Taking Care of Your Long-Haired Cat:
Long-haired cats are beautiful,How to take care long-haired cat care : A Comprehensive Guide stunning, and amazing to care for. Their long, glorious fur adds to their beauty, but it also requires maintenance and can lead to issues. Do you know how to take care of your long-haired cat?
Basic Hair Care for Cats:
The good news is that your cat knows how to groom itself and will spend time doing so. Ensuring long-haired cats stay clean often requires minimal effort in many situations. There are steps you, as their owner, can take to help them stay healthy beyond their own capabilities:
- Provide Good Nutrition:
Cats that don’t eat nutritious food can develop hair issues. Additionally, overweight cats may struggle to keep themselves clean. Therefore, providing a balanced diet is the first and most crucial step to ensuring coat health. - Brush Your Cat 1-2 Times a Week:
Brushing helps remove dirt and dead hair from your cats, and it stimulates the skin. They may also enjoy the bonding time with you. Especially as your cats grow older and struggle more with grooming themselves, regular brushing is essential for skin and coat health. - Brush More Frequently for Long-Haired Cats:
A regular brush won’t adequately care for all of their fur. You need to spend time on all areas of your cat. Divide their coat into sections, brushing both sides of their tail in-between. Start with their belly, then brush both sides of their back. Don’t forget their chest and head. - Bathe Only When Necessary:
Your cat bathes regularly, so you won’t need to do so frequently, and too much bathing can lead to coat-related issues. However, if your cats get exceptionally dirty, you’ll need to clean them. You can often wipe them down effectively with a damp washcloth. But if they’re very soiled, smelling bad, or tangled in something potentially dangerous, take them to a groomer or veterinarian for a proper bath. - Check for Lumps or Mats:
If you notice any lumps, carefully work through them to resolve them fully. Leaving a small lump can lead to a bigger problem. Your cat may not enjoy the process of untangling, so reward them, take your time, and enlist help from another person if needed.
Should I Shave My Cat?
Sometimes there are situations where shaving your cat can be beneficial. If your cats can’t groom themselves anymore (due to age or health issues), if their fur is severely tangled, or if they can’t reach certain areas to stay clean, shaving can help. If you’re concerned about the need for shaving due to a medical issue, consult your vet first. In many cases, trimming the hair can work better than shaving.
If you have any further questions about your cat’s hair or any other concerns, please schedule an appointment with Woodruff Veterinary Clinics today. We’re happy to assist with everything from basic cat care to handling more serious issues.
11 Best Tips and Tricks for Long-Haired Cats’ Coat Care
Tip 1: Identify the Causes of Coat Issues :
Whether your cat is an Angora, Birman, or Persian, you love its long and silky coat, but taking care of it can be challenging. So, what’s the problem? Are you finding hairballs all over your house? Is your cat’s coat losing its shine, or worse, showing bald patches? Then you need to dig deeper. Possible causes of coat issues are listed below.
Dietary Changes:
Cats need balanced and species-appropriate food. One-sided diets, including dry food, can have a negative impact on the coat’s condition.
Vitamin Deficiency:
Sometimes giving your cat vitamin supplements can help address dietary deficiencies. Your veterinarian may recommend supplements like wheat germ, salmon or olive oil, or perhaps administering a special paste, which can have a positive effect on the coat.
Parasitic Infections:
When cats get infested with fleas and ticks, they naturally start scratching excessively. In the worst-case scenario, this can result in their entire coat coming off. A clear diagnosis of infection by a veterinarian is necessary, after which you can apply appropriate remedies. Regular treatment against parasites is also necessary, as fleas can be transmitted.
Hair Loss Due to Stress:
New people at home, competitive situations with other cats, moving house—there are many different reasons why a cat might feel so stressed that it starts shedding excessively. In some cases, flower essence remedies have been found effective as a way to restore a cat’s emotional balance.
Unusual Physical Stress:
After surgery, illness, or even pregnancy, long-haired cats may experience hair loss due to unusual physical strain.
Hormonal Imbalances, Digestive Disorders, and Immune-related Diseases:
If all possible causes of coat issues in long-haired cats mentioned above have been ruled out, a complete blood test often helps determine what’s bothering the cat.
Tip 2: Choose the Right Food for Your Cat :
We are what we eat—and undoubtedly, this applies to cats too. Good nutrition, in line with the nature of things, will result in a beautiful thick coat. Cats are carnivores, so it’s important that their diet contains a higher proportion of easily digestible meat.
It should be at least two-thirds meat. Our domestic cats’ digestive system is primarily based on meat and the protein it contains.
