Posted on 09/09/2006 4:28:12 PM PDT by meowmeow
I'm looking for some guidance – having kitty grooming issues. I had a black Persian cat who passed away in February. She was almost 19 years old and had a coat like silk. I rarely had to groom her until she got very old and lost her teeth. Then I would gently brush her a couple times a week to help with loose hair and keep the knots at bay.
In April we got two chocolate-smoke Persian kittens (we have a thing for fluffy black cats). They are quite huge now and their coats are the most high maintenance things I’ve ever seen (and I’ve had long haired cats through most of my life)! I am using a comb on them daily but they get horrible knots in their arm pits and at the joints of their legs. I’ve tried wire brushes but they barely go through their fur. The knots are always close to the skin and have to be worked to the surface before they can be cut away.
Before I go searching for Persian cat message boards, I was wondering if any Freepers had some good advice or knew some products for keeping super-extra-fluffy cats knot free (or if you could recommend a good Persian cat message board!).
Fortunately they like to be groomed as long as it’s not play time. They are wonderful kitties, a brother and sister with no other siblings. Trying to keep them groomed is making this cat-mom crazy!
Can you please ping the kitty-ping list before my babies turn into one giant knot?
shaving is in.
L
19 years old is a long life for a cat,she must have been very happy with those she owned;)
I never had a Persian, but I did have a huge Himalayan cat for several years, and he had a big huge fluffy coat of fur...I wound up brushing him, a couple of times a day...I did it that often, because he just loved it and it was soothing to me...
I did notice tho, that when we would be away for a couple of days, and had to leave him alone in the house, with his food and water supply provided, he needed immediate attention in the grooming area, as soon as we returned...just a few days of non-grooming, seemed to result in knots, and I hated trying to get those knots out...
So I just continued to groom him every day, with his special brush....when he died, he was buried with his front paws wrapped around that brush, as he loved it so much...as soon as he would see it, he would jump onto his kitty condo, next to my chair, and wait to be groomed...
These cats had a Himalayan mother and my last kitty had a Himalayan father. They are the same cat breed but I am shocked at how different physically these two are from my last one.
It works on dogs, cats, and rabbits and leaves them smooth, silky, and shiny.
And for the record I have no financial interest in the company at all. I'm just a satisfied customer.
Our cat now gets very cranky if he isn't regularly Furminatored. He'll stand in front of the brush and bitch until I pick it up and use it on him.
Just start slowly and gently at first. The nice thing about the brush is you can decide if you just want to remove tangles or really get down and remove matted undercoat as well.
L L
He used to look like this...
Now he looks like this and he seems much happier...and throws up alot less.
Thats interesting...I did not realize that Himalayans were actually the same cat breed as Persians..thanks for that info...I seems like the main difference is that those Himalayans have that little flat nose, whereas the Persians have a regular kitty nose...
They also have the flat "doll" faces (last cat didn't) so when they drink out of their water dish, they get drippy chins. I'm pondering getting one of those kitty drinking fountains for them.
I have three long haired kitties, just run of the mill guys and girls, not a special breed. One is part Persian, though. My best two tips have already been stated, the Furminator is fantastic, the kitties love it, and you will not believe how much fur comes out (or how much is still intact, not to worry). You have to angle it just the right way, however, so play with it a bit, you'll know when it's correct, the extra fur will be coming out bigtime.
The kitty haircut is next, I shave down all three of mine in the Spring and once or twice throughout the year The flea products work better, and they are better off without ingesting all the hair.
It is an amazing tool. I have seven cats, five of which are long haired. This "brush" removes an incredible amount of fur. Make sure you have a trash bag with you when you use it!
It's $35.00, but it is worth it. I've had lots of pet brushes in my time, but NOTHING that worked like this thing.
The furminator is incredible. And I think it's fun to use.
It's my new hobby. How lame is that?
I really dont know too much about cats...I really am a doggie person....just kind of got this cat, because my son and his housemate were in a situation, where the house they were living in was sold...his housemate had two cats, and he bought a condo, which was smalller than the house, and he really only had enough room for one cat...my son decided that was the right time to take his year long trip around the world...so they needed to find someone to take this second cat in...
They put an add in the papers, and had lots of people respond...but they interviewed, many people and just could not find someone they thought would be suitable...my son then thought maybe I would take the cat in, as all his growing up years, he saw me take in strays...so reluctantly I took in Dizzy, this Himalayan...I say, reluctantly, because as I mentioned, I am really a doggie person...
But I must say, this big fat Himalayan stole my heart and the heart of my husband...after my son had been on his world trip for about three months, I emailed him, that his cat would not be returned to him, when he got back to the US...he agreed, being that he was a young man on the go, and not home alot, and Dizzy really was a 'needy' cat, and I and the hubby were home, he agreed that Dizzy would be better off with us...the son would visit more often than usual, I think, in order to see his kitty...we had Dizzy for several years, before he eventually died...
And we surely do miss him...he was quite a cat...and it surprised me how much I became attatched to him...
Kids wanted me to get ShedEnder. Finally the CR people are checking out the products we are tempted to buy daily.
We've sent a couple of Furminators to relatives who are animal owners as gifts. I think we've got you beat on the Lame-O-Meter.
L
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