ᐉ How to properly comb a cat?

In fact, cat fur is a hair coat that is a derivative of the epidermis. There are different types of fur: thin, thick, soft like down and hard like bristles, straight or curly. Despite such differences, it is important to care for long-haired and short-haired breeds regularly, otherwise the condition of the coat will worsen, in addition, the risk of developing various dermatological pathologies, which are not easy to deal with, will increase.

How to comb a cat

It is necessary to choose the right combs and brushes based on the type of coat. Some brushes have a massage effect and stimulate blood flow to the skin. During the procedure, you need to be careful not to injure your pet. For this reason, it is advisable to select brushes with protected ends.

There are several basic tools for combing pets:

Furminator - a comb with rectangular teeth. Suitable for removing mats from long-haired pets. You can also do massage with it;
mitten - covered with pimples or teeth. Convenient to use;
slicker brush - a comb with teeth;
comb.

The selection of brushes and combs depends on the cat’s coat. Ideally, you should consult your veterinarian about purchasing a suitable tool.

Long wool

It is recommended to brush long-haired pets every day, otherwise the hair will become tangled. Caring for long hair requires:

a metal brush with natural bristles;
comb with frequent and rare teeth;
smoothing brush.

Using a soft brush, you need to comb your pet against the fur, in the direction of its growth - we must not forget about the belly and tail. After this, the matted fur is combed out with a comb and the fur on the muzzle and collar is combed (you can use a toothbrush).

It is important to remember that you can only comb dry hair, as wet hair gets tangled more easily.

Short hair

Some owners, when purchasing a short-haired cat, hope that they will not have to brush it, because it “can do it itself.” In fact, the fur of such cats also needs care. To do this you will need the following tools:

comb for cats with fine teeth;
brush with soft bristles;
suede (for polishing wool);
rubber brush.

You need to go through the comb several times from the scruff to the tail - and back. Then you can massage the cat with a rubber brush, smooth the fur and polish it a little with a piece of suede. It is recommended to regularly run a wet hand over the animal’s fur to remove dead hairs - this trick is often used by British owners. Scottish cats need to be combed with a sparse comb from tail to head and vice versa. A brush with natural bristles adds shine to the fur.

Are there allergies to wool?

Cat saliva contains particles of the Feld1 protein, which gets onto the fur when the cat licks its fur. The particles dry out, turning into microscopic flakes, and they are the allergen. Some people, misled, look for animals without fur, believing that there are no allergies to them. In fact, there are no breeds that do not cause allergies, but some cat breeds are hypoallergenic, meaning they are less likely to cause allergies.

Regularity of the procedure

The cat licks itself several times a day. If you do not comb your pet, very serious consequences can occur. While licking itself, the animal swallows a lot of hairs. They enter the digestive tract, and then the cat often vomits hairballs. An even more serious problem will arise if the intestines become clogged with accumulated hair. This may cause intestinal obstruction and require surgery.

Another problem for cat owners is tangles in which hairs get stuck. Long-haired pets especially often suffer from this.

For your information! Only an experienced specialist should cut tangles, because this procedure requires accuracy and skill.

Grooming your cats will help keep your home clean. There will be much less wool left on bedspreads, carpets and chairs, and you won’t have to clean the apartment too often. Obviously, only very irresponsible owners do not know how to brush a cat and why it should be done.

A thick undercoat helps the body retain more heat. Happy owners of long hair and a thick undercoat need constant brushing. Such animals need to be combed daily. For short-haired dogs, once a week is sufficient.

Indoor microclimate

Is there a lot of yellow light bulbs in the house, is the air dry? In this case, the cat's fur may become dry and lifeless. For the health and beauty of your pet, pay attention to the microclimate in the house. Various ways can help improve it:

frequent wet cleaning without the use of chemicals;
regular ventilation of rooms;
reducing heating intensity. If this is not possible, make sure that the cat does not sleep on the radiators. Equip her with a cozy house or bed;
using a humidifier.

If you think you're doing everything right, but your cat's appearance still isn't up to par, visit your veterinarian. Coat problems can be symptoms of various diseases. Also, do not forget about routine medical examination, vaccination, and deworming of your pet. All this can help your cat be healthy for many years and delight you with its beauty and playfulness.

Sources:

https://allexpert.com.ua/chto-delat-chtoby-u-koshki-byla-krasivaya/ https://www.ikirov.ru/news/32833-8-sposobov-privesti-sherst-koshki-v- poryadok https://www.vetmag.ru/advice/koshki-uhod-za-sherstyu/kak-dobitsya-krasivoj-shersti-u-koshek/

Basic tools for grooming your pet

A responsible owner will be faced with the question of what is the best way to comb the hair of cats. In some cases, you can use a regular cylindrical or massage comb. There are several types of brushes for combing: furminator, comb, mitten, slicker. They differ from each other in purpose and design. Owners of furry pets are recommended to have all these tools at home. Any necessary products and tools for combing cat fur can be found in pet stores.

