shop now
 
 

Grooming Your Cat

 
Grooming Cat

If you are assuming that cats take care of all their grooming needs themselves, think again. Your role in your cat's grooming is a little more complicated than simply running a brush through his fur. While keeping the coat clean, shiny, and untangled is a large part of the job, your cat's toilette is not complete until his claws are trimmed, his eyes and ears cleaned, and his teeth brushed. Your duties may even extend to bathing your pet in some instances: for longhair cats, on occasion, and for older cats no longer flexible enough to completely groom themselves. Not only does all this maintenance keep your cat beautiful, but some of it also serves as preventive medicine. The more hair you remove by brushing, for instance, the less your cat will ingest when he grooms himself, reducing the number of hairballs he throws up and averting a potentially deadly blockage of the intestines by clumps of hair.

Set up a grooming routine at a regular time and in a quiet room; for skittish pets, divide the procedure into short, cat-acceptable sessions. Have all the grooming tools and supplies you may need within easy reach.

More on Cat Care
Feeding Tips
Grooming Tips
Bonding Tips

Cat Clips

Cat People Cats and the People Who Love Them
Go behind the scenes of cat shows to meet some of the biggest cat enthusiasts around.
Cat Care Caring for Your Cat
Considering a cat? Find out what kind of care your furry new companion will require.
 
 
advertisement

Search Adoptable Pets!


 

How Stuff Works

Cat Grooming Tips
Get even more tips on proper grooming for your cat from our friends at HowStuffWorks.com.

How to Bathe a Cat
It sounds like a tricky proposition — bathing a creature with sharp claws and quick reflexes. It can be done, though, and HowStuffWorks.com has tips to help!

How Cats Groom Themselves
For most cats, fastidious grooming is part of their natural behavior. Find out how they do it from HowStuffWorks.com.
 
newsletter
 
 

our sites

video

 

mobile

shop

stay connected

corporate