Senior Cats

Why should your elderly cat be regularly groomed?

The grooming needs of a senior or elderly cat changes as they age. It’s common for them to develop matting, thick nails, greasy coat and other problems that might not have been present earlier in their lives. Regular grooming can fix these issues and help maintain good health.

A professionally trained cat groomer can help identify changes in your cat’s behaviour or symptoms of illness, as well as offer appropriate grooming options for your senior cat.

Matting

Matting occurs due to a combination of loose dead coat and oily skin. As a cat gets older, the level of oils in the skin increases, and at the same time self ‘grooming’ (or licking) decreases, thus allowing mats to form more quickly – even in short haired cats.

Severe Matting

It is vitally important that matting is prevented. Matting feels like hard clumps in the coats. When a senior cat comes to a groomer with severe matting, this can become a life or death situation. The mats need to be removed before they cause skin irritations, wounds, or even restrict movement and breathing. The skin of a senior cat is delicate, loose and thin, and can nick easily when being shaved with clippers. Many cats will reach the point where shaving is no longer a viable option due to the cat’s skin condition and stress levels.

Stress can kill a cat!

Unfortunately, cats are very sensitive to stress, and a senior cat is especially so. This means that getting adult and senior cats used to the grooming process as early as possible, especially before matting begins, will reduce not only, matting, shedding and other issues, but improve their comfort with grooming, thus reducing stress.

Mat prevention is key to a safe grooming experience for your cat, particularly as they age. Every cat will age differently. Seven to ten years is the average age at which cats will start to show signs of ageing.

It’s recommended to have your senior cat vet checked at least annually to ensure that your cat is aging within healthy parameters.Regular grooming appointments, every 4 – 8 weeks, will allow the expertise of a professionally trained cat groomer to look for signs of concern early on, allowing for action to be taken if necessary.

Grooming Options

Grooming options are likely to become more limited as your cat ages. Shaving and full-body haircuts may have to be discontinued if the cat’s skin becomes too fragile, or if arthritis prevents the groomer from doing a full body haircut with safety. Once again, stress is a major factor to consider.

Senior cat appointments may become comfort grooms. This may mean that your wish list of grooming desires for your cat may be restricted at any given appointment, due to health or stress issues.

Recommended

Getting your senior cat on a regular bath and blow dry appointment schedule will take care of all their grooming needs.
Additional services should be discussed with your trained cat groomer as to their appropriateness at each appointment.