Grooming persians

[Sandie]

Okay, it looks like my husband and I have made a descision that we have never given up on a cat and we wont start now. So if I could get some expert grooming advice for persians, I would appreciate it!! I know some of the basics, but heck he sure does need a lot of extras so far. Especially the eyes, nose and the hair around his toosh. I also want to take him to a few shows, so I want to know what to do for those.
Sandie

[Harriet]

Hi Sandie. Are you sure about this?

Here is what I do. Perhaps others have good suggestions as well.

1. Bathe the cat in a botanical, ( no detergent ) shampoo.

I am soooo tempted tp put that old joke in here on the 20 steps to bathe a cat!!

Use a shampoo that is tearless because you want to thoroughly do the face. Rinse and repeat if necessary.

2. Use a moisture rich conditioner. Comb through with a comb with rotating teeth. Rinse.

3. Towel dry.

4. Spray with a leave in coat conditioner and tangle resister. Comb through again.

5. Blow dry on low while brushing with a soft slicker or human metal brush.

If the cat has white around the eyes, there are grooming products that remove tear stains.

I trim a tiny amount of hair just around the bum. Don't take enough for anyone to notice. You can trim the hair around the top of the ears to give them that Teddy Bear look.

I don't understand what you mean around the nose? If it is just dirt, a cottonball with very little soap on it should do the trick.

An area often neglected is the chin. My persians dig right into their food and always have crumbs and stuff in their chins.

Good luck.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions?

[Edited by Harriet on 12-16-2000 at 08:39 PM]

[Sandie]

Thank you for the good tips! I meant nose because he is peke faced and the runny eyes kind of go into the cracks where the nose is. He is a cameo and white, but around his eyes are the cream color. I have had different people tell me different things on the cleaners. SOme say to stay away from the commercial tear cleaners, others say to use boric acid????? How often do you really have to comb them to keep matts from forming??

Sandie

[Harriet]

Hi Sandie. I comb my cats three times a week. I know some people who swear by the boric acid.

I should have mentioned that if you are bathing for an actual show, don't put the leave in detangler on. They can't have any foreign substances on them. Lots of people use shampoos with blueing in them before a show.

Good Luck.

[Sandie]

Thank you again for the useful info. I know how to groom kitties, but persians are a whole new ball game for me. I even have a Domestic longhair, but he is nothing like Moon Shadow. I am going to try and get him into a show in January. I saw one owner this weekend who turns hers upside down and shakes it.....I just dont think the cat could possibly like it THAT much!! The only reason I show is to spend time with the cats and the people who really adore them. What is your suggestion for how often you really need to wipe the eyes to keep the staining down? He just always seems to brown eye crud everywhere!!!

Sandie

[Harriet]

If you have the time, wipe them with a wet cottonball every day. You have probably noticed that the inside of the front paws where they clean themselves, can use a wash or wipe every few days too.

You will have to let us know what you think of showing persians. Frankly, I hate it. I just send one out every once in a while because people judge your cats by how show worthy they are instead of how healthy and wonderfully tempered they are.

[Sandie]

I can see why you might hate showing. I have only stuck with one association. They are very friendly and none of that politic stuff goes on. I will let you know how I like showing the persian. I am more worried about the grooming than anything else. I should be taking him the 13th of January. I am taking 4 cats with me. I won a free entry at the last show. So I am taking 2 munchkins, a domestic and the persian. I think I will have my hands full. I took your advice and washed him with the tear free kitten/cat shampoo and put some leave in conditioner in. He feels so wonderful. Now if I could just get his eyes to stop running so much. How can you tell if you have an ideal peke faced persian? That and do you know of an all around wipe for cats that is safe for the eyes,ears and coat. Idealy that come in containers like baby wipes??

Sandie

[Harriet]

Yes they do make all over wipes. I forget the company, but can find out for you tomorrow.

Peke faced persians have a very pushed in face and the nose is higher to the eyes.

Have the cat checked for Chlamydia or a streptococcis ( sp?) infection if his eyes are running so much. The rims of his eyes should be normal coloured and show no swelling or inflamation.

Let me know how it's going.

[Sandie]

Harriet

His eyes are still pretty watery. If by next week he is not any better,(he has been on antibiotics) my vet is going to special order some liquid doxycycline to take care of a chlymidial infection. I am telling you, this poor baby has been in bad shape. I am determined to make him 100%.
I do have a kind of silly question for you. He is constantly stepping in his poop. Does this improve with age?? Today right after I cleaned his litter box, he went and got a drink only to stick his face in the litter. Is this kitten behavior, or am I going to be cleaning him every 5 minutes for the rest of his life?? I have never had a cat do this, so I am in the dark.

Thanks,
Sandie

[Harriet]

Hi sandie. Sorry it took so long to get back to you. I work in retail. Need I say more this time of year?

I haven't a clue why your kitten does this. Perhaps when he is feeling all better he won't?
I didn't quite understand what you meant when you said," he had a drink and then stuck his head in the litter box." Was he just sniffing to see if it was ' his ' litter box?

Hope you are enjoying a safe and happy holiday.

[Sandie]

Yes, I used to work retail for 3.5 years prior to this. I sympathise with you. It is usually a busy time for everyone. Thank you, yes we had a very safe and happy day! We spent our day with our friends at the animal rescue. We all got each other cat nick nacks..hehe. I hope you got the day off and could enjoy the holiday.
As for the litter box..yes he was just curious as to what was in there I guess. He came up looking like a kitty litter cake. He is the only cat I have that steps in his poop and gets it everywhere. I wasn't sure if is was just him being a kitten or the fact that he is a persian and the long hair just gets in the way. I have read some stuff on Persians, but I always seem to read stuff on the healthy normal ones, this does not help me. I dont even know what to look for to see if he was caged or neglected. Maybe all of this stems from some kind of neglect or something. I just wish I knew how to keep him from making a mess everywhere!! Thanks for all the useful info!! I have been using it daily!!!

Sandie

[Harriet]

Hi,

I do not use clumping litter with persians because it is so powdery and stays in their fur. When they walk around, they deposit it everywhere. There is also the chance that it can clump in their stomachs when they groom themselves because so much of it is in the long fur. As you have already discovered, after they drink, the litter sticks to their face!!!

Happy New Year everyone!