How to have a well groomed cat

How to groom your cat without using band-aids afterwards.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 2 Big, fluffy towels
• Pet shampoo
• Pet toenail clippers
• Pet comb or brush
• Q-tips

1. 
   But I had a bath a year ago!!!

   Though your cat may be sweet, sometimes he or she stinks. Catch your cat, then commence with the next step.

2. 
   Grrr

   Place your cat inside a sink or bathtub, and make the sure the water is lukewarm, neither hot or cold. Don't put in a lot of water, as cats hate getting wet. Hold them down firmly with one hand, then lather them up with the pet shampoo, being careful not to get the soap in their eyes. To rinse, use sink sprayer or just splash water until the soap is noticably gone from the fur. Next, take a q-tip, and gently wipe the inside of the ears. Grab one of the towels and wrap it around the cat. Rub them as dry as you can; some cats prefer to finish the jobs themselves, by licking.

3. 
   What did I do to deserve this?

   Now comes the fun part. After the cat is dry, catch him or her again, and wrap a towel around them. Holding them securely on your lap, or tabletop, carefully pull out one of the cat's forelegs, then gently press the paw, until the claws emerge.Take the pet clippers, and clip just the tips of the claws, no lower than that. Repeat with other foreleg.

4. 
   Ow!

   Regular brushing with a pet brush or comb will keep your cat's hair from tatting up, especially if he or she as long hair. Simply brush down the cat's back, and around the face and legs and tail.

5. Now your cat is in tip top shape. And hopefully smells better, too!

Tips & Warnings

• Start grooming your cat when he/she is a kitten, and they'll tolerate it better.
• Use treats afterwards to soften your sullen kitty.
• You may need to use band-aids. Sorry!

[dollface]

on 4/13/2008 Frankly I find our baby, a Persian named Petite, of claw trimming fame, (she enjoys it) always smells better than we do, like she's been hanging on the line.all fresh and sweet...can't imagine her standing for a bath, love those pictures though, and if your cat DOES need a bath, this is good advice. I would leave the claw clipping for another day, if kitty is trauma - ed by bath..maybe a break would be in order for sanity of all. Yeah, lots of treats, but still two stages..this sounds pretty grim pour la chat!