Most felines are very particular about keeping themselves clean. They lick their faces to a shine, file their nails on scratching posts and bathe themselves thoroughly with their tongue. As such, they don’t need any more grooming.
But, you would always like to show your affection with a little extra fussing, right? Make the grooming of your cat a routine exercise. Set aside a time slot and two specific days during the week for you to be able to spend some quality time with your precious pet.
You could begin by brushing the cat’s coat. Use good quality steel combs with tapered pins or teeth. Comb in the direction of the hair growth to smoothen its coat. Remove any knots that you encounter. Trim off stubborn knots and tangles, beginning with a wide toothcomb and following up with a fine toothcomb. Use a shedding blade to remove loose or dead hair in the coat. Long-haired breeds need deep combing. The others could do with a simpler and lighter brush.
Cats require more hair brushing during spring when they shed their winter coats. That’s the time you could watch out for hair balls and mats and take them off because if these get into their stomach, it could spell serious trouble.
Next, clip their nails with a professional nail clipper. Only clip to the hook of the nail. Stay below the quick or they could bleed. Be prepared and keep some styptic powder handy. Also, try clipping only a few nails each time you set out to do this because you won’t be able to do all of them all at once, in any case.
We now move on to kitty’s dental care. Plaque in the mouth could lead to gum disease and dental problems. Use a mild toothbrush and work your way about its teeth or get your vet’s help to do it.
Finally, for its bath, use a cat-specific shampoo. In case of fleas, use an anti-flea lotion after getting it approved by a professional. Towel off in the end; that’ll help the blood to circulate better too, and voila! …your baby’s ready!
