Why Groom Your Cat?

Imagine not able to shower or bathe for weeks and only wash yourself in the sink. There would probably be areas you wouldn't be able to clean since you can't reach. It's the same for a cat, by grooming them, we can help them clean those hard to reach places.

Hairballs:

Most cat lovers are familiar with hairballs and have cleaned them around the house. Professional grooming can considerably cut down the amount of hair and bacteria ingested by cats reducing hairballs. When cats groom themselves, they lick their coat and swallow hair and dirt. When the
hair balls up in their stomach, they end up vomiting it. Sometimes, if the cat is dehydrated or not feeling well, the hair in the stomach can cause a blockage, ultimately needing veterinary care.
Grooming your cat on a regular basis helps avoid such problems. Keeping your cat in a lion cut, even a short hair cat, will often remedy hairballs completely.

Allergy:

Regular grooming and bathing can help cut down on allergy problems. Anyone with allergies to cat dander is likely to notice a reduction in reactions when cats are regularly groomed.

Aging Cats:

When your cat gets older, he may not be as limber as he was when he was younger. This makes it difficult, sometimes impossible, to reach certain areas on the body while he tries to groom himself. This is a time when your cat will need some help with grooming. Get a comb out and help kitty by removing all the lose hair otherwise it may form into mats.

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Fancy Felines

Shedding:

Regular grooming can also help cut down on shedding and loose hair around the house, on the furniture and even on your clothing. Have you ever noticed the amount of cat hair you collect every
day sweeping the floor? Also - in case you didn't know - short and medium hair cats shed more then long hair cats.

Mats:

Long hair cats who aren't 'combed' frequently can develop matted hair and removing those mats can be very painful. Mats often pull on the skin of the cat becoming a constant source of discomfort, it can even restrict movement when the hair near the legs or neck becomes tight. No air can get underneath matted hair which can cause severe
irritation and possible infection. If your cat becomes matted, arrange to have it groomed as soon as possible, and try not to touch the matted areas. Some mats can get tight enough to tear the skin. The best way to avoid the whole problem of matting is to keep your cat well groomed. Sometimes, the mats are so painful to the cat, it will not allow anyone, not even a groomer to remove them resulting in an expensive trip to the Veterinarian for sedation and grooming.

Whether purebred or mixed breed, a key to good grooming lies in the length of a cat's coat. A cat with a very short, single coat similar to the Siamese, Burmese and Cornish rex needs very little grooming. The dense-coated shorthaired cats like American shorthairs, British shorthairs and Scottish folds require a monthly grooming session. Semi-longhaired cats resembling Maine coons should be combed and bathed even more regularly. Cats with long, flowing coats resembling the Persian should be combed and have their faces cleaned at least every other day, and they should be bathed weekly or bi-weekly.