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...
He used to look like this...
Now he looks like this and he seems much happier...and throws up alot less.
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.
It's always been my understanding that Persians need frequent regular grooming because of the texture AND length of their fur. I've had several long-haired mongrel cats, but not yet any kind of a purebred.
If your kitty hasn't been groomed on a regular basis before, I'd start gently. Sometimes, if you get too vigorous before they get used to brushing, or if they have sensitive skin, you can turn them off being groomed, and then it will be harder to retrain.
I also found that my cats all adore having their faces brushed with a baby's hairbrush. I wish I'd tried that on my longest-haired tortie... she had sensitive skin when she was a kitten, and I ended up having her run from me when I got out the brushes/combs, for a while.
Cat's are constantly licking themselves. Some people says cats a are the cleanest animals. In reality, they are just covered with their own spit. The secret to having super-extra-fluffy cats is in the spit. If your cat is too old to lick, then you may rev up your tongue and ...
We have two Himalayan cats (7 yr old). I found the very best tool for the long hair is a rake. Yes, it looks just like a rake. The tines are about one quarter inch apart and are made of metal. The end is rounded and does not hurt the skin. The head of the rake (tines) are about 3/4" long by about 3" wide and ridged. It works great as the static electricity makes the hair cling to it and it is very easy to take off. I have bought all different kinds of tools and quickly return to the rake. One of the cats has a very dense undercoat and that cat is prone to the balling under the arms as you say and on the belly toward the back leg area. I guarantee you will love the rake. If you want more information I will do a google and find one for you.
Just a note to let you know the rake I speak of is not the one in post #4. Those tines are way way too close.