suggestions on shaving a cat butt?

Other than snipping sticky things out of fur, I'd leave cat trimming to the
pro's. Especially the first time. My aunts Himalayans get their tummies
shaved fairly often.

Jo
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
Oscar has very long, wispy fur all over, including her rear end.
Unfortunately, this means that she sometimes gets litter stuck to the fur,
which doesn't please anyone in the household, and it's not easy to get
Oscar
to tolerate a butt-washing. Usually she ends up doing it herself, which
worries me because of the litter.

Anyway, we've been talking about shaving her for a while, and yesterday we
finally tried. DH got out the clipper attachment to his electric razor,
and I
held Oscar wrapped in one of my sweatshirts.

Well, it was somewhat successful. The very longest hairs are gone. Oscar
protested vehemently while we were doing this, but she didn't appear to be
upset at us afterwards. I think fully half of her anger stemmed from
being
held upside down; the other half from having something buzzing near her
bum.

DH has suggested taking her to a groomer, but she hates her carrier and
cars,
and I can only imagine the kind of trauma a groomer would cause.

Any suggestions from the guardians of long-haired cats on butt-shaving
techniques? Would a scissor work better? DH said that it was hard to
shave
her because her fur is so light that it just gets pushed away rather than
being cut.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-03-14, Mary penned:

We lay Buddha on the floor on a couple of towels on her back, and I
hold/distract her while my husband uses those hair clippers they sell
for
home haircuts. She hates it, but it's fast and pretty easy.

How do you keep her tail out of the way? I have trouble holding Oscar
*and*
lifting her tail out of the way.

I would have her stand while you hold her body still then let your husband
hold her tail up with one hand and weild the clippers with the other. If
the clippers aren't working you might want to invest in a pair of
professional pet clippers. Pet groomers put cats on a leash hooked to a
stand and then hold the tail with one hand while shaving with the other - so
you might try putting her in a halter and leash tied to something and then
you can steady her and hold her tail up if your husband use both hands.

Hugs,

CatNipped

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

See if any of the groomers in your area offer home visits. Or if you
have a groomer at your vet so you can combine trips.

--Fil

STAY AWAY FROM SCISSORS!!!!!!


Kristi
(who saw a cat covered in lacerations because the owner tried to cut
its coat with scissors. The owner later said she was going to tell
everyone that her cat had been in a fight. *sigh*)

Mischief wrote:

STAY AWAY FROM SCISSORS!!!!!!

I agree, and I also agree with whoever recommended going to a
professional groomer. Cats are tricky creatures at best, and when they
don't want to have something done to them, it takes an expert to do the
deed. Long, long ago I used to groom cats, and that stood me in good
stead when we had to clip Pixel down twice a year, because he was
allergic to his own medium-long hair, poor tyke.

Nina in Texas, servant to: Snickelfritz (RB), Pixel (RB 12/03), Rusty
(RB 9/04), Seth (RB 12/04), Skeeter, Kyle, Jake, and T.K. [Tuxedo Kitty]
--
Professional proofreading doesn’t cost – it pays!
www.ninaproofs.com

A few years ago I bought an expensive pet grooming clipper to trim
Tiger's butt hair. Tiger did not cooperate but the clippers didn't work
well anyway. I let the vet do the job now (it usually requires
tranquilizing).


---MIKE---

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-03-14, Mary penned:

We lay Buddha on the floor on a couple of towels on her back, and I
hold/distract her while my husband uses those hair clippers they sell
for
home haircuts. She hates it, but it's fast and pretty easy.

How do you keep her tail out of the way? I have trouble holding Oscar
*and*
lifting her tail out of the way.


Buddha is a tuxedo shorthair and has a trim, pretty short little tail.
Oscar's is long and fluffy. You could put a towel under Oscar and
wrap it up in a way that the tail is caught up in it, and hold that part
of the towel with one hand while you tend to the front half of
Oscar with the other. You might have to lie down for this.

On 2005-03-15, Nina K Pettis penned:

I agree, and I also agree with whoever recommended going to a professional
groomer. Cats are tricky creatures at best, and when they don't want to
have something done to them, it takes an expert to do the deed. Long, long
ago I used to groom cats, and that stood me in good stead when we had to
clip Pixel down twice a year, because he was allergic to his own medium-long
hair, poor tyke.

Allergic to his own hair?? That's horrible!

Well, I was thinking that Oscar would hate being put in a carrier and getting
a ride to the groomer's, but maybe that would work to our advantage -- at the
vet's she goes limp from fear.

There is a Petsmart with a grooming center just down the street, not even 5
minutes away. I just called them and spoke to their one cat groomer. She
said that I don't need an appointment; to just call ahead to make sure she's
there. She said it should be very fast and that they charge $5 for every 15
minutes of work, which is much cheaper than I'd expected. I guess it's worth
a try. It might be less traumatic than DH and me fumbling around.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On 2005-03-15, Mary penned:

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...

How do you keep her tail out of the way? I have trouble holding
Oscar *and* lifting her tail out of the way.


Buddha is a tuxedo shorthair and has a trim, pretty short little tail.
Oscar's is long and fluffy. You could put a towel under Oscar and wrap
it up in a way that the tail is caught up in it, and hold that part of
the towel with one hand while you tend to the front half of Oscar with
the other. You might have to lie down for this.


You know, I never wanted a longhair. They never appealed to me. But don't
tell Oscar! Now, of course, I have a very different attitude.

If Boo's a shorthair, why does she need a trim?

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca

On 2005-03-15, ---MIKE--- penned:
A few years ago I bought an expensive pet grooming clipper to trim Tiger's
butt hair. Tiger did not cooperate but the clippers didn't work well
anyway. I let the vet do the job now (it usually requires tranquilizing).


Poor Tiger!

I don't think Oscar will require a tranq, but I'm sure she won't be happy with
me.

--
monique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully

pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca