accessory, which can then be conveniently brushed into the trash bin. Do not cut the tail, whiskers, head, eyebrows, or ears of cats. Remember that some cats' fur changes color and texture after being cut.
As you can see, grooming at home is a simple process; it can be easily done independently, bypassing queues, taking into account the condition of your pet and financial resources. You can contact professionals at first by inviting them to your home.
