Cats are by nature very demanding, especially when it comes to grooming. Most of them like to do that job themselves, and they really do it very well. However, from time to time, your feline will need some outside help to maintain the beauty of its proud coat.
Grooming a cat regularly is an important task that some owners often overlook, believing that their pet encompasses that terrain. Brushing has several benefits: it helps to keep hair in good condition, prevents the skin from tangling, distributes the natural oils of the dermis, promotes good circulation, and allows inspection of any hidden animals or lesions. Therefore, in this article, we want to offer you our recommendations for brushing your cat’s hair, giving you the best tips so that your pet can show off a beautiful and silky coat.
Don’t use the wrong brush
Before you begin, make sure you have the right tool on hand. To do this, you should know that there are many types of brushes and combs for cats on the market, so do a preliminary research to select the one that best suits your feline’s coat. Most brushes and combs are pretty cheap and well worth it.
For short-haired felines you can use a “card “, which is the typical comb for cats. When selecting the most suitable one, try to make it gentle to make brushing a positive experience.
For cats with long hair , dense and prone to breakage when brushing, it is not recommended to use a comb or brush designed for short-haired cats, since the shorter teeth will not reach their undercoat; brushing would be useless and you would continue to lose dead hair. The ideal is to opt for a double-sided brush or a metallic one, and use them very carefully so as not to break the hair or harm the animal.
General tips for brushing your cat’s hair
Before we start, there are some things we can recommend at that will help you the next time you want to leave your cat’s hair shiny and silky:
- Always brush your cat in the direction of the hair, it could be relaxing for him. On the contrary, continuous brushing against him will cause him discomfort to such an extent that you will not be able to brush him for more than 1 minute.
- Get your cat used to brushing it from a young age. You can start as soon as you turn eight weeks old.
- Although it will not always be easy and there will be better days and worse, always try to brush your cat’s entire body, especially under the hind legs and behind the front legs, since they are the most problematic places.
- Take the opportunity. For example, if your cat is sound asleep on her back, it may be a good time to attack the paw and belly area.
- Divide the brushing into different sections if your cat becomes irritated and desperate. Today you brush one section and later or tomorrow another. This may take longer, but it may be more bearable for your feline and you will be less scratched.
- Long-haired cats must be brushed and combed once a day due to the delicate nature of their fur. For short-haired cats, a weekly fixed brush will suffice.
The trick is to get it right
To be able to brush your cat’s hair without problems, take your feline in your arms and sit with him between your legs in a place that is comfortable for both him and you. Close doors and windows so that it does not try to escape during brushing and you cannot reattach it. Pet your cat until it is in a spectacular, calm and relaxed mood; you’ll know it when it starts to lick you or purr.
Now, brush along her back in slow, delicate, long strokes, from the tail to the top of the head. Observe if your cat is having any strange sensations that may lead to aggressive behavior, be alert to her body language. Check the brush from time to time to make sure there are no tangled hair, if so, comb the hair out and move on. Do not neglect the armpits and abdomen, these are areas in which many knots are formed and some go unnoticed because they are glued to the skin. Be gentle if you do get tangles, try smoothing them out with a little baby oil, then comb through.
If you find some knots that are very impossible to comb, do not pull them, since you could cause pain in the animal and tear the skin of your cat. Use a knot separator to cut them into smaller pieces or, failing that, carefully cut them with a small pair of scissors (only if they are not too close to the skin). Also, like people’s hair, you can start to untangle from the tip to the root, you will see how little by little they will soften.
Always, always, pamper and reward your cat with a treat after every brushing. It will help you relate this moment in a positive way.