Tools required for the procedure

You should not scratch cats with combs with metal teeth, as they can damage the delicate skin. It is advisable that the brush be made of a material that does not cause flashes of static electricity.

Furminator

The main tool for combing pets is a furminator (the name comes from the English word “fur” - “fur”). It is a small rake with a long and frequent row of short teeth. In stores you can find furminators with a narrow or wide comb. The first of them are perfect for combing kittens, and the second - for large cats with long hair. Furminator is completely safe for your pet.

This tool was invented by professional groomers, but anyone can use it. With the help of a furminator, you can carefully care for the fur of your favorite furry and not worry about the appearance of tangles. The Furminator gently removes dead undercoat without damaging the outer hair and skin. The cat's coat becomes silky and soft because during combing the fatty component of the skin is evenly distributed through the hairs. During shedding, it is best to use a furminator rather than other brushes. A high-quality tool costs about 1000–2000 rubles.*

Mitten

Many pets do not like to brush their hair and categorically refuse to do so. A brush-mitten will come to the rescue: you need to put it on your hand and stroke the cat. And the wary animal will not notice anything at all, he will even be pleased. On the inside of the mitten there are sparse teeth that remove hair. The mitten can only be used to brush out shedding cats; the rest of the time it is not so effective.

Puhoderka

Many owners of long-haired cats use a slicker. This tool is similar to a massage comb with a head in the shape of a square or rectangle. The head of the slicker is dotted with thin and frequent long teeth, bent in one direction. The tips of the teeth must be rounded, otherwise they will injure your pet. With this tool you can remove excess undercoat hairs and fluff up the hair on the tail.

Only cats with long, thick hair are combed with a slicker, and not every day. The sharp teeth radically clean the undercoat and can cut or irritate the skin. It is enough to brush your cat with a slicker brush once a week. During shedding, you can use a slicker 2-3 times a week, but not more often.

Scallop

Fine-toothed or fine-toothed combs are great for daily combing. You need to choose such a comb taking into account the length of the cat's fur. The longer the coat, the rarer the teeth should be. Only short-haired cats can be combed with a fine-toothed comb. The wide-toothed comb is universal: it is suitable for both short and long cat hair. This tool is convenient for combing your pet after bathing and untangling matted fur.

You should definitely have a small comb with fine, fine teeth at home. It will help comb the hair behind the ears and in other hard-to-reach places. It also perfectly removes dried dirt from fur and helps look for fleas.

Cats with long, soft hair need a comb with rotating teeth. It gently straightens tangled hairs without tearing or injuring them. If your cat has long, coarse hair and a thick undercoat, you will need a comb with teeth of different lengths. Short teeth carefully comb the guard hairs, and long teeth remove dead particles of undercoat.

Metal combs with smooth tips are ideal. Plastic combs often become electrified, and this is unpleasant for the cat. Wooden combs gently smooth hairs, but do not last long, so they should be replaced annually.

Brush selection

A brush for combing cat hair should be selected depending on the length and type of fur. A different set of brushes will be needed for long-haired and short-haired pets, as well as for their Scottish counterparts. Outbred cats can also be short-haired or long-haired. Their coat also needs good care.

Long-haired pets

Luxurious hair needs to be well looked after. A caring owner should pay especially much attention to combing long-haired and semi-long-haired cats. These breeds include Persians, Maine Coons, Kuril Bobtails, Turkish Angora, Neva Masquerade, Burmese, Siberian, Norwegian Forest and many other cats. For them you will need at least three combs with teeth of different lengths:

with short and frequent;
with averages;
with long and sparse ones.

You need to carefully care for your furry pet's luxurious coat, so you also need to purchase an anti-tangle spray, conditioner, a brush with natural bristles, and talcum powder.

How to comb a cat's fur at home

A caring owner knows how to brush a cat well. It is advisable to accustom your kitten to hygiene procedures from a very early age. Then he will not be afraid of brushing and, perhaps, will even be able to enjoy it. It’s also not too late to teach adult fluffies to be brushed, but they will need more time to get used to it. If the furry beauty enjoys being combed, this procedure will not cause any inconvenience to anyone.

The Scottish breed is the most shedding

If any irritation appears on the skin, it is better to postpone combing until it heals. You need to start treating dermatitis, allergies, and fungal diseases as quickly as possible. Under no circumstances should you touch the wound with a comb.

The hand should move smoothly and gently. Do not press the comb too hard or make sudden movements, as this can damage the hairs and scare the cat.

How to comb a cat, step by step instructions:

You need to stroke the cat with a mitten or run a wide-toothed comb through the fur.
You need to start combing with a mitten, then use a furminator and a slicker, then different combs. It is advisable to complete the procedure with a massage comb and a brush with natural bristles.
First, comb along the hair growth, and then against it. This effectively cleans the coat.
Within a few minutes you need to comb the back, sides and tummy.
It is worth paying a lot of attention to hard-to-reach areas. Take turns combing the “pants” near each paw, then the back of the head and withers.
The smallest combs will be needed for combing the neck and the area around the ears.
Small tangles need to be combed separately. They are moistened with spray and then smoothed using a comb. Large mats should be cut off by professional groomers with a special tool. It's better not to do this on your own.
After combing, you should moisten your hand with water and stroke the cat with it.

