grooming

regular grooming is essential when you own a longhaired cat. the coat must be kept in good condition, otherwise the fur gets knotted and matted. you also help your cat to get rid of excess hair, hair your cat might swallow, which then develop into so called "fur-balls". fur-balls can clog up the digestive system, so it's important to prevent them.
while you groom your cat you can also check for any health problems, fleas and skin irritations in a relaxed manner.

short haired cats also like to be groomed. once a week will usually be enough. a longhaired persian although needs much more attention and should be groomed once a day. you want also consider a professional groomer for this type of cat, every 6 weeks or so.

apart from the health issue, grooming has a relaxing effect and most cats love it when you massage their backs with brushes and combs. they'll bond with you more quickly and feel be put back into their kitten-hood, when mum licked their fur.

grooming technique

grooming equipment

• a comb or flea comb
• a bristle brush
• a rubber rake
  

how to do it

i found out that the best way to groom your cat isas follows:

• kneel on the floor and sit on your heels
• place your cat in front of you, its back facing you
• take off its collar (if its wearing one) and start gently to stroke him with your fingers along its back, long nice movements, talk to your cat in a soothing manner
• then take the comb, and move it gently through the fur. be careful not to tug too hard if there are some knots, easy does it
• check for flea dirt (how to know its flea dirt check under the topic "fleas" on this site)
• now use the bristle brush and brush your cats fur in growing direction, start with the head and work down to the tail. repeat until you feel you have done the whole fur thoroughly enough
• now place your left hand just behind your cats front legs and lift it up so that its in a standing position and you can reach your cats tummy.
• brush gently the fur against and with the growing direction of your cats tummy
• be sensitive, if your cat has enough, stop immediately and don't force it. instead build up longer session over time.
• if your cat is still enjoying the attention, use the rubber rake on the back of your cat for the finish. the rake is really good for reaching the loose hair in the deeper layers of your cats coat, those will cling to the sticky surface of the rubber rake
• when you are finished, praise your cat for being so cooperative and give it a treat.

if you have trouble kneeling on the floor, you can also use a table and place your cat right in front of you. use the same method as described above,

you don't need to invest in all three of the above tools, but recommened is surely the flea comb and some kind of a brush. its up to you, taste differs and so do the tools on the market.