Why should you regularly groom your long haired cat?
Longhaired Cat Care
Long haired Cats come in every breed, shape, size, colour and pattern with one defining characteristic: long hair.
As a Certified Feline Master Groomer, I can help identify cat colours and patterns and may even be able to isolate certain breed traits and tendencies of your cat. This may also help prevent health conditions that are common in some breeds.
Matting
Longhaired cats require regular and frequent grooming to keep their coat in optimal condition. When a cat’s hair starts to tangle, it feels like hard clumps. This clumping is called matting. Matting is painful to the cat as the hair pulls at the skin, even leaving bald spots because the hair is pulled right out!
Matting will not go away on its own; small mats can be combed out, but more severe or larger mats must be shaved. Only professional cat groomers who have had proper training in safety and handling should attempt to remove mats from a cat. When matting becomes severe, it is called pelting. A pelt is formed when all the hair is clumped and tangled together over large areas of the cat. This is extremely painful for the cat and, without professional grooming, can cause wounds, skin irritations, and can even limit a cat’s movement. When the hair is thick from matting, fleas, ticks, and skin conditions can be hidden from view as well. Regular professional grooming can prevent matting and leave you with a beautiful, soft and fluffy cat!
Litterbox Leftovers
The areas around the cat’s private parts are especially important to keep clean on longhaired cats. With longer hair in those areas, “litterbox leftovers” can stick to a cat’s rear end. Besides having a foul odour, these areas can mat and the “leftovers” can irritate the skin causing sores. It is very painful to remove, so prevention is essential. A Certified Feline Master Groomer can give the cat a “sanitary trim” which consists of shaving the area around the private parts short in order to keep the area clean and dry. Poor upkeep of the rear end can lead to skin infections and urinary tract Infections.
The Benefits
A professional groom is much more than a bath or haircut!
Grooming is essential to your cat’s health and quality of life. A professional groomer can assist your cat with:
Claws
Nails should be trimmed monthly. In addition to reducing how much your cat’s nails scratch you, your family, and your furniture, nail trimming is imperative for a cat’s health. If left to grow, nails can curl around and grow back into the paw pad which is not only very painful for the cat, but can easily result in infection.
Ears
Routine cleaning of ears helps ward off bacteria, yeast and fungal infections. Ear infections are painful, cause disorientation, and can lead to permanent problems such as deafness and facial paralysis. Professional cat groomers can help prevent painful ear infections by routinely checking and cleaning cat ears.
De-Shedding
Frequent bathing and brushing helps to improve the skin and coat condition of the pet. It stimulates circulation and removes dead skin and hair, undercoat, dirt, and excess oil.
It also prevents mats and tangles from forming, which can be very painful and cause skin irritations.
Coat
Frequent bathing can dramatically cut down on how much hair you find around your house! A regular bathing schedule encourages most shedding hair to come out during the bath rather than on your furniture.
Health
Groomers play a valuable role in alerting you of any health concerns: skin conditions, growths, fleas, hot spots, etc. can be caught early on. A groomer closely examines your cat during the groom, allowing for early detection of problems.
Wellness
Regular visits to the groomer can encourage a positive relationship between the cat and groomer, so grooming appointments are much less stressful. This is especially important as your pet gets older.
Before and After (below)
Cat Grooming 