If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
In article ,
HW-K wrote: I guess often is best. However, a couple of cats I 'know' are in need of special care. They are starting to develop matted clumps on the back and rear quarters. Should i bath and attempt to comb out the lumps of matted hair or it better to have the animal shorn like a sheep is and then allow re-growth with proper attention to regular combing etc. Thanks for the advice .. When I got Bubba from the pound he had a severe case of matting in his underside. In order to not have him associate *me* with the torture of combing out the mats I took him in and had his belly shaved and the rest of the clumps combed out by a professional. Even though it took the better part of a year to grow back, I don't regret doing it that way. He *hates* being combed, but I try to do it once every week or ten days to avoid kitty dreadlocks. He never fails to wiggle, bite and hiss and cry like I'm sticking pins in him when I comb him out, even though I make every effort to be as gentle as possible. Plus I get the evil eye until he forgets what happened, which is usually the next meal time. It's not easy wrestling a 25 Lb cat. but it needs to be done. Maybe a Lion cut... :^) Happy New Year http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/Bubba/Bubba.html |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
I think the trick is to start them young!! The one I have now was
adopted two years ago and he is very curious and follows me around watching my every move. He watches me get dressed in the morning and from there I started using my comb on him a little at a time. He even discovered the joy of the toothbrush by watching me! He, too, is a Maine Coon and they are VERY intelligent and curious!! Claude V. Lucas wrote: In article , HW-K wrote: I guess often is best. However, a couple of cats I 'know' are in need of special care. They are starting to develop matted clumps on the back and rear quarters. Should i bath and attempt to comb out the lumps of matted hair or it better to have the animal shorn like a sheep is and then allow re-growth with proper attention to regular combing etc. Thanks for the advice .. When I got Bubba from the pound he had a severe case of matting in his underside. In order to not have him associate *me* with the torture of combing out the mats I took him in and had his belly shaved and the rest of the clumps combed out by a professional. Even though it took the better part of a year to grow back, I don't regret doing it that way. He *hates* being combed, but I try to do it once every week or ten days to avoid kitty dreadlocks. He never fails to wiggle, bite and hiss and cry like I'm sticking pins in him when I comb him out, even though I make every effort to be as gentle as possible. Plus I get the evil eye until he forgets what happened, which is usually the next meal time. It's not easy wrestling a 25 Lb cat. but it needs to be done. Maybe a Lion cut... :^) Happy New Year http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/Bubba/Bubba.html |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
In article .com,
Buddy's Mom wrote: I think the trick is to start them young!! The one I have now was adopted two years ago and he is very curious and follows me around watching my every move. He watches me get dressed in the morning and from there I started using my comb on him a little at a time. He even discovered the joy of the toothbrush by watching me! He, too, is a Maine Coon and they are VERY intelligent and curious!! You're probably right about starting them young. I didn't have the option with Bubba as he was mostly grown when I got him. I don't believe that he ever saw a comb or brush until I assaulted him with one. He's very curious and intelligent as well and follows me around like one of those other, less intelligent, 4 legged critters but he starts to head the other direction when he sees the comb. He seems to like being brushed, but the brush doesn't really clear all the mats. I *really* do try to be as gentle as possible with the comb and I've followed some good advice I got here in the ng as far as starting in the backs of his legs and working my way towards his head, but he has it in his mind that combing=torture and most of the time it turns into a wrestling match... At least he's figured out that biting me hard enough to draw blood is not going to make the process go any more smoothly for either of us. Claude V. Lucas wrote: In article , HW-K wrote: I guess often is best. However, a couple of cats I 'know' are in need of special care. They are starting to develop matted clumps on the back and rear quarters. Should i bath and attempt to comb out the lumps of matted hair or it better to have the animal shorn like a sheep is and then allow re-growth with proper attention to regular combing etc. Thanks for the advice .. When I got Bubba from the pound he had a severe case of matting in his underside. In order to not have him associate *me* with the torture of combing out the mats I took him in and had his belly shaved and the rest of the clumps combed out by a professional. Even though it took the better part of a year to grow back, I don't regret doing it that way. He *hates* being combed, but I try to do it once every week or ten days to avoid kitty dreadlocks. He never fails to wiggle, bite and hiss and cry like I'm sticking pins in him when I comb him out, even though I make every effort to be as gentle as possible. Plus I get the evil eye until he forgets what happened, which is usually the next meal time. It's not easy wrestling a 25 Lb cat. but it needs to be done. Maybe a Lion cut... :^) Happy New Year http://www.sonic.net/~claudel/Bubba/Bubba.html |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
In article ,
Lynne wrote: on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:06:37 GMT, (Claude V. Lucas) wrote: but he has it in his mind that combing=torture and most of the time it turns into a wrestling match... At least he's figured out that biting me hard enough to draw blood is not going to make the process go any more smoothly for either of us. Do you give him a treat when you are done combing him? I find that when I have to do something unpleasant to a cat on a regular basis (give medicine, trim nails), that they are much more accomodating when they know a treat ALWAYS follows said unpleasantness. You could start combing a little each day, just a little, and follow with a treat. If you do a little each day, your cat may remember that a treat is coming and put up with it. Also, I suspect that in the long run a daily combing will help with the matting problem overall, even if you do a small area at a time. If you only do it once a week or so, his memory may not be so good about what's coming. It also takes you longer each time you comb him. In order to get my 4 month old feral used to nail trimming (once he calmed down a bit), I did one nail a day, followed by a treat. Now I can do all of them and he just lays there, but it took a long while before he got to that point. As soon as the clippers get put up, he's purring at my feet waiting for his reward. The same is true for his once a month heartworm pill and Interceptor application. Yeah, I give him a handful of Greenies after unpleasant grooming activities. I wish there was a larger size. Supposedly they are supposed to get chewed to have any benefit as far as dental hygeine, but Bubba just gobbles them. That's why I wound up feeding him the Royal Canin Maine Coon Formula kibbles. The pieces are large enough to force him to chew a bit. When I got him the pound sent him away with a bag of some other brand and the pieces were small enough for him to swallow whole which led him to a bunch of unnecessary puking. I wedge him in between the arm of the couch and my butt, upside down to do the nail trim. He seems to mind that less than combing. We have a new deal that as long as he doesn't destroy anything, scratch me, or have ingrown nails then he can have sharps. So far it's working. I suspect he had a bit of a rough life before the pound. He acts as if he's starving if the dish is empty for more than an hour or so. He's gained from 22 lbs when I got him to 25+ in 19 months, and is a bit overweight so I don't free feed. I generally give him a half a can of premium every day or so diluted into a soup so that he'll get plenty of water. I also suspect he's acquainted with coyotes or had some other bad outdoor experience because he absolutely refuses to go outside. If I leave the door open he'll go up to it and look out for a few minutes and then walk away. If I take him out on the porch he heads for the door and makes it very clear that he'd rather be inside. Weird. Your cat is smart, he'll probably pick up on it relatively quickly. Also, depending on his reaction to catnip, you could give him some to roll around in while you comb him. I got a starter catnip plant from Pet Labyrinth when I got Bubba and have more catnip than 100 cats would use. He loves it, plus the outdoor O.P. cats hang out in the patch. He hates other cats too. When he sees one he hisses once or twice and heads the other direction. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
My guy was 3 when we got him. But, as Lynne says, I started out doing
a little every day. And yes, the comb is the best for getting the tangles out before they become mats. A brush does nothing for his fur. Actually I just sit on the floor and hold the comb and he comes over and loves it and I sort of comb him wherever I get the chance. Forget the belly though - that almost never happens! He seems to have little tangles every morning. Getting them out on a daily basis keeps them from becoming matted and also helps with the hair balls! Lynne wrote: on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:06:37 GMT, (Claude V. Lucas) wrote: but he has it in his mind that combing=torture and most of the time it turns into a wrestling match... At least he's figured out that biting me hard enough to draw blood is not going to make the process go any more smoothly for either of us. Do you give him a treat when you are done combing him? I find that when I have to do something unpleasant to a cat on a regular basis (give medicine, trim nails), that they are much more accomodating when they know a treat ALWAYS follows said unpleasantness. You could start combing a little each day, just a little, and follow with a treat. If you do a little each day, your cat may remember that a treat is coming and put up with it. Also, I suspect that in the long run a daily combing will help with the matting problem overall, even if you do a small area at a time. If you only do it once a week or so, his memory may not be so good about what's coming. It also takes you longer each time you comb him. In order to get my 4 month old feral used to nail trimming (once he calmed down a bit), I did one nail a day, followed by a treat. Now I can do all of them and he just lays there, but it took a long while before he got to that point. As soon as the clippers get put up, he's purring at my feet waiting for his reward. The same is true for his once a month heartworm pill and Interceptor application. Your cat is smart, he'll probably pick up on it relatively quickly. Also, depending on his reaction to catnip, you could give him some to roll around in while you comb him. -- Lynne http://picasaweb.google.com/what.the.hell.is.it/ "First get your facts; then you may distort them at your leisure." -- Mark Twain |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
best way to groom long-hair cats ?
