Do you own a furry friend and are worried about its grooming or cleanliness? While concerning cat grooming, there is no need to be scared or being worried, because it can be very relishing for both humans and cats. You need to follow a few practices with patience for making cat grooming regardful. If your furry friend has long hair and she loves to play in the garden, it can make grooming a little difficult for you. The common question of the owners having long hair cats “how to groom a cat with matted hair” will be discussed here in detail.

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What is grooming a cat?

Grooming is a practice to maintain the hygiene and appearance of cats. It helps an owner to spend time with his pet and check the body condition and unusual spots on the body surface indicating health problems. Grooming plays an important role in the maintenance of the regular look of your pet and its health. It helps your pet to feel good and look great. Grooming is not a superficial activity, it has many other benefits besides brushing your cat.

Do cats need grooming?

Being independent creatures, cats spend a lot of their time self-grooming. Cats are famous for their fastidious grooming and they feel pride in their appearance, consuming half of their time in grooming themselves to perfection.  Beside this habit, you need to groom your cats. Well, there are many reasons.

  Your cat can be older and overweight, and unable to reach a few spots of the body for grooming. Cats can also be sick and depressed and not in favour to groom themselves. As cats use their tongue and mouth for grooming purposes, they often swallow hairs during this practice. These hairs turn into clumps and form a ball-like structure in the digestive tract known as a trichobezoar. Trichobezoar is often removed surgically due to its complications. As an owner, you should need to daily groom or remove excessive hairs with a brush. It can help to reduce the excess fur on the body and minimize the chance of hairballs.

Benefits to groom a cat with matted hair

Grooming not only helps the cats in their appearance but it has other benefits as well. The benefits of grooming a cat are listed as;

• The blood circulation of the body is stimulated
• The tone or firmness of body muscles is regained
• It helps in equal spread of Sebum (a secretion of skin) to protect body surface of cat.
• In hot weather, grooming helps in spread of saliva which provides cooling effect through evaporation.
• Fur becomes smooth which helps in insulation and vacuum creation under the hair coat for maintaining body temperature.

Should I get my cat groomed?

The simplest answer is “Yes”. Grooming helps to maintain the health and appearance of your furry friends.  It should be a part of the caring routine for the whole life of your cat. Start grooming your cats from their early life so that it becomes their routine part. Grooming minimizes the chances of many skin diseases and external parasites. Its helps to create a mutual bond between the owner and cat, as it allows to spend close time with your pet. It also helps to avoid uncomfortable conditions like matting and knots in the hair coat. So the question is how to groom a cat with matted hair. We should groom our cats depending upon their hair coats and needs as discussed below.

1. How to groom a long haired cat

Long haired cats need more attention and assistance in their grooming. Matted hair, hair knots and hairball issues are more common in long haired cats. Matted hairs can be painful and uncomfortable for your cat. To groom your long haired cat, use a steel comb to brush daily. Brushing helps to remove dirt, grease, hair, and skin flakes and prevents matted hair. Try to open tangled knots of hairs very carefully. Take the help of a damp cloth to tease out the knots. Do not use scissors as they can cause a wound. Take the help of a professional or your veterinarian, if you are facing a bad knot.

Persian cats and other long haired cats need regular maintenance to avoid matted hair and hairballs. It depends upon the individual’s need, whether your cat requires daily, weekly, or monthly grooming. Cats with softer, fluffy hairs and cotton coats, will need more attention and grooming. If you are ready to make an effort and have enough time, you can groom your cat at home.

While grooming your cat, offer food treats, soothing sounds, and strokes to avoid struggling. When your cat feels relaxed, and distracted by the food reward, then start to groom her. A grooming comb with wide spaces between teeth should be used for long and thick haired cats.

2. How to groom a short haired cat

For short haired cats, brushing should be done a minimum of once a week. The bristle brush is a good fit for short haired cats. Grooming comb with narrow spaces between teeth should be used for short haired cats. Always use a brush and comb in the direction of hair growth, starting from the neck region towards the tail. Guide the brush by using your hand and feel any bumps or injuries with the hand before moving your brush. While grooming, make your cat feel safe and relaxed. Stop grooming if your cat starts feeling stress or discomfort. A mutual bond between owner and cat is very favourable and makes the grooming experience enjoyable.

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