Spring Cleaning With Your Cat

As a cat owner, you already know that felines are extremely thorough when it comes to their grooming routine. They spend hours each day cleaning their faces, filing their nails and maintaining their coats. However, even the fussiest cat will benefit from your helping hand.

Regular grooming helps to stimulate circulation, improve tone and minimise hairballs in the stomach by removing loose hairs.

Grooming also smoothes down the fur to insulate the body more efficiently and stimulates the glands at the base of the hairs which acts to waterproof the coat. In hot weather, licking spreads saliva that cools your cat as it evaporates. Grooming also spreads sebum (natural oil that protects and waterproofs the hair and skin) across the coat.

The first step to successful pet grooming is introducing a routine. Start with shorter sessions (5 – 10 minutes) and gradually increase this time when they are more comfortable with the routine. It’s also a good idea to choose a time when both you and your cat are more relaxed.

Brushing

Spring is an important time to be vigilent with brushing, as this is when cats shed their winter coats. Brushing ensures your cat’s fur is in top condition as it removes dirt and excess hair, helps prevent matting and spreads natural oils throughout her coat. A double sided brush like one from the PURINA TOTAL CARE Grooming Range, is a great all-in-one tool for a perfectly groomed feline.

Long-haired cats should ideally be brushed daily with a steel comb to avoid matting in their base coat.

• Start by gently combing the top of her head and down her back in a upwards motions, untangling any knots along the way.
• The next step is to brush her stomach and legs, if grooming her becomes a struggle, try offering food treats, stroking and talking reassuringly. Gently start to groom as your cat’s attention turns to the treat.
• Finally, brush her tail by creating a part down the middle and brushing each side.
  Any knots can be teased out with your fingers or cut carefully with blunt-ended scissors. You may want to get your vet to help you as it is very easy to cut the skin.

Short-hair cats only need to be brushed once or twice a week and have a simpler routine.

• Begin working metal bristles through their fur from head to toe.
• To finish, switch to a bristle brush to collect any loose hair. Ensure you are gentle around sensitive areas like their stomach and chest.

Nail clipping

Nail clipping can be a stressful ordeal for both of you. However, if you touch her paws and legs regularly outside of clipping time, she will get used to the sensation. You can do this by rubbing your hand up and down her leg as well as pressing every pad. The key is to provide her with plenty of praise and treats during this time.

Clipping your cat’s nails:

• Gently squeeze her paw as this will extend her claws.
• Take sharp nail clippers, like PURINA TOTAL CARE Pet Nail Clippers and cut off the white tip of each nail, just before the curl.
• Ensure you avoid cutting the “quick”, the vein that runs through the claw. This is the pink area of the nail.
• If you do accidentally cut the quick and bleeding occurs, cover the paw with a cloth and apply gentle pressure. Consult your local vet if you are concerned.