Grooming

We really want to avoid the above happening to our beloved cats so a little daily grooming is required to prevent it!
Some people do shave their persians down but I feel it gets them out of the routine of being groomed. It is really not necessary as with their spring moult they lose their undercoat and are then very easy and quick to groom in summer. Shaving at the wrong time of year can also be disastrous - shave a colourpoint in early spring and the coat will grow in black!

To prevent daily grooming becoming a  battle between you and the cat start handling the kitten from an early age. Pick the kitten up and check in its ears, wipe if necessary and clean eyes daily, if they need it or not. Open the mouth and check the teeth daily. Comb thru' the coat gently. Give it a bath at 8 weeks and every 2nd or 3rd week thereafter if it is a persian. Train the kitten to lie on it's back on your lap so you can inspect the tummy and back legs - make a game of it and tickle tummy and stretch back legs out. Open paws and check and clip claws. In short handle your kitty as much as possible.
Keep the cat free from parasites like fleas and skin mites as the constant scratching can ruin a coat in a very short time.

These are the basic tools you will need for grooming

A. Fine flea comb
B. Medium body comb
C. Wide tooth comb for tails.
D. Stripping comb for when the cat moults
E. Blunt nosed scissors
F.  Seam ripper (Quick unpick)
G. Nail clippers - ordinary human type.
H. Cotton wool cosmetic/baby pads
I.   Pin brush
J.   Bristle brush.

The fine flea comb is used for combing the short hair on the head and face. It would also be used on short haired cats.
The medium comb is used for the body area of the cat.
The wide toothed comb is ideal for the tails hairs as it is gentler - tail fur takes a long time to grow so one must be gentle with it!
The stripping comb has both long and short teeth and is very useful for stripping undercoat at moulting time and for using on kittens.
Blunt nosed scissors are for when you absolutely have to cut a knot out and for trimming stomach hair when the cat is pregnant.
The seam ripper is used to cut up thru' a knot to enable you to remove it without too much damage to coat.
Nail clippers are used to clip claws bi-weekly, before bathing , grooming and showing.
Cottonwool pads are used to clean eyes and ears.
Pin brush is used as a final brush to separate hairs after bathing and drying.
Bristle brush is used to brush cat while drying and for a general brush up between grooming - cats love it!
Baby powder to keep coat loose between baths.

First step in grooming is to cut the claws at least bi-weekly. It is not as difficult as it seems! Put the cat on your lap, preferably lying on its back. Or if it won't allow that sitting on your lap. Gently squeeze each pawpad until the claw appears and then clip off the clear tip.  (See diagram) Do not forget to do the 'dew claws' which are slightly up the side of the front paws. Front paws should be done regularly but back paws might only need it occasionally.
The tip is made up of non living protein and is clear and has no feeling.

Having clipped claws you are ready to groom. Get yourself comfortable on a large chair with all equipment on a small table next to you. Put on some soothing music and enjoy the experience.

Long Haired cats:

Lay the cat on your lap on it's side with head facing your knees.

Using the cotton wool pads and your favourite eye cleaner, clean the eyes and ears using a separate piece of pad for each eye and ear. If you do not have an eye cleaner use a boracic mixture: 2 teaspoons boracic powder in 2 cups warm water.
If your persian has black crusty matter around it's eyes use a tetracycline antibiotic ointment twice daily for 7 - 10 days. Cleaning with a small facecloth dampened with warm water and a bit of tearless shampoo will remove the black matter a lot easier than cottonwool

Check teeth.

Feel thru' the coat with your fingertips for any knots and/or sore spots.  Use the seam ripper to open up any knots so they can be 'teased' out if you want to preserve the coat for showing. A little baby powder on the knot makes the job easier. If all else fails cut the knot out with scissors if you are not showing the cat.
Lightly powder the coat with a little baby powder.
Then using the fine comb comb the short hair on head and chin . Then change to the medium comb and comb the neck, frill and side of the cat, parting and combing in sections if the coat is very full. If the coat is exceptionally full one might have to use the broad comb. One can pull up quite a bit of stomach fur and do a lot of the trousers with the cat lying on it's side.
Change to the broad comb and comb thru' the tail - gently. Tail fur takes along time to grow so treat with great care.
Turn cat over on it's other side. Powder and comb thru' the body with the medium comb.
Turn cat onto it's back and comb the tummy and back legs with the medium comb. Stand the cat up and flick the hair up with a bristle brush. Give cat a treat.  Have a cup of tea. That is it!

