As soon as you observe your cat you will have seen that he is very neat when it comes to grooming himself, dedicating a lot of time daily to his grooming. But, even so, he needs our help, not only to get rid of his excess hair, but also to prevent him from ingesting large amounts, which could result in the formation of hairballs. For this reason, brushing your cat more or less frequently depending on the characteristics of its fur or the time of year is a task that should not be forgotten, even for short-haired cats.
In addition, brushing allows us to strengthen the bond with him and inspect his body for any parasites, masses or lesions. In this article on our site we explain how to brush a cat, what you need and how to do it successfully.
What do I need to brush a cat?
First of all, make sure you have the right brush for the characteristics of your cat's coat, since there are many types of both brushes and combs. We recommend you do a little research comparing several models to select the one that best suits your cat's hair. If you have any questions, consult your veterinary clinic or dog groomer before buying.
For short-haired cats you can use a short-bristle brush with rounded tips. They are the typical ones that have small plastic balls at the ends of the spikes. They allow a quick and pleasant brushing for the cat. The rubber mittens can also be useful, which you will only have to pass over the cat's body as a massage, which makes the session even more pleasant for those specimens more reluctant to contact with the brush. You have more information in our article Brushes for short-haired cats.
For cats with long and dense hair, a brush like the one described for short-haired cats may not be enough, since the short bristles do not reach the base of the hair, so brushing will not be completely and tangles and knots may still occur. That is why the ideal is to choose a brush with long bristles, equally rounded or protected so as not to damage the skin. Depending on the conditions in which the hair is found, we may need more specific tools such as the knot cutter or products such as the detangler. Remember to consult with the veterinarian or feline groomer if you have any questions. We leave you more information in the article Brushes for long-haired cats.
On the other hand, in addition to the basic tool that is the brush, it is a good idea to have some reward on hand to reward the cat, especially when we are starting to brush. We can also put on a apron or apron, better plastic, to avoid ending up with our clothes full of hair.
Where to brush a cat?
The truth is that we can brush a cat anywhere In fact, to be able to brush some or certain parts of its body, it may be necessary for them to be practically asleep for them to leave, so we will have to pass the brush where they decide to rest.
In any case, the ideal would be to have a table at a comfortable height for us to raise the cat to brush it with ease throughout your body. In addition, the cat will end up associating it with the brushing session and, as soon as he sees it, he will already know what we are going to do. This table or piece of furniture is best located in the bathroom or on a balcony, in any case away from a sofa or piece of furniture where hairs can get stuck, so that easier for us to clean.
How to brush a short-haired cat?
Although the basics of the brushing session will be the same regardless of the length of our cat's hair, there are some differences, starting, as we have seen, with the type of brush. So, this is the best way to brush a short-haired cat step by step:
- Find a quiet moment to carry out the session with time and without interruptions.
- Have everything you're going to use close at hand, put on your apron and put the cat on the table.
- Begin brushing with the parts of the body that bother your cat the least. The most common is to pass the brush from the head to the base of the tail, always carefully and with slow movements.
- You can do the first pass against the grain, then follow the direction of its growth.
- You can start by wiping if your cat doesn't like the brush very much.
- After the body, give the cat a treat and follow more sensitive areas such as the tail, armpits, paws or belly.
- If you notice that the cat is overwhelmed or begins to show signs of aggression, do not force it. It is better to stop the session and continue later.
- You can end the session by brushing in the same order as the mitt or do it with just the brush from the beginning.
- Always end by congratulating and rewarding your cat to help make it a positive experience and receptive to repeating it.
How to brush a long-haired cat?
Brushing a long-haired cat can be more complex, since the characteristics of its fur make it more prone to tangles and knots. Extreme precautions must be taken to avoid damaging it and, above all, try to brush it frequently to prevent these from forming. This is how to brush a long-haired cat step by step:
- Just like if your cat is short-haired, look for a good time and have everything you need close at hand.
- Also in the same way as in the short-haired specimens, you can make an initial pass against the grain, carefully and always in less delicate areas of the body.
- Start brushing head to tail.
- If you find one, don't pull a knot, as you will hurt the cat and it won't be uncommon for it to run away. On the contrary, you can try to undo it with your hands, separating the hair from the tip to the base, or using some detanglerIf it's impossible, choose cut it , being careful not to hurt the cat. Always put your fingers between the knot and the skin. Serious cases in which we find numerous knots or they are totally attached to the skin should be left in the hands of a professional.
- Don't forget the more delicate areas, such as the armpits, as it is easier for knots to form there.
- Remember that if the cat becomes overwhelmed or shows any sign of aggressiveness, the session must be stopped and continued when calm returns, even if it is another day.
- Of course, don't forget to reward and congratulate your cat, especially the first few times to encourage him to accept brushing as a positive experience.
How to brush a cat that won't let go?
Not all cats welcome a brushing session. If its hair is short, we may not have any problem even if we do not comb it, but if our dog has long hair, we will have to brush it yes or yes and not only because of the probable formation of hairballs. Tangles are a cosmetic problem, but they can also end up causing skin disorders as well as discomfort.
Therefore, it is important to get our cat used to the brush from a young age or from the beginning of cohabitation if we adopt an adult cat. The brushing session will be like the ones we have described, but we must take these tips into account:
- Choose a timewhen the cat is calm or especially receptive, for example when we are petting him and he purrs at us, he is eating something you like very much, etc.
- Have everything on hand so you don't have to cut off the session.
- Always start with the areas that allow themselves to be caressed normally and avoid touching legs or belly, as few cats allow such manipulation.
- Don't try to cover the whole body in a single session. Focus on a single area and stop. It is better to brush it little by little over several days than to force it. Remember that what it is about is creating a positive association with brushing in the cat.
- Always move slowly and speak quietly. Of course, don't yell at him or punish him. It is counterproductive. On the contrary, reward him when he allows himself to be brushed calmly, even if it's only for a few minutes.
- Be patient and, above all, keep calm. Getting the cat to agree to brushing can take time, but you have to allow it to go at its own pace.
- Finally, if you find it completely impossible to brush it and tangles appear, don't wait any longer and take it to a professional.
How often to brush a cat?
The frequency of brushing will depend on the characteristics of our cat's coat, but also on the time of year, since especially in the spring and autumn months the sheds take place. hair. In general, short-haired cats can maintain a great coat with brushing every 7-10 days On the other hand, long-haired cats would ideally be brushedpractically daily During the moulting season, the frequency should be increased according to the needs of each specimen. The goal is to remove as much hair as possible.
