Cat

Spend any time with a cat and you'll notice that it spends the majority of its time grooming. They will wash themselves several times a day as they just love to be clean. However, grooming your cat is still necessary in order to keep it happy and healthy. Grooming your cat should include coat brushing, ear cleaning, bathing, and dental care.

When combing your cat's hair make sure you clean the loose fur off of your cat's coat. Failing to do so will increase the chances of the loose fur ending up in your cat's stomach. By cleaning the coat this way you will make sure it is cleaned properly and you could end up saving money on vet's bills!

By combing out the snags and dirt from your cat's coat you can help prevent all manner of infections such as ear mites, eye infections, ticks and fleas.

Sometimes a cat's breath can become rather smelly. If this happens then you need to check for tartar build-up. Guarding against this will help prevent any diseases from attacking their teeth. Your cat's teeth need to be brushed everyday. You will also need to make sure that their claws are clean and healthy. You can do this by clipping your cat's claws regularily to avoid dirt accumulation, which, if unchecked, could lead to disease and more expensive vet's bills.

Grooming will enhance the bond between you and your cat and will help your cat get used to being handled.
How to groom your cat depends mainly on the breed of your cat and the type of coat it has. There are other factors such as time of year, how dirty the cat gets, if they groom themselves a lot, etc. but below is a general guideline that would be suitable for most cases and breeds of cats that are pets. This is not a breed specific grooming guide just a general guideline. Please note that although most cats do groom themselves it is essential for you to groom as much as once a day depending on their coat type.

SHORT, SMOOTH-COATED CATS

Abyssinian, British Shorthair, Bengal, Bombay, Burmese, Egyptian Mau, Havana Brown, Siamese and Ocicat are a few of the breeds of cats that are considered to be short/smooth coated. These types of cat only need to be groomed on average once a week and you should use tools like the Mikki Nylon Bristle Brush, the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad and the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove. Brush your cat in the direction of its coat with the Mikki Nylon Bristle Brush, the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad or the rubber side of the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove to remove any unwanted and dead hair. When there is no more hair being collected on the brush or pad you then finish the coat off by using the velvet side of Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove, this encourages the oils in the cat’s coat to come out leaving it with a lovely shine. While brushing your cat always check your cat’s skin for scratches, lumps, dryness, fleas and ticks. Remember to brush all the hard to reach areas to i.e. under the back legs and chest.

SEMI-LONG AND LONG HAIRED CATS

Himalayan, Maine Coon, Persian, Ragdoll, Angora, Tiffanie, Birman and Turkish Van are breeds of cats with semi-long or long coats. These cats should be groomed daily to prevent tangles and matting. Begin by grooming your cat with the Mikki Rubber Palm Pad or the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove to relax your cat and to remove any muck and dead coat that is on the surface. When you have done that there are then numerous products you can use on your cat depending on the condition of their coat. If the coat is in good condition without any matting or tangles use the pin side of the Mikki Combi Brush to remove any unwanted loose or dead hair remembering to check the areas prone to matting, behind the ears, the joint creases, between the legs, underneath the tail and the tail itself. If matts are found use the Mikki Dual Comb to break them up and the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove to remove them. If the coat is in a poor condition then use the Mikki Dual Comb first and the Mikki Matt Splitter before using the pin side of the Mikki Combi Brush.

To remove any dead or loose hair from the undercoat you can use numerous products depending on the density of its coat. The Mikki Soft Pin Slicker is good for coats that are not too dense, whereas the Mikki Ball Pin Slicker is better suited to thick dense coats. For the deepest grooming of all you can use the Mikki Matt Master to remove all the knots and matt’s in the coat. To finish the coat off use a the soft side of the Mikki Smooth & Shake Glove to promote the natural oils in the skin and coat to come out leaving your cat's coat with a lovely shine.