Shorthaired cats:

Using the above procedure comb thru' the cat with the fine comb. Then stand the cat on a carpeted surface and stroke the cat firmly from head to tip of tail with your bare hands or a piece of silk to add shine and flatten the coat. Using your hands is a good idea s the oil from your hands adds jut that little bit of lustre to the coat.

Stains on white cats

Use a paste of cornstarch, or white fullers earth, and boracic powder and apply to stains. Allow to dry and then comb off. Repeat as necessary.

Bathing your cat:

For show purposes it is best to bath a shorthair at least 4 -5 days before a show to enable the natural oils to return to the coat and restore the close lying not fluffy look,
For longhairs bath 2 days before the show.

Bathing need not be an all out fight between you and your cat if some care is taken. A few points to remember:

Never pour or hose water over the cats face.
Allow the cat to stand comfortably on a non slip surface.
Have everything you need ready to hand.
Switch off phone and doorbell.

The easiest way to bath a cat is to use a baby bath on your regular bath - the kind  that fits over the width and has a plughole.  This saves your back and the cat is not overwhelmed by a deep bath.
A shower head attachment is preferable but one can also attach a hose to the taps (faucets). One without a spray head is quieter and less likely to frighten a cat.

If this option is not available to you, try using the kitchen sink with a hose attached to the taps.(faucets)

Have all you will need ready and close to hand:

A warm room with a hairdryer and a fan heater if possible.  A table to work on.
If you do not have a hands free hairdryer you can improvise and use an old small lampshade and prop the hand held dryer in that so that you have your hands free to deal with kitty.

 A kitten or puppy cage to confine kitty if it won't permit the hairdryer.

Note fan heater for drying.

Brushes and combs. Eye cleaner and cotton pads.

Next to the bath:
Several large thick towels.
A basic ordinary shampoo
Your favourite shampoo if needed for showing
Tearless shampoo - I actually prefer Betadine Surgical Scrub.
Goop (mechanic's hand cleaner)
A plastic squeeze bottle.
2 small plastic bowls
Cosmetic sponges.

Mix some of the basic shampoo in the squeeze bottle with water. About 1/3 shampoo to 2/3 water. This is to put on cat as first shampoo. It gets the cat wet more thoroughly as water does not penetrate a coat easily.

In one small bowl put your show shampoo also with a little water and a sponge
The sponge will enable you to get shampoo where you want it - like the legs - with no wastage. Most show type shampoos are very expensive.

In the second small bowl have a little tearless shampoo mixed with warm water to use for washing the face with a cosmetic sponge.

Have the Goop container open and towels ready.
Start the water running to get it to a warm temperature.
Get the cat out from hiding.
Make sure it has been combed out thoroughly

Stand the cat in the bath and if it has greasy patches in the coat - ie. 'stud tail' - rub the Goop into the greasy patch on the DRY coat.

Rinse off and then wet the cat as much as possible, adding a bit of the shampoo from the  squeeze bottle until the coat is thoroughly saturated. Avoid the face.
Rinse off and apply shampoo of your choice. Massage thoroughly taking care not to tangle coat. Rinse off well and apply shampoo again.

Rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse again.
Using the cosmetic sponge and tearless shampoo clean the face, rinsing the sponge in clean water often

If you are not showing, you can now apply a conditioner, rub in and then rinse again. A conditioner is not advised just before a show as the coat will be limp. It is great for between shows to keep the coat untangled and in condition. Also good for a shorthair which requires a close lying coat.

Squeeze as much water out of the cat as possible and wrap it in a warm towel. Take it to your drying area and change towels as needed till you have as much water out as possible.

If your cat struggles a lot during the bathing process hold it's two front legs with your left hand while working with your right hand. Talk to your cat and reassure it constantly.

DRYING.

Stand the cat on the table and wipe it's eyes with the cottonwool pads. Clean out the ears so that water does not irritate them.
Put on the dryer at the lowest speed to accustom the cat to it  and start brushing the cats coat with the bristle brush. When the cat is comfortable turn up the dryer to hot , keeping it at least a foot (30cms) away from the cat.

With the cat standing you can pull up quite a bit of the tummy fur to dry it, if the cat will not allow you to turn it over on it's back.

Continue brushing till the coat is dry and then turn the dryer to cold and brush the coat with a pin brush to separate every hair and make the coat stand erect.

If the cat objects strenuously to a hair dryer try using a fan heater. It will take longer but the cat will be more at ease. If it even objects to that put it in the puppy/kitten cage and put the fan heater blowing on the side. You can take the cat out occasionally to brush the coat up.

Finally run a medium comb thru' the coat to ensure you have got all tangles out of the coat.

That's it - go have a cup of tea and reward yourself.

EZ Groom product distributor: http://francheskacattery.homestead.com