Buffy has her own grooming tools, which consist of her tongue and her teeth, and is therefore able to groom herself on a daily basis. However, owning a cat means more than just feeding and playing with them—it means taking care of them as well with a weekly health check and creating a grooming routine at home. Some cats will not tolerate grooming and, if this is the case, it will be best to take them to a licensed groomer for pets. Cat grooming tips are not only for her, but for you and the whole family in terms of keeping your home clean.
If you plan on setting up a cat grooming system at home, you will need the following items to make sure that you are treating Buffy to a happy and luxurious grooming session so she will enjoy coming back for more attention. You can purchase all of these at the pet shop, where you can also get expert advice about which ones work best for your feline friend.
- Cat nail trimmer
- Cat grooming brush for long hair and one for short hair if needed
- Steel coarse-tooth comb and a fine-tooth comb
- Flea comb (can also be used for shorter hair areas—face and legs
- Blades for removing matting (if your cat has a lot of matting issues). Make sure to use caution while using blades and keep out of reach of children.
Your cat can come to love nail clipping sessions. But one sharp nick and they may not be up for it at all. So create a soothing experience.
- Massage the bottoms of the paws to get started and gently squeeze them until the claws emerge.
- Use the cat nail trimmer to only cut the white tip of their nails.
- Have some styptic powder on hand if you happen to create a cut by accident (it will stop any bleeding). You can purchase this at the veterinarian’s office or pet store.
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Not all cats like baths. But once in a while she’s likely to get into something sticky, smelly or dirty, so you may need to give Buffy a bath.
- For your own protection, trim her nails before the bath, and give her a good brushing first to remove loose hair and mats.
- Use a rubber mat for the tub, sink or large bowl, and fill with lukewarm water.
- Wash her with cat shampoo and then rinse carefully so as not to get water in her eyes.
- Dry and snuggle with a large towel in a warm location.
- Give her a reward (favorite treat) and endless praise for the bathing session.
- Check your kitty’s ears once a week for any dirt and debris, as well as any redness or discharge.
- Stay away from cotton swabs as they may damage the ears.
- If you decide to clean the ear canals, opt for a cat ear cleanser and follow the instructions on the product.
- You want to make sure that you are brushing and combing the top coat as well as the undercoat, where you can also check for any skin issues, matting, dirt, fleas and any other bugs.
- Brushing your cat not only removes dirt, grease and dead hair from their coat, but it helps to get rid of skin flakes
Meow that you are armed with some great information for grooming your cat, check out our family life and pet tips such as how to wash a cat bed and how to remove pet hair easily.
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