You should start as soon as you first acquire a cat. If you get the cat used to grooming on a regular basis, and do it even if it is the last thing you feel like doing at that time, then the animal will soon become accustomed to it.

If the cat has a short coat it still needs to be Groomed. Grooming stimulates the blood supply to the skin and is an excellent way of checking if all is well with the same. I feel too many people get Short Haired Cats and the first thing they say to me is "Well at least I don't have to groom this one". Wrong. To a certain extent that is like saying "I have short hair so I don't have to bother brushing it". Well, if you left your hair without brushing or washing it for let's say five years (about half the life-span of the average cat) I think it would be a very interesting sight. In the wild, animals groom themselves on trees, bushes, hedges, anything that is rough and will pull out any dead and unwanted coat. But with our centrally heated, very cosy fabric covered houses the opportunity for animals to rid themselves of unwanted fur falls to us the owners.

Over the years I have tried to help my friends, colleagues, and family to groom and take care of their dogs, cats, and any other pets that they may have. Thus, I would like to pass on some information that I have gathered over the years.

First, get the cat in a position that is both comfortable and convenient to you both, I find the easiest way is to place the cat on a table that is both sturdy and at the correct height. By "correct height" I mean that as long as you are not overreaching or overstretching then that should be fine.

Place a non-slip rubber mat on top of the table, then lay the cat tummy-down on top of it, facing away from you.

Next make sure you have a good firm but not uncomfortable grip on it's scruff. You want this to be pleasant and not an ordeal for either of you.

Take your Medium-Sized-Slicker-Brush and gently brush the cat's back. Start at the head and work towards yourself. As you do this the cat should start to relax, but don't fall for the "I wont run off if you let go Eyes"... I have spent many an afternoon trying to get hold of a cat that made me fall for that trick.

You need to brush the cat ALL over and that means the sides and the underneath as well, but do be careful as not to press to hard on the more sensitive areas, it is easy to get carried away a little and to scare the cat before you have actually done anything.

Next you need to comb over what you have just brushed. You need a Comb that has teeth which are not to far apart. As before, start at the head and work towards yourself.

A very good additive to this is your own hands. The oils in your palms will aid the coat in laying flat and also give it a good sheen. You also need to check for unwanted passengers on the cat and grooming time is the ideal time to do this. Don't forget to look in all the warm areas like behind the ears, under the tail, under the tummy, and in the Armpits - these are all likely places to find unwelcome crawlies.

Using a Flea Comb you can try combing the cat over a piece of (ideally) blotting paper. You can test any black specks that fall out of the coat. To do this you need to wet your finger and by rubbing your finger over the specks will either stay grit coloured or if it leaves a red line then it is Flea Dirt.

You can finish of the grooming session by a little caressing with a piece of Cord or Velvet material. Just rub the cat all over with this and you will put a nice shine on to the coat, and the cat will enjoy every moment of this which makes it a good note to finish the session on.

On a Short-Haired Coat I would recommend grooming every three days or more often if you wish.

Now this is all well and good, but what about the Long-Haired Beauties that fill us all with fear every time we touch them? The ideas behind grooming Long-Haired cats is the same as for Short-Haired Cats, which is the comfort and well-being of the animal.

Using the same technique with position and rubber mat as mentioned above, you need to start by sprinkling either Corn Starch or Fullers Earth Powder in to the cats coat, ensuring that all the coat gets some by massaging it in with your fingers. The idea behind this is to loosen any tangles that are just forming.

If by any chance the knots are already formed, and depending how close to the skin they are, you should be able to remove them with round-ended scissors. To do this always get another person to hold the cat for you because the smallest of nicks could be costly at the Vets.

Separate the coat as much as possible with your fingers and when you can see the skin and knot clearly the lay the scissors flat against the cats body and nibble away at the knot. Do be very careful and if in doubt then let the Grooming Parlour or the Vets cut them out for you. At least if they do it you then have a head start on keeping the knots at bay.

To start grooming a Long-Haired cat I suggest that you first brush the coat away from you starting at the head and work towards the tail. When you reach the tail the cat will look like a huge puff ball but don't worry.

Next take your comb, preferably a wide-toothed comb, and by doing one small section at a time comb the coat back towards yourself until it lays flat. This will take some time to do correctly but you will be shocked at just how much coat you actually remove with the comb.

When the coat is combed all the way up to the cats head then you can do the underside. To do this you will require a second person to hold a couple of legs. With the cat laying on its side on the table, get the other person to hold say the front paws and you hold the rear paws.

Next, ever so gently, try to turn the cat onto its back and all the time talk and tickle the tummy. If you don't succeed at first then do it gradually over a few days and eventually the cat will start to trust you and realize that you are not going to hurt it.

When you are happy that all the knots have been removed then you can re-brush the coat away from you and the cat will look like a million dollars.

A final word, please don't be put off if this takes you some time to do, because it does take a lot of hard work and time. But in the end, the result will be worth it.

This article is Copyright © Suzanne Ogden, and printed with permission of the author.
February 21, 2000

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