Long haired cat care

[mom of 10 cats]

I have just adopted my first ever longhaired cat.

I was wondering if there are any special brushes I should have on hand for him. I brush my (shorthaired) kitties twice a week with a human hairbrush (has plastic bristles with little balls/beads on end) which they prefer over the cat brush I bought for them.

Do I need one of those loop-shaped rake brushes? I just bought a Zoom Groom to use on all of them, I have heard good things about that.

Is there anything I need to give him as a supplement to help keep his coat shiny (and hopefully keep the shedding down a little)? I don't want him to get matted fur, I would imagine it is painful and irritating. His fur is in good condition now but could use a little boost in the shine department.

Thanks!

 

[sandie]

The one thing I have found most useful with long haired cats is a comb. The combs with the rolling teeth are great. They don't pull the hair and they get little knots out. You will also be using the brush afterward to get the loose hair out. The best way to keep them from shedding is regular brushing and don't let them get dried out. If you feed a high quality diet with fatty acids, this should be enough. If not, you can buy the Omega 3 fatty acid suppliments at the pet store.
Sometimes having a long haired cat can be alot of work, but they are SOOO pretty

 

[binkyhoo]

I like the wire brushes that have alot of pins that are sort of bent. It pulls out alot of the old dead hair. Bushes with widely spaced out pins or nylon bristles just never seemed to get through the under coat sufficienly. I use the wire brush carfully because it might get scratchy. All though hoots is kinda like "scratch away all you want, your getting all the ichy spots!" And if you catch a matt forming early you might just be able to brush it out. But if you let it go it can turn into a real knot. I have a small blunt end scissors that i use for cutting out matts. Some long haired cats dont matt up like some others. It depends upon the unique texture of their coats.I seen the pic of your new kitty,he is real pretty.Its hard to imagine with 11 cats this is your first long hair!

(Sandie,I have never seen a comb with rolling teeth,Whats that like?)

 

[sandie]

Here's a link for a rolling tooth comb

http://www.petdiscounters.com/dog/br...room_comb.html

 

[mom of 10 cats]

Thanks for the link! I will have to invest in that. I am so excited, my new boy comes home tomorrow afternoon...

 

[gurlpower]

Hiyee and welcome yee!

My venus has long hair as well, and i read via the internet that a greyhound comb is good for grooming long hair kitties.

It is a metallic comb, and resembles a man's comb. i would post a picture on the internet, but failed many times because of my pictures are all too big a size.

It costs about $5.00 and i use this, together with the slicker type of brush (it looks like a wire rack.) i bought a smaller version of this for Venus as she is still very young. A slicker type costs about $8.00. Also, the glove type of brush works well for another friend of mine.

Here is a website that i found pretty helpful:



http://www.geocities.com/catcare2000/grooming.htm


(i surf the net for everything and anything under the sky.)

Cheers and take care and God bless!