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  1. spiffykitty

    Hairball emergency

    When you're combing your cat, all you need to use is a metal comb. The goal is to comb all the way through the fur, not just the surface. Good luck!
  2. spiffykitty

    Post Declawing

    I've groomed many declawed cats. They seem fine. I wouldn't declaw a cat and I wouldn't recommend doing it, but as far as I can tell, these cats were living normal, happy lives.
  3. spiffykitty

    Acepromazine for human allergies to cat

    Acepromazine is valium. I don't understand why doping a cat would help an owner's allergies. If you dilute it, then you're playing around with valium. Valium is what used to be called "Mother's Little Helper"in the 1960's when quite a few women became addicted to it. If your husband has...
  4. spiffykitty

    problem with coat

    Yes, find a cat groomer who can help you.
  5. spiffykitty

    Help! Hurt at the groomer!

    I am sorry to read that your cat was injured. I'm a cat groomer. Cat skin is extremely thin. Armpit skin is about as thick as an eyelid.  The first layer of skin is basically dead skin cells, so if a groomer is shaving the armpit and they nick the first layer of skin, they won't know that they...
  6. spiffykitty

    Brushing my former feral

    I like to use a regular metal pet comb. You can buy them online or in any pet store. Most cats are fine with the area around the head, but get increasingly sensitive as you move back toward the tail or down to the stomach, so a few minutes at a time is a good way to do it.
  7. spiffykitty

    Cat Ignoring Me/Sad After Nail Cutting

    If she's just upset because of the claw trim, I think she'll be fine soon. Most cats bounce back fast. BUT if she continues to act differently, I'd make sure she is eating normally, using the litter box normally, drinking normally and so on, just in case she's feeling sick and it's not due to...
  8. spiffykitty

    Dandruff on my cat?

    I brush my cat, and every few months, I give her a bath with a gentle shampoo. She doesn't have much, if any, dandruff. I'd see it if she did, because she is black:)  I've noticed that chubby cats seem to get more dandruff, maybe because they can't lick parts of their body.
  9. spiffykitty

    Taking kitty to a groomer for the first time...

    The groomer may or may not want you there. I groom cats at people's homes.  Owners are welcome to stay about six feet away. The reason I ask them to stay a few feet away is that sometimes a cat will try to leap from the table or from the sink, and the owner will instinctively try to grab the...
  10. spiffykitty

    Grooming tricks for heavy shedding cats?

    Does the cat have bald spots? If it's just shedding, unaccompanied by other problems, then brushing combined with monthly baths/blow drying may help.  During the bath and blow dry, a lot of fur can be blow off the body. Try different types of combs/brushes. Some are more effective than others...
  11. spiffykitty

    On Going Mat Problem

    Perhaps you can locate a mobile cat groomer (groomer who works out of a van) or a house call cat groomer. If you hire these types of groomers, your cat will be groomed either in a van in front of your home or in your own home. No waiting around in cages.  Do you use a small metal comb to try to...
  12. spiffykitty

    Kitty with matted hair

    She needs to be groomed. Those mats can pull on the skin. If they're tight against the skin, the skin underneath may even become infected.  Have you ever taken her to a veterinarian? Sometimes the urination can be caused by a health problem. Has she been vaccinated? Do you have a garage or...
  13. spiffykitty

    Long hair cat

    Depends on the type of fur. Some long-haired cats don't mat very often, though you do have to comb them. Other long-haired cats mat almost instantly. If the fur feels like cotton candy, you're going to need to either do lots of grooming or have a groomer do the work.  Some long-haired cats are...
  14. spiffykitty

    What's wrong with my cat's soft paws?

    You don't need much glue for the Soft Paws. Each claw cap should be filled just about 1/4 of the way, because that glue is super strong. If it were me, I would remove the claw cover. There are plenty of useful instructions on the Soft Paws website.
  15. spiffykitty

    Domestic Longhairs in the wild...

    I suggest trying another groomer. One groomer is not representative of  every groomer in the world, just as one doctor is not representative of every doctor.
  16. spiffykitty

    Domestic Longhairs in the wild...

    The long-haired cats we see in homes are different from long-haired cats who used to live outside. They're selected for the way they look, not the functionality of their fur. Some Persians have ridiculous fur that mats up every five seconds. Even Maine Coons have been bred to have fur that looks...
  17. spiffykitty

    Feral cat with knotted fur

    Four months is a short time, when you think about it, so over time he may become more comfortable being touched. This is a behavioral challenge more than it is a grooming issue.  You need to be able to touch your own cat.  How much time do you spend playing with him, using balls or better...
  18. spiffykitty

    Wholesale Cat Litter?

    I agree that your best bet are mom and pop stores. For a small store, what you buy would be considered a big purchase. Wholesale prices usually apply when a manufacturer is selling to a distributor or a distributor is selling to a retail store.   Cost of shipment for such a heavy, bