Hi everyone,
Please find below some useful tips in form of a Guest Post by Cassidy on the topic of cats with long hair:
Tips for Long Hair Owners
Hey everyone! My name is Cassidy and today I wanted to share some ideas and tips for keeping your cat’s fur soft and silky and keeping long hair maintenance simple. I am the owner of two wonderful long hair cats. Ash is a snowshoe ragdoll mix and Princess is a mystery calico (mystery=I really don’t know), and they are both best friends. I will explain some things that keep them comfortable and keep the house clean as well.
Environment:
- Princess used to have deep matting in her fur. We tried many things such as de- matting hooks, brushes, and trying to cut them out but they were too deep. You could tell she wasn’t comfortable with her fur. She was living in a room with her mom and we ended up having to move the mamma cat to another room because she didn’t get along with our new kitten. Once it was just Ash (the kitten) and Princess alone in the room, she was noticeably less stressed for some reason. She started grooming herself more frequently and even being more social with us.
The most surprising part was when Ash and Princess would play together, he would chew on her matting to loosen them. My point here is that if you’ve tried everything to stop your cat’s fur from matting and have noticed a lack of hygiene; make sure they are happy in their surroundings. It could be stress that is harming your cat’s fur.
Grooming:
- To keep their fur soft and knot free, I brush them whenever I have a chance or at least a few times a week. It’s a very simple tip but it is very necessary and will even reduce shedding. Say yay for no lint rollers!
- Let’s be honest, sometimes your long hair may have a little trouble trying to use the restroom with all of that fluff. I suggest trimming the hind legs so that nothing sticks to your kitty when they use the bathroom. When things do stick, I like to use cat wipes to help clean up. Ash has this problem very frequently and I regular have to clean him up after he uses the litter. Oh the things we do for our cats…
- For when you need to bathe your fluffy. Some owners are able to successfully train their cat from kitten hood to enjoy baths. If your cat will tolerate a bath more power to you, just make sure the products you use are safe for your cat’s fur and hypoallergenic. When you are finished it is very important to keep your kitty warm until fully dry. Cat burrito time!
Otherwise, here I go again with the cat wipes. I love cat wipes because they really are great for when your kitty has a little bit of odor going on. My cats actually like being wiped down with them, it’s like a grooming vacation for them. If I wipe them down when they are a little smelly, it will take the smell away for a pretty long time so it doesn’t have to be done frequently.
Diet:
- If your cat’s coat is lacking luster, a diet change could help rejuvenate its coat. Adding fish oil to your cat food is an easy way to give your cat extra nutrition for producing beautiful fur.
- Over bathing can make your cat’s fur feel rough and brittle. Cats produce natural oils to protect their coats and over bathing can strip those oils away leaving a dull look to its fur.
- Trying a high quality and grain free diet can help your cats coat and just about everything else too, such as energy level and metabolism.
Thank you for reading this blog and I hope that some of the tips were helpful. I am not a professional but I have had cats since I was very little and these tips have helped me in the past with many different cats.
” sometimes your long hair may have a little trouble trying to use the restroom with all of that fluff. I suggest trimming the hind legs so that nothing sticks to your kitty when they use the bathroom”
You are American, aren’t you? My cats do not “use the bathroom” – they are using their litter box … They pee and don’t “go washing their paws” …
Please, use your euphemisms for human activity and in “polite” society as much as you think necessary. But when talking about your cats excrements and their places to go do you really have to tiptoe around it?
😉 lol – you do have a point there but as I always think each to their own on how they talks about things hehe
Nobody needs to use bad language, but there are official words for excrements, feces, urine … to tiptoe around that while you are at a restaurant I can understand – nobody wants to be reminded about what comes out when you are about to get something IN … but when it concerns your cat health and wellbeing … *shudders* – That is taking squeamishness to a completely new level. Next thing is that cat owners make their toms wear pants to hide their balls.
Rofl you know in Japan they may do that hiding part XD. They seem to sell a lot of cat clothes :s
In Japan they have very, very unique ideas …
Some of which are great such as the cute little sushi cats you can get from the coin machine. 😮
Great post. 🙂
Thanks 🙂
Love this ?
Thank you 🙂
Thank you so much for the timely post! Four days ago I rescued my first long-haired kitten, who is about a month old. I am hoping he will take to the bath, but if not I will use your tips. Thanks again and my little Harrison thanks you, too.
Oh you’ll have to send us photos 🙂