Cat grooming

Our feline friends usually have a soft, dense coat. Depending on the breed and individual characteristics, a cat will shed its coat at least twice a year or moult throughout the year. As a rule, cats shed most heavily in spring and autumn. The British Shorthair, for example, is one of the breeds that sheds its coat more heavily.

In general, cats are very clean animals and invest a lot of time in grooming themselves. When brushing, they remove loose hairs with their roughened tongues, while at the same time relieving stress and cooling themselves if necessary. A ‘catlick’ is therefore anything but the proverbial short and superficial clean. With their tongue, cats have a perfect tool for grooming their fur and spend hours cleaning. This means it is usually unnecessary to bathe cats, and does more harm than good to our feline friends. Because bathing is very stressful for our lounge leopards, which can affect the cat's general health. A bath can only be helpful in exceptional cases – such as extreme soiling or a severe infestation of parasites – where brushing or rubbing the cat with a damp cloth will not help.

Targeted combing of the cat not only helps to care for the coat, but also offers you and your pet other benefits. In addition to removing loose hair, pamper your feline friend with a pleasant massage that also helps blood circulate around the skin. It is also very easy to check your cat for injuries or parasites while doing so, and notice changes in the skin or coat more quickly. In addition, regular brushing strengthens the bond between you and your cat. 

The texture of the cat's coat often reflects the physical and mental health of our feline friends. Most cats have a soft, dense and shiny coat. A dull coat with bald patches may indicate health problems. But regular grooming in cats has other health benefits.

When grooming their fur, cats will swallow some hair. Since the swallowed hairs are indigestible, they are usually regurgitated. A cat will vomit fur that it has cleaned no more than once a week. If the cat does not manage to regurgitate all the hair or swallows too much cat hair, the so-called hairballs can lead to a serious intestinal obstruction. The intestinal obstruction must then be surgically removed by a veterinarian. Targeted grooming in cats can minimise this risk for our lounge leopards by brushing off some of the loose hair that they would otherwise swallow when grooming. However, if your cat still swallows a lot of hair due to regular heavy shedding or pathological grooming behaviour, plant fibres such as cat grass will encourage regurgitation.

By combing the cat's fur regularly and keeping a watchful eye during grooming, you can spot parasites such as ticks, mites, fleas, lice or hair lice. A parasite infestation is not only annoying, but also harmful for your cat and possibly for you as well. The small creepy-crawlies usually trigger a strong itch, which cats try to fight with frequent scratching or gnawing. You can find out how dangerous the little parasites are and what you can do to combat them in this guide article. 

A nutrient deficiency can also be noticeable in cats’ coats. The cat's coat should be slightly shiny. If there is a lack of nutrients over a longer period of time, for example due to incorrect feeding, the coat can become dull or hair loss and bald patches in the coat can occur. Our lounge leopards originated as predatory cats, which catch and consume their prey. This means they are counted among the classic carnivores. Protein, which is contained in meat, is an important basic building block for healthy cat skin, which means it is also essential for the coat. A cat food that meets the needs of the species should therefore have a high proportion of fresh meat. This is the only way to provide the cat with the important proteins and nutrients that also make the cat's coat shine.

To ensure that grooming is as pleasant as possible for your cat, strengthens your relationship and does not cause stress, follow these tips:

• Brush in the direction of growth of the cat's coat
• For cats with very long hair, lift the upper layer of the coat to brush the undercoat first, then comb the complete cat coat
• Choosing the right brush for cats
• Brush more frequently during the cat's shedding cycle

Unfortunately, not all lounge leopards like having their fur combed, and will run away as soon as you reach for the brush. Other cats might try to fight back with claws and teeth because they find combing stressful. In this situation do not give up, but be patient. Give your cat a moment's rest and try again, step by step.

It is best to get your cat used to grooming as early as possible. As soon as your pet moves in with you, it is advisable to schedule about 15 minutes a day for grooming together.

• Ensure a calm atmosphere
• Reward your cat with a treat
• You should loosen tangles or knots in the coat carefully with your fingers at the beginning, or cut them out very carefully.

Baby cats are usually even more playful and curious than adult cats. You can take advantage of this when grooming the kitten:

• Let the kitten sniff the brush
• Start with gentle brushing
• Stroking in between will help relaxation
• After grooming, reward with treats or games

Choosing the right brush, or tool, can also make all the difference in grooming your cat. The following table gives you an overview of common tools that care for your cat's coat and make it shine:

Loosening tangles and knots

Removing the cat's undercoat

How often should I brush my cat?

• Brush long-haired cats several times a week to daily
• Brush short-haired cats approx. once a week
• Brush every one to two days during moulting, otherwise twice a week and as needed

How do I give my cat a beautiful shiny coat?