How to Groom Your Cat into a Purr-tiful Pouncer

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By apalmer
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Article Rating: (8 Ratings)

My cat, Tiger

Grooming your cat is important. Cats are good at keeping themselves clean but they need groomed by you as well. It helps keep your cat healthy and happy. Grooming rids loose hair, which will keep furniture and carpets hair free. It will make your cat feel beautiful and loved.

Cat groom themselves by licking their fur and removing dead hair. Oftentimes, they swallow a lot of hair then hairballs are formed as it collects in the stomach. Regular grooming of your cat helps prevent hairballs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Small bristle brush with soft bristles
Fine-tooth flea comb
Wide-tooth metal comb
Cotton balls
Pet toothpaste or salt water
Soft children’s toothbrush
Grooming cloth or rough wash cloth
Rubber Brush

Step 1

Set up a cat-grooming schedule. Make sure to brush your cat daily if it is longhaired and once a week if it is shorthaired. A shorthaired cat takes a couple of minutes; however, a good fifteen minutes needs spent on grooming a longhaired cat.
Step 2

Check for matted and tangled hair. By brushing your cat daily this will stop matting and tangling. Areas that mat easily are behind the ears, under the legs and on the belly. It will help you find any skin problems, fleas, ticks or any injuries.
Step 3

Use a bristle brush or rubber brush to loosen hair and anything else in the cat’s coat. Next, follow through with a fine toothcomb (longhaired species) to remove tangles from the coat. Be gentle.
Step 4

Next, brush your cat’s teeth by using pet toothpaste or salt water. Use a small, soft child or pet toothbrush to clean your cat’s teeth. Do not use regular people toothpaste because this can be toxic to the cat.
Step 5

Bath your cat if it does not fight and scratch in water. I have a cat that loves baths and will jump in the tub with my youngest daughter if he can.
Step 6

Then clean the ears. If you see dark, crusty wax or smell a bad odor in the ear, call the veterinarian. Your cat may have ear mites. You can treat ear mites by dropping warm oil into the ear, if the cat does not have an ear infection. Treat ear mites as soon as possible because it can affect your cat’s hearing. One sign is the cat scratching its ear.
Step 7

Dip a cotton ball into baby oil and wipe out the visible part of the ear. The vet may tell you to drop a few warm drops into the ear canal to get the ear mite to dislodge. Moisten another cotton ball with warm water this time and gently wipe the cats eyes to clean it of any gunk. Discard the cotton and do not reuse it. Moisten a third cotton ball and clean your cat’s nose gently. Discard the cotton.
Step 8

Nails need trimmed but if you do not know how to do it properly get a vet or an animal handler to trim your cat’s claws.

Comments

thomasfence said

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on 3/29/2009 How to Groom Your Cat into a Purr-tiful Pouncer is a great article on cat care. I hadn't heard of warm oil I will add that to my grooming time. Thank you C

bethandlee said

on 3/15/2009 Grooming is part of loving these wonderful little creatures. Thanks for the info! 5*

moonlitcrystal said

on 3/9/2009 My boys love to be brushed, but forget brushing their teeth or bathing them! LOL

mrssmith said

on 3/9/2009 Great grooming tips. Unfortunately, my cat is not trying to let me bathe her! She doesn't get hair balls though. She's on a special diet that helps with that.