Under The Neck Fur Of Chinchilla Persian-grooming

[darkhorse321]

Hello all!
This is a new post for me as I've always had tabbies!
I lost my second fur baby in 4 months, March 21st, 2017 after losing her brother November of the previous year. I was devestated and knew I had to get another bundle of fur. It just so happened this adorable chinchilla persianx flame point himalayan found me.

Savannah is now almost 4 months old, and is just a doll. I'm just getting used to the fur She's not bad with grooming, but I'm noticing that under her neck and behind her ears look 'unkept' and a bit rumbled very quickly. I've trimmed down her 'ruff' so she doesn't get it in her mouth, and brush 2 to 3 times daily. Is there any hidden secret to keeping the under the chin/neck fur looking groomed? I'm figuring it's because she grooms it a lot and it likely gets food/water in it.

I think I managed to insert a photo.....

 

[darkhorse321]

Savannah at 9 weeks

• darkhorse321
• May 6, 2017
• 1

Savannah at 9 weeks, first day with me after losing Skye just 3 days prior. I was sick with a...

This is a better look at her ruff--here it's perfect and looking kept, but this was her at 9 wks.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! Savannah is absolutely precious. I can understand why you bonded with her so easily. Carleton is my third Persian and by far the best grooming tool is the greyhound comb. It works great around the 'ruff' as well as ears and body. Here is the exact one I have: Geib stainless steel:
PetEdge.com - Geib Stainless Steel Greyhound Combs - Pet Supplies

 

[posiepurrs]

The unkempt look is from the coat getting wet and not being dried. A Persian coat tends to crimp if damp. If she will let you, try bathing her occasionally and blow drying. If you use a human dryer do not use the heat setting as it could burn her. You could also try a tiny bit of corn starch baby powder worked into the ruff and thoroughly combed out. I have never found this satisfactory, but some do. Once you get the ruff looking neat again, when you feed her, put a coffee filter bib on her. Just tear a hole in the middle of it to fit her head through. remove it once she has finished eating. This will keep the ruff cleaner. A steel greyhound comb is the only way to go as far as I am concerned. It is all I use for my cats. Your baby us gorgeous!

 

[darkhorse321]

Thanks everyone! Savannah is a darling. I figured the ruff looking unkept was similar to my hair--if it gets wet and dries naturally, it's ....well, not pretty My Mom had a doll faced Persian and gave me all her grooming tools--I've been using a metal comb similar to the one in the link and it DOES work, it just doesn't stay looking that nice. I think because she's so rambunctious and grooms a lot and likely gets her fur wet when playing in the bathtub after I shower

I have a furminator which works well too for her over all coat, but I'm also guessing at 14-15 weeks, her adult coat has yet to grow in.

Thanks again!

 

[FriendOfTheCatBoys]

The unkempt look is from the coat getting wet and not being dried. A Persian coat tends to crimp if damp. If she will let you, try bathing her occasionally and blow drying. If you use a human dryer do not use the heat setting as it could burn her. You could also try a tiny bit of corn starch baby powder worked into the ruff and thoroughly combed out. I have never found this satisfactory, but some do. Once you get the ruff looking neat again, when you feed her, put a coffee filter bib on her. Just tear a hole in the middle of it to fit her head through. remove it once she has finished eating. This will keep the ruff cleaner. A steel greyhound comb is the only way to go as far as I am concerned. It is all I use for my cats. Your baby us gorgeous!

Respectfully, the bib seems like too drastic a measure to me for what is essentially a cosmetic issue. My himilayans have this too but it is always in the same spots, their undersides and behind the ears. They get brushed throroughly every day. I think it has more to do with then being naturally more oily in those areas and is not necessarily caused by moisture, as I never see this manifest in their backs. As long as they are being regularly brushed and their fur isn't matting I don't think this issue warrants interfering with their eating ritual or applying unnecessary products. My 2 cents.

Btw OP you have a great cat. I got my boys a couple months ago and their brothers looked just like your guy.

