Cat Grooming Advice

The primary benefit of grooming your cat is that not only is it a time during which you and they can bond, but it’s also when you can examine them for any irregularities.
Your cat also might not be as nimble or as able as they once were… They may have gained weight or become a little inflexible with age, or they may simply have longer fur which requires more close attention. With our kitties having been bred over the course generations to have longer and longer coats, the latter reason may be more common than you think.
If you’ve never groomed your cat, as you begin stroking his or her fur, you may find areas of it that are matted. All you need to do when you come across it is to carefully begin to work the surrounding hair from the matt with your fingers, working from the outside in, so as to cause the least amount of discomfort to your tangled tabby. If matts of hair are left, they can end up as hairballs in your cat’s stomach, and while most of them will end up as a noxious mess on your floor at home, some may remain to cause problems as extreme as an intestinal blockage.
Feel with your fingertips. Move your hands over your cat’s fur, feeling the skin for any unusual lumps, bumps, cuts or sores. These irregularities can signal the presence of an abscess, cyst or tumour, and the sooner they are found and examined by your vet, the better. Stroking and brushing your cat will also aid circulation, helping it to fight infection itself, and release essential oils into its skin and coat, keeping it supple and healthy.
You’ll be able to spot a flea infestation with regular grooming, and quickly stop it in its tracks with a suitable treatment. Again, with this problem, the sooner you catch it, the better – fleas can cause real discomfort to your feline friend, whether there are one, 10 or 100.. As a flea feasts on your cat’s blood, it secretes saliva in order to prevent its blood from coagulating, and with its saliva having status as one of the most allergenic substances known to man, a flea infestation of any degree can make your cat’s life very miserable indeed. Transferrable to dogs and humans, and able to hide their eggs deep in your soft furnishings until they hatch and find another host, an extensive flea infestation can also lead to anaemia and dermatitis, while kittens, unfortunately, have been known to suffer death.
As well as examining his or her fur in this way, you will also be able to examine their eyes, ears, teeth, nails and anus. These areas are also good indicators of any health problems, with seepage or an excess of body fluid being the main signs of a problem.
All in all, regular grooming ensures that you have a reference point for your cat’s health, and will notice immediately when something’s not quite right. A good pet insurance plan will give you peace of mind and make sure that if you do find something amiss, you and your cat are financially covered for it. Grooming should, where possible, be introduced when the cat is a kitten, and enables easy and soothing grooming sessions for both you and your beloved cat.