The entire procedure will take no more than 5–10 minutes, but it will bring a lot of benefits to the furry pet and its owners.

Important! If the kitten does not like to be brushed and begins to resist, you need to distract him with his favorite toy or treat. This also helps adult animals. Each cat has its own personality, so you need to be patient with them.

Even if the owner does not yet know how to brush a cat, he will quickly learn it. This requires a little patience. It is not at all necessary to contact a groomer; it is enough to know how to brush a cat at home and how it is done.

Special shampoos for long or short hair will help your furry pet be beautiful and make it easier to care for. It is very important to periodically treat your cat with green grass or sprouted oats. You can buy it at a pet store or grow it at home in a special box. Grass and oats are a natural gastric cleanser. In addition, cats love grass very much for its pleasant taste and aroma.

Device rating

Based on reviews from cat owners and sales levels, we can make a rating of the most successful models, easy to use and with a good combination of price and quality.

The first place in the ranking is taken by FURMINATOR FURFLEX - this is a professional tool. It is chosen by cat owners for whom their appearance is very important, used for caring for show animals, as well as by those who like to photograph their pets and display their photos on social networks. The price of the tool is quite high, but it also serves for many years, maintaining the teeth and sharpness of the blades.
Second place in the ranking goes to DELIGHT - its price is lower, but it works no worse. Models are available with different numbers of teeth.
The rating continues with HelloPet brand products.
Fourth place in the ranking is shared by the brands TRIXIE and Dele - they are much cheaper, but their service life is shorter. In Dele products the handle is made of plastic.

How to brush a cat well

A small kitten won’t produce a lot of hair on the carpet, but the time of seasonal molting comes, and hairs appear here and there: on furniture, soft rugs, and clothes. Many owners of Persians or “Siberians” turn to the services of groomers, cutting their cat short for the summer. This does not help for long - the fur grows back, and in the fall the problem arises again. You need to brush your cat not occasionally, but daily. This is a good massage that has a beneficial effect not only on the condition of the coat, but also improves blood circulation. But the procedure must be carried out correctly.

Cat brushing tools

An important question is how to choose a brush. Animal hair has a different structure from human hair, so you cannot use regular combs. There are a lot of brushes in the pet store; they differ not only in appearance, but also in purpose.

Slicker comb: the most popular

A slicker brush, or slicker, is a brush with metal teeth. They can be straight or slightly curved and have different lengths. Hence the choice:

for thick, long hair you need to choose a slicker with long, frequent teeth;
For a short-haired cat, a brush with sparser and shorter teeth is suitable.

You can use a slicker only after the wool has been combed with a wide-toothed comb; do not use it if there are tangles.

During shedding, it is not recommended to use the slicker daily: twice a week is enough.

Mitten: the easiest to use

If your pet actively resists and does not want to be combed with combs and brushes, you can use a special rubber mitten. On its surface there are teeth of different lengths and frequencies.

After placing the cat on your lap, you can gently stroke it with your gloved hand. This is a good massage for the skin, which improves blood circulation and strengthens hair follicles. The pet's fur becomes shiny. The mitten is especially convenient for short-haired cats.

Furminators

When shedding, it is convenient to use a furminator - a rectangular comb with teeth that has a rubberized handle. This device, which resembles a small rake, is convenient for massage and untangling small tangles.

The comb can be of different sizes, depending on the age and size of the cat. For kittens, a furminator 3 cm wide is sufficient; adult animals need to choose wider ones – from 4 cm.

Brushes

Natural bristle brushes are suitable for brushing your cat. Their advantage is that the hairs are not electrified; cats really don’t like it when this happens, and in the future they may refuse to comb them.

A convenient device is a double-sided brush. It has bristles on one side and rounded metal teeth on the other. She can not only comb the cat, but also give a gentle massage.

Crest

Owners often choose a comb to comb their pets. This fine-toothed comb is convenient to use when shedding or when you need to rid your pet of fleas. The frequent teeth pick up living and dead parasites when it is not possible to wash them out of long hair with water.

What building?

Hair consists of 2 parts: the hair follicle, located under the skin, and the shaft. In addition, each hair consists of 3 layers:

Cuticle. Layered on top of each other, tightly connected keratin scales that form the top layer of hair. Dry and dull hair on a cat is a consequence of damage and separation of scales.
Cortex. It is a cortical layer consisting of dead cells. In addition, the cortex contains a pigment that determines the main color of the animal.
Brain matter. Provides nutrition to the cuticle and cortex.

Mr. Cat recommends: How often should you brush your cat?

It is enough to brush cats twice a week, but with intense shedding, this should be done daily, before feeding.

For the winter, British cats “stock up” with dense undercoat, which can become tangled, so in winter you need to comb your pet at least 2 times a week, using a slicker with thick, thin teeth that have metal attachments. You need to act carefully: a regular slicker brush can ruin the undercoat.