 

[posiepurrs]

The poster asked how to keep the ruff looking neat- she is free to use my ideas or not. The crimped looking hair behind the ears and legs is from oil, but on the ruff it is usually from moisture. The bibs are used as a last resort. The only time I use them is after a show bath and during the show to stay pristine.

 

[darkhorse321]

Hello everyone! thanks for your input. I did have to give Savannah a little sponge bath, but not because of this, but because little miss fell into something and got dirty Hahahaha. I didn't submerse her because it was very apparently being washed was not going to go over well when we were in hyper-running-around-kitten-mode. . I just used a wet towel with ivory soap, washed her underside (that got dirty) and then rinsed off. Oddly enough, that hair didn't crimp too badly! The oil behind her ears is bugging me, but I can't bath her right now--she's too squirmy and hyper. I want her to be a kitten and enjoy life. I see the vet for her next set of shots next week and the groomer there is awesome, so I'm going to get her input. I won't do a bib--she'd just attack it and play--though would make for some fun videos

Can someone show me a picture of grooming tools? I think all mine are geared for short haired kitties. I'll have to look at my pet store for some long haired brushes. But I'd prefer recommendations from those with Persians--thanks to the compliments--Savannah is a sweetie---her darker points are really coming out in her coat on her back.

 

[posiepurrs]

This is the type of comb I use. I never use a brush because it doesn't get all the way down to the skin and the coat will mat. I only use the comb in 2 sizes - one for the face and the bigger one for the body, nothing else. I don't want to remove hair like happens with a furminator. As I said to the other poster, a bib was suggested as a last resort. So you can see I do deal with a lot of hair here are a couple of photos of my cats:

 

[lavishsqualor]

If you get her used to being bathed and blown dry as a kitten it will make it easier on you as she gets older. My two cats have no idea that they are supposed to hate water or having their teeth brushed. It's because I've done those things from kittenhood that they're so relaxed with it. Given the fact that your lovely girl is a Persian and will require baths to keep her well groomed, I think getting her used to it now is important.

 

[darkhorse321]

She's not too bad with water--she's very curious and has fallen in the bathtub while I'm showering far too many times I'm not too worried about her. But she is very squirmy so I want to make sure she's manageable before I try any type of bathing--my mom had a persian for 15 yrs and never bathed her--she had her groomed though. I can do 'spot' cleaning as my girl won't be a show kitty--thank you SO much for that comb recommendation. I will be getting one of those this weekend. Right now, when I brush my girl, she seems to be shedding what appears to be 'qtip tops' hahaha. Little tiny small bundles of fluff. I'm figuring her adult coat is still growing in. Now, she is only half chinchilla persian and half flame point himalayan, but I can only feel the Himalayan in the coat texture--everything else is Chinchilla Persian. The coloring is amazing. I'll try to get photos.

 

[silverpersian]

Your kitten is beautiful!

I use this dematting tool behind the ears, under the arms, and on the ruff of my Persian. I use the greyhound comb everywhere else.

 

[Boris Diamond]

I have a dematting brush similar to the one in silverpersian's post. My long-haired cats, a DLH and a Siberian, don't tolerate combs on their ruffs. They will attack a comb when they see it. But they tolerate the dematting tool most of the time. It does a very good job untangling their ruffs and takes loose hair, too.

 

[darkhorse321]

Thank you SO much!! I'll see if they have these or can get them in my pet store. Canada seems to always be behind in products like this....

 

[Elizabeth19]

Your cat is amazing!

I usually use this dematting tool, Pet Dematting Comb by Hertzko it's called. It helps me a lot with my cat, but I'm thinking of finding something better. I have seen here 10 Best Dog Dematting Tool to Buy in (Jan. 2018) - Buyer’s Guide that Rubold Dematting Tool is quite effective too, but maybe I should try anything else? If you try brush similar to the one in silverpersian's post, let me know. It looks perfect for under the neck area.

 

[darkhorse321]

I'm finding the metal comb the best, along with the furminator. My little fluff ball turned 1 a few weeks ago and is the most darling sweetie ever. I miss my two babies in the avatar here every day, but my new little fluff ball has been so wonderful in helping me heal.