Although cats do groom themselves, pet parents need to groom them as well. The frequency of grooming your cat will depend on the length of your cats’ hair. Cats lose more hair during the shedding season when the hair loss process is rather increased. Grooming for your feline friend needs to be pleasurable and relaxing.

Starting to do cat grooming early in life will ensure they get used to the brushstrokes when grooming. Eventually, increase the brushstrokes amount your kitten gets as it gets accustomed to the grooming procedure. Give your cat treats for letting you brush them this will teach them to connect grooming to a good experience. It is suggested to brush long and medium-haired cat’s daily, while short-haired feline needs grooming every week.

Regular grooming will keep your cat healthy and clean. Brushing helps remove any dirt trapped on your cat’s hair. Long haired cats or older cats are more prone to health issues caused by poor habits of grooming. These cats will greatly benefit from getting groomed more often to keep them clean, smelling nice.

Brushing your cats’ coat will help to evenly distribute the natural oils from their skin, therefore, growing shiny healthy coat. Brushing also helps reduce the amount of fur shed by your cat. Before brushing your cat, make sure to use the right brush for the hair length and one specially designed for grooming cats. Forced grooming in cats will bring your cat lots of stress and will make the brushing experience bad for your feline friend.

Benefits Of Regular Grooming

Brushing your cat more often has many essential benefits. These benefits may include;

  • Helps prevent hairball formation. These hairballs can bring about intestinal blockages to your cat
  • Gives your cat a healthy and shiny coat
  • Makes it easy to check for skin problems, fleas, lumps or skin swellings
  • Prevents fur mats from forming
  • Allows for the removal of twigs, debris, burrs, and leaves on the cat’s coat
  • Helps and reinforces a healthy bond between your cat and you

Why Do Cats Need Help Grooming?

During their daily grooming routine, cats swallow lots of furs which end up as hairballs in their stomachs. This is however unhealthy for the cats. Cats shed a lot of furs and with regular brushing from the pet parents, the fur does not end up in their bellies. Hairballs in the cat’s stomach cause blockages to their intestinal tract endangering their life.

When you take time to brush your cat, the amount of fur ingested is greatly reduced. There are different brush types to suit the cat’s hair length, therefore acquire the suitable one for your cat’s coat.

How Much Should I Groom My Cat?

There are different types of cat breeds and each requires varying grooming frequencies. Below is a breakdown of different grooming tips for each of the diverse breeds. 

Long Hair Cats

Long haired felines like the Maine Coons, Ragdolls and Persians need to be groomed daily. The long hair can get tangled develop knots and mats that require to straighten out. De-matting brushes and Fine-toothed combs get the tangles undone more easily. Professional grooming is available for your cat should there are tangles that are difficult to undo.

Medium Hair Cats

The Japanese Bobtail, Manx, and mixed cat breeds fall under this category. Brushing your cat a number of times in a week to each day will benefit your medium- haired feline. For a cat that sheds a lot or has dense hair, each day grooming is mostly preferred. The brush to use for the medium furred feline is the slicker brush and the grooming mittens.

Short Hair Cats

These include the Egyptian Mau, American Shorthair, and the British Shorthair. Grooming for these felines can be several times a week. If you opt to brush your cat each day, avoid overdoing it as it will cause skin irritation and even hair loss. For the short-haired cats, balding signs caused by your cats over-grooming are easily noticed than those caused by over brushing.

Hair Ball

During self-grooming, your cat will swallow lots of furs which, with time accumulates in its stomach in the form of a large clump of hair. Although cats’ regurgitate hairballs once or twice each week, it can cause a health issue when it forms a blockage to their intestinal tract.

When you brush your cat, it helps lessen the quantity of hair going into your cats’ stomach, therefore, a smaller hairball size. Professional grooming will decrease hairballs in your cat as well.

Hair Matt

Brushing your cat often will help stop mats from developing. When a matt occurs on your cat’s coat, gently working them with your fingers will get them undone. Try not to pull your cat’s fur as it will cause tension to the skin and consequently pain to your cat. Use blunt-nosed scissors to slowly and gently break the matt. Then carefully trim the matt making sure not to come into contact with the skin. For the matt occurring near the skin and very tight, seeking professional groomer will help get them straightened out.

Conclusion

Even though cats groom themselves, they do need your help. The frequency your cat gets groomed is dependent on its fur length. During the shedding season, cats experience increased the loss of fur. The grooming experience for your feline friends needs to be pleasurable and fun.

Giving special treats for good behavior will encourage your cat’s cooperation during brushing sessions. Start by getting your cat accustomed to the brushstrokes and keep increasing them as your cat gets comfortable with the procedure. Regular grooming positively impacts your cat’s health. Hairball formation occurs during the natural grooming of your cat; the cat swallows furs which forms a hair clump in its stomach. Frequently brushing your cat helps reduce the quantity of fur swallowed, therefore, reducing the hairball size.

Different breeds of cats require varied brushing care. Long-haired cats require daily grooming than the medium or short-haired cats. With frequent brushing, your cat’s coat will not easily matt. When a matt is noticed, you can get it gently undone using your fingers. When a matt is difficult to remove, professional cat grooming will ensure your cat’s coat remains healthy and matt-free.