How to brush a cat? If there is one thing a cat pays particular attention to, it is personal hygiene; it is well known that our feline friends are extremely clean animals. Anyone who has or has ever had a cat at home cannot have failed to notice the thoroughness with which it dedicates itself to grooming its coat, following a very precise routine and spending a great deal of its time on this activity. This means that a cat is perfectly capable of taking care of its own personal hygiene.
The small hooked bumps on its tongue make it a kind of natural brush; the cat cleans all the accessible parts of its body, using its teeth to nibble at any knots in the fur or external debris caught within it. To clean its head, it uses its little paw instead, and the same goes for its ears and eyes. So why do we need to brush it? That is a good question, and there are quite a few answers. Let us start from the beginning and understand why it is important to brush a cat's coat, how to brush a cat, and when to do it.
Why you should brush your cat
One of the most important reasons why we need to know how to brush a cat correctly has nothing to do with its hygiene, but rather with the relationship we have with it. In fact, cats generally love being brushed because it reminds them of the constant grooming and care they received from their mother. Your cat interprets this gesture as a special form of attention, and if you get it used to brushing from a young age, it will become a welcome ritual for both of you to share together. This, along with the time you spend playing with your cat and cuddling it, will help strengthen your bond.
On a more practical note, brushing your cat helps protect its health. During shedding season, our cats lose a great deal of fur, and more than half of the dead hair is actually ingested by the cat itself during its self-grooming sessions. This can cause quite a few problems when true hairballs form inside its stomach. It therefore becomes important for us to help our cat eliminate the excess fur. It is also worth bearing in mind that grooming your cat yourself is an excellent opportunity to examine its skin, check for any parasites, or spot any lumps that are worth showing to a vet.
How to brush a cat the right way
There are many products available on the market for cat grooming, but what we actually need is a comb and a cat brush. If we have a long-haired cat, we will start by using a plastic comb with rounded teeth to gently work out any knots and find any foreign matter; and then to part the fur along the cat's back into two sections that fall outward. This is because cats do not particularly enjoy being brushed along the length of their coat — they prefer a stroke from the centre of the back outward.
Be very careful not to pull the comb when it catches on a knot, as you risk hurting your cat. Instead, hold the fur between the knot and the skin with your fingers and then run the comb through; if the knot does not come out, it may be helpful to use a specialist detangling product for cat fur, or to visit a professional groomer. Once you have finished with the comb, move on to the brush, following the parting you have created so as to remove all the dead fur.
Next, move on to the legs and belly — the area where knots form most frequently in long-haired cats — and finish with a very quick stroke along the tail, as this is the area cats tolerate least. If you have a short-haired cat, brushing will be much simpler; just run a comb through the coat in the direction of the fur to remove any loose hair or dirt, then move on to the rubber grooming glove, using it to stroke the cat's entire body. You can continue for as long as your cat does not start flicking its tail — that is its signal to tell you it has had enough.
How often to brush your cat
Again, we need to make a distinction between long-haired cats and short-haired cats. In the first case, grooming your cat needs to be much more frequent — ideally every day, and certainly no less than two or three times a week. This is because, if neglected, long fur develops knots that are almost impossible to untangle without the help of a professional groomer, and these knots can lead to skin irritation or rashes.
For short-haired cats, once a week is generally enough; if you do it more often, it will simply be to share a moment of pure pleasure with your cat. In general, however, it is a good idea to brush your cat year-round, paying a little extra attention during shedding periods, namely late spring and autumn. Do not forget that a cat's coat stays shiny thanks to several factors, including diet, but to enhance this shine it is also helpful to run a chamois leather dampened with water and vinegar over the entire coat like a gentle stroke.
The importance of grooming your cat
Do make sure, however, that grooming your cat does not become an ordeal for your pet. If your kitten has been accustomed to it from a young age, there will be no problem at all; but if that is not the case, you will need to take things gradually, allowing it to get used to this new activity little by little. The first few times, do not force it if it is not in the mood — always try to approach it just before feeding time, when it will be more willing to put up with your loving attentions. Find a way to make grooming an enjoyable experience for your cat; that way it will be enjoyable for you too, and you will not have to fend off swipes from a cat trying to escape.
It can be helpful to reward your cat with a treat when it lets itself be groomed, so that it understands you are pleased with it. Also keep in mind that the more time you spend playing with your cat, the more likely it is to let itself be brushed, as it will come to see this activity as a kind of game as well. In short, with the right amount of calm and patience, we have shown that it is very important to dedicate time to brushing your pet's coat — this too is a way of showing it love.
