Cat Grooming Tips

Grooming your cat at home doesn’t have to be a chore, in fact, you can work it into a daily routine so it just becomes something you do together. Grooming can be a great time to bond, especially if your feline friend enjoys a brush. If you take your kitty to the groomers, it may take an hour or even more to fully groom them, but in the comfort of their own home, you can split everything into smaller sessions over the course of different days so you don’t overwhelm them. You can groom them one day, bathe them another and clip their claws on a totally different day so it doesn’t get too much for them. 

Once you know everything your cat needs to keep them in their best condition, you can gather together your own cat grooming kit. 

One of the most important things you can do for your cat at home is grooming them with a nice brush. While they keep themselves maintained with regular grooms, they can struggle to reach some places for a number of reasons. If your cat has a long, thick coat, or they’re a little older and stiff or even just carrying a few extra pounds can make it hard to do a thorough groom, which is when you can step in to lend a helping hand.  

The first kind of brush that every cat parent will need is a basic comb that helps to do away with dirt, and knotted fur and can even help with removing fleas. If you plan on doing a full groom on your feline friend, starting out with a quick comb can loosen a lot of the dead coat before you bring out a more specialised tool. The FURminator is an excellent tool for removing dead undercoat and leaving only the healthy, glossy coat behind.  

It can reduce shedding up to 90%, so you won’t find your house full of hair. The FURminator for Cats with Long Hair is best for cats with fur longer than 2 inches, while anything shorter-coated would be better suited to the FURminator for Cats with Short Hair. It even collects the hair it strips away until you eject it from the brush, and you can put it in the bin instead of finding yourself coated in a thick layer of fur!  

Finding the right cat shampoo is key to giving your four-legged friends a pamper at home. You may love the smell of your own shampoo and feel tempted to just reach for that, but many human shampoos are not suitable for your fur baby. Our shampoos contain chemicals that will strip a cat’s hair of its natural healthy oils and can be much too abrasive on the skin. Cat shampoo is designed specifically with cats in mind, and better yet, you can find just the right shampoo geared towards your beloved pet.  

If you have a kitten, they’ll need an extra gentle shampoo like The Spa Puppy & Kitten Fresh Baby Powder Shampoo. A kitten shampoo will give them the most pleasant experience and make bath times less scary. It’s free from parabens, artificial colours, alcohol and silicones so you don’t have to worry about any nasties. Whilst made for puppies and kittens, it’s also great for your feline friends who have sensitivities and subtle fragranced with a baby powder scent to keep them smelling fresh. You can also get shampoos geared towards helping rid your feline friend of pests like Johnson's Cat Flea Cleansing Shampoo. It has a citrus scent to repel fleas.  

If you don’t have time for a full bath or your feline friend isn’t comfortable with water just yet, and you don’t want to undo any good work getting them used to it, you can use a waterless shampoo. Nilaqua Towel-off Pet Waterless Shampoo is great for freshening up your cat without causing any distress or getting the bathroom soaked.  

It’s probably best to leave a full groom to someone who won’t make it look like you’ve given your beloved pet the kitty equivalent of an at-home bowl cut. That doesn't mean you can’t give them a little trim when they’re looking a little scraggly. There are special grooming scissors you can get your hands on that make trimming your feline friend much safer. The Groom Delicate Detail Scissors have a rounded end and are great for cutting around the face and delicate places like between those toe beans with no risk of a sharp point. If you don’t want to give your beloved pet any kind of blunt cut, you can use thinning scissors like Groom Coat Scissors that leave the coat looking nice and natural even if you’re new to the world of kitty haircuts.  

Cats are usually quite good at keeping their own nails worn when they go outside or through the use of scratching posts. Indoor cats are more prone to overgrown nails because they have a little less opportunity to wear them down. If you think they’re too long, you can chat with your vet who might advise you to cut them at home. You should never cut your cat’s nails because you think they’re too sharp, cats claws are meant to come to a sharpened point, and even after you cut them, they will quickly return to their normal shape in a few days.  

It’s only the length you need to be concerned about when cutting cat claws. Dog clippers are often too large for cats, so a small pair of nail scissors like Ancol Small Animal Clippers usually works best. Always avoid the blood supply that runs into the nail and ask your vet if you aren’t sure.  

There are certain parts of cat grooming that your feline friend may love and others they might need time to adjust to but the great part about doing it at home is you can take it at their speed. Everything new you want to introduce to your cat should be done slowly to create a good association. Brushing is often the easy part, but if they’re prone to knotting, you may need to work with the areas they enjoy and gradually build up to brushing more sensitive areas. 

The bath is usually the hardest part, and you can gradually introduce your feline friend to a bath to make sure they remain comfortable every step of the way. For cats who really don’t like water, the best you might hope for is tolerance, but if there’s a nice treat in it for them afterwards, they’ll be far more inclined to allow it to happen. For all of your cat grooming needs, visit us in store or check out our latest offers on grooming products online.