My Maine Coon from the shelter is the same way. No interest about
going outside at all. I thought it was because he was from the shelter and decided he liked it here just fine. Claude V. Lucas wrote: In article , Lynne wrote: on Mon, 01 Jan 2007 22:06:37 GMT, (Claude V. Lucas) wrote: but he has it in his mind that combing=torture and most of the time it turns into a wrestling match... At least he's figured out that biting me hard enough to draw blood is not going to make the process go any more smoothly for either of us. Do you give him a treat when you are done combing him? I find that when I have to do something unpleasant to a cat on a regular basis (give medicine, trim nails), that they are much more accomodating when they know a treat ALWAYS follows said unpleasantness. You could start combing a little each day, just a little, and follow with a treat. If you do a little each day, your cat may remember that a treat is coming and put up with it. Also, I suspect that in the long run a daily combing will help with the matting problem overall, even if you do a small area at a time. If you only do it once a week or so, his memory may not be so good about what's coming. It also takes you longer each time you comb him. In order to get my 4 month old feral used to nail trimming (once he calmed down a bit), I did one nail a day, followed by a treat. Now I can do all of them and he just lays there, but it took a long while before he got to that point. As soon as the clippers get put up, he's purring at my feet waiting for his reward. The same is true for his once a month heartworm pill and Interceptor application. Yeah, I give him a handful of Greenies after unpleasant grooming activities. I wish there was a larger size. Supposedly they are supposed to get chewed to have any benefit as far as dental hygeine, but Bubba just gobbles them. That's why I wound up feeding him the Royal Canin Maine Coon Formula kibbles. The pieces are large enough to force him to chew a bit. When I got him the pound sent him away with a bag of some other brand and the pieces were small enough for him to swallow whole which led him to a bunch of unnecessary puking. I wedge him in between the arm of the couch and my butt, upside down to do the nail trim. He seems to mind that less than combing. We have a new deal that as long as he doesn't destroy anything, scratch me, or have ingrown nails then he can have sharps. So far it's working. I suspect he had a bit of a rough life before the pound. He acts as if he's starving if the dish is empty for more than an hour or so. He's gained from 22 lbs when I got him to 25+ in 19 months, and is a bit overweight so I don't free feed. I generally give him a half a can of premium every day or so diluted into a soup so that he'll get plenty of water. I also suspect he's acquainted with coyotes or had some other bad outdoor experience because he absolutely refuses to go outside. If I leave the door open he'll go up to it and look out for a few minutes and then walk away. If I take him out on the porch he heads for the door and makes it very clear that he'd rather be inside. Weird. Your cat is smart, he'll probably pick up on it relatively quickly. Also, depending on his reaction to catnip, you could give him some to roll around in while you comb him. I got a starter catnip plant from Pet Labyrinth when I got Bubba and have more catnip than 100 cats would use. He loves it, plus the outdoor O.P. cats hang out in the patch. He hates other cats too. When he sees one he hisses once or twice and heads the other direction. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
rec.pets.cats: Traditional Siamese Breed-FAQ | Laura Gilbreath | Cat Information | 0 | February 18th 06 05:25 AM |
Q abt long hair cats | ensoul | Cat health & behaviour | 13 | February 9th 06 02:01 PM |
rec.pets.cats: Traditional Siamese Breed-FAQ | Laura Gilbreath | Cat Information | 0 | January 18th 06 05:47 AM |
rec.pets.cats: Traditional Siamese Breed-FAQ | Laura Gilbreath | Cat Information | 0 | December 19th 05 05:35 AM |
rec.pets.cats: Norwegian Forest Cat Breed-FAQ | Bjorn Steensrud | Cat Information | 0 | November 28th 04 05:16 AM |