Wondering if you should groom your cat daily or weekly? We're here to provide you with compelling reasons to pick up that brush and get started.
You might think your cat has it all covered with their self-grooming rituals, but there's a lot more to consider, especially when it comes to their health, well-being, and even your relationship with them.
In this article, we’ll reveal why grooming your cat regularly is more than just a chore, but a beneficial practice for you both. From establishing trust and enhancing your bond to monitoring your cat's health, the benefits of grooming are vast and varied.
We will share the secrets behind effective grooming routines, special care for unique breeds, and top-notch grooming tools that will make the process enjoyable for your cat.
Importance Of Cat Grooming
Is brushing part of the daily - or at least weekly - grooming routine for you and your cat? If not, you may change your mind after reading this article.
Brushing your cat should be a regular part of your routine. It's good for your cat's coat, as well as for her physical and mental well-being. Hey, it's even good for you! Here's why.
Why Do Cats Groom?
Cats are famous for their self-grooming rituals. Cats use their paws to reach those places they can’t reach directly with their tongue.
They lick the paw and immediately use the wet paw to groom their head and ears. There is something meditatively soothing about watching a cat meticulously and thoroughly licking its own body.
And in case you're wondering, we have an entire article about why cats groom each other. It's worth a read - and shows the importance of grooming for the social life of our felines.
So, should you even groom your cat? Can’t the cat just take care of its own grooming needs without any human intervention?
While feral cats and cats living outdoors can often manage their own grooming needs to some extent, we do actually have an important role as owners.
Advantages Of Regular Cat Grooming: A Comprehensive Guide
There are several good reasons for you to establish a grooming routine involving your cat’s coat, claws, teeth, and sometimes ears and eyes as well.
1. Getting Your Cat Used To Being Touched And Handled
Grooming procedures require tactile interaction; you touch your cat extensively and frequently as you groom her. Brushing or combing the coat is fairly similar to petting, yet clipping claws, brushing a cat’s teeth, or cleaning their ears, require a different kind of handling.
Getting your cat used to that kind of handling could help you in the future, should you need to medicate the cat or otherwise handle sensitive areas.
2. Checking Your Cat For Changes And Abnormalities
Grooming gives you the opportunity to take a close look at your cat and feel her over. It allows you to notice early changes in coat condition, tooth, and gum disease, dirt inside the ears, increased sensitivity in a paw or a limb, or a suspicious lump or swelling. Early detection is key when it comes to many kinds of cancer and other medical conditions.
3. Enhancing The Feline-Human bond
One of a cat’s earliest experiences is that of being licked over by the Mother cat right after birth and from then on a regular basis.
Cats often groom each other to show affection and reinforce social bonds. In fact, many cats will lick back when the mood strikes them, especially in response to petting, and some cats go as far as grooming a favorite person’s hair.
By the same token, when you groom your cat, you are creating a sense of closeness and trust.
4. Preventing Excessive Shedding In Your Home
Yes, cats can groom themselves, but you can minimize the amount of loose fur in your household by grooming the coat with a good cat brush or comb.
This is especially important in the springtime when cats tend to shed more.
5. Special Needs cats Need Special Grooming Attention
Paralyzed cats, or those with motor problems, may rely on human grooming to keep them in the right condition.
Arthritis can prevent a cat from properly stretching to groom those hard-to-reach places too. For the same reason, obese and senior cats may require more assistance in grooming from their caregiver as well.
6. Special Breeds With Special Needs
While all longhair cats could use additional combing and brushing, some purebred cats have more specific grooming needs. If you own a purebred cat or plan on getting one, you should take the time to study the breed and its specific grooming routines.
Flat-faced Persians, Himalayans, and Exotics, for example, often need help with keeping their eyes clean. Some shorter coats may need special care, too, with occasional combing for dense coats.
7. Claw And Tooth Care
Living indoors only and feeding on processed foods means you should pay special attention to claw and tooth care. That applies to most, if not all, pet cats.
Claws don’t get as worn out as they would in a feral cat living outdoors and thus may need trimming. Teeth may accrue plaque unless cleaned, and we now know that feeding kibble does not solve that particular problem.
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Grooming Brush Recommendations for Cats
Finally, we have some recommendations for the tools of the trade. If we convinced you that you should start grooming your cat, you need to take things slowly and very gradually get Kitty used to the new routine.
These pet brushes can set you off to a great start!
Choosing the best brush for your cat may take some experimenting. As the saying goes, there are different strokes for different cats! You may need to try several options before finding the one which "hits the spot" with your kitty.
1. Cat Combo Brush With Reinforced Wire And Nylon Bristles
This double-sided brush offers two options: gentle nylon bristles for a more tender touch on one side and a set of rounded wires on the other.
It's great for cats with medium-length coats that may benefit from rotating between different levels of brushing intensity.
Click Here To See This Brush On Amazon
2. Cat Brush For Shedding
With its soft pad and flexible thin pins, this brush is generally gentle enough for shorthaired kitties as long as you control the amount of applied pressure.
Click Here To See This Brush On Amazon
3. Safari Cat Massage Brush With Rubber Pins
When you use this brush, the evenly spaced rubber pins create a unique massaging effect. It's like having 32 tiny fingers gently weave their way through your cat's coat. The manufacturer says that short, quick strokes will remove dirt and debris, while long, flowing strokes will smooth the coat and massage the skin.
Click here to see this product on Amazon.
4. CeleMoon Cat Brush
The CeleMoon Cat Brush is a popular choice among many cat owners. Its unique design offers thick long rubber spikes that are evenly spread across the cat-shaped base.
Some consider it to be more of a massage tool than a brush, but it does collect at least some dead hair and excess oils.
Click Here To See This Brush On Amazon
5. Pet Grooming Gloves
Some cats just don't like brushes. They may be ok with a grooming glove, though, such as this one. The spikes are small, making this a possible solution for cats with sensitive skins.
Click Here To See This Glove On Amazon
Care to tell us about your cat's favorite brush? Leave us a comment here, start a thread in the Cat Care & Grooming Forum or add your review to the product page!
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You can read about proper claw care, dental care, and coat care in the following articles:
For your cat's coat: How To Properly Care For Your Cat's Coat
When you need help with your cat's claws: How to Best Take Care of Cat Claws
Keeping Kitty's teeth healthy: How To Brush Your Cat's Teeth
Comments? Leave them using the form below. Questions? Please use the cat forums for those!
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