How to Shear Your Cat
Domesticated cats require very little grooming from their owners since they use their coarse tongues to clean and comb their fur. However, there are several reasons why you might decide to shave your cat's fur. One reason is if the fur has become matted. Another reason is to groom the cat's fur to look like a lion. Grooming a cat can be easy or challenging depending on the cat's temperament. Many cats resist grooming by scratching or biting. Great care must be taken, especially with a struggling cat, to prevent injury to the cat's skin.
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Instructions
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First, shave around the cat's head. If you are shearing your cat to have a lion-like appearance, imagine a mane running around the base of the cat's neck. Start shaving at this line with a No. 10 razor. Drag the shaver down the cat's back in the direction of the fur's growth. Gently lift any mats away from the skin and shave underneath them.
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Grasp your cat by the nape of its neck and gently lift the cat to extend and expose its neck. Continue shearing along that imaginary line around the neck, down the stomach. Leave the fur on the legs.
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Lift the cat by the nape of its neck so that its front paws are off the ground. Ask a friend to extend the front legs, exposing the legs' undersides. Shave along the underside of the legs. If you are shearing the entire cat due to matting, shave down the legs' length in the direction of the fur growth.
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Roll the cat slowly from one side to the other side to clip the stomach area. Wrap your arm around the cat's midsection, with its backside facing you. Clip down the rear legs' length. If you are shearing your cat to look like a lion, stop at the legs' knee joints.
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Hold the cat's tail out in a straight line away from its body. Drag the razor down the tail's length, working from the base to the tip. Leave a 2- to 3-inch long bit of fur at the tail's tip if you are shearing the cat to look like a lion.
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Tips & Warnings
Stretch the cat's skin tight with one hand as you shear with the other hand. This prevents the skin from getting caught in the razor blade.
Place the blade on the back of your hand to see if it is hot. Place a small amount of blade-cooling lubricant on the blade if it is getting warm.
Work quickly yet carefully. The average time a cat allows you to work on it is about 10 minutes. Watch for warning signs of the cat's increasing agitation, such as growling, a swishing tail and flat ears.
Apply hydrogen peroxide to nicks in the cat's skin to prevent infection.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