Meat also contains taurine—an essential amino acid that cats cannot produce themselves. When cats are given a natural and high-quality diet, their coat will be even better for it. If ingredients are listed on the package, you have a better chance of assessing quality!
Tip 3: Find the Right Time for Coat Care :
When your cat is in a calm and relaxed mood, and you have time to do the job properly, it’s the right time to give your cat a full coat treatment.
It would be great if you could make it part of your daily routine. Your long-haired cat will thank you in every way—first with its affectionate purring, and then by appreciating the care of its beautiful coat.
Finding a quiet room where there are no distracting loud noises from other animals is a good idea. Then place the cat in front of you—perhaps on a table (but make sure it’s lying on a cloth). Then spend some time stroking it before starting from the head and brushing towards the tail. Always brush in the direction of the hair.
Tip 4: Make Coat Care Enjoyable for Your Long-Haired Cat :
You should only brush your long-haired cat’s coat, never comb it. Otherwise, there is a high risk of pulling out the beautiful hair of its coat.
Cats usually don’t like being turned over onto their back. So, either lay the cat down on the table or clean its belly from underneath. Another option is to place the cat on your lap and hold its forepaws while brushing with the other hand.
The more your long-haired cat trusts you, the more eager it will be to care for its coat. Later, reward it with a treat, and it will soon register this fact that staying calm brings rewards.
But all these efforts are worth it because the daily ritual of brushing fosters a strong bond between you and your pet.
Tip 6: Get your cat into the habit of brushing – the sooner, the better :
It’s important to keep in mind your cat’s individual personality. Never force your cat to do anything it doesn’t want to do, whether it’s young or old.
Living with cats requires patience! So, set aside about fifteen minutes daily for grooming – although every other day is also a viable option if you’re short on time.
Tip 7: The best grooming tool for your cat’s fur :
But less can indeed mean more in the end, as long-haired cats’ fur can easily get tangled.
For successful treatment of your furry friend’s hair, a specialized brush is recommended – although purchasing such items may be a bit costly. Specifically, so-called ‘slicker brushes’ are highly suitable, making it very easy to remove dead undercoat and any loose hair.
Like human hair, if you want to achieve a beautiful shiny coat, brushes made from natural bristles (for example, boar bristle brushes) are preferred tools.
A wide-toothed metal comb is recommended for cats with wide, round teeth. And for massaging long-haired cats’ fur, a plastic brush with studs can also be very useful. Do some shopping – there are suitable fur care accessories available for every length of hair.
For example:
A shedding comb
Furminator
Gloves
Tip 8: Prepare products for your cat’s hair :
Behind the ears, under the armpits, between the legs, and around the bottom – these are all areas where cats are naturally sensitive, just like us humans. It’s advisable to treat these areas with a little powder first, or alternatively with care foam.
In the market, you can also find special detangling sprays for particularly stubborn tangled areas. Spray, gently massage, and then comb – this is the right way to go about grooming.
Oils are also available for treating the fur of long-haired cats.
Tip 9: Bathe your cat only when absolutely necessary :
Our domestic cats naturally recoil from water, although there may be exceptions to the rule. Everyone knows their cat best, and it’ll be possible to estimate how much or how little it will enjoy being placed in a tub.
Primarily use a full-body wash – and please, use a special cat shampoo – it should be the last resort in case of extreme necessity, for example, if your long-haired cat has encountered a toxic substance or has become extremely dirty for some other reason.
This is because bathing is stressful for cats and frequent washing can lead to skin-related issues. Alternatively, you can gently clean areas with warm water where your cat has mats or tangles.
Lint-free cloths (without fragrance) can also be used carefully to clean the inner parts of the cat’s ears.
Tip 10: Cutting the fur of a long-haired cat :
If it becomes absolutely necessary, you may have to trim a tangle – either with a special detangling knife or perhaps it’s better with scissors (the edges of the scissors should be rounded).
Please be really cautious in this matter, as it often happens that the cat doesn’t stay completely still. Place a comb between the skin and the tangle before starting to cut – then there’s no chance of anything going wrong.
Tip 11: When there really is no other option, the only solution is to completely cut the cat’s fur :
When the fur becomes completely tangled and damaged, visiting a veterinarian and administering a mild anesthetic is the only way out. Cutting the fur without anesthesia is not an option, as cats – unlike dogs – will never stay still for long periods, so the risk of injury is unacceptable.
The whole process is unpleasant, both for the cat and its owner – first because any anesthesia puts pressure on the sensitive nervous system, and then because it will take some time for the long-haired cat’s hair to grow back. For an ancient solution.
Cutting the hair will promote the growth of new hair. At this time, regular brushing is even more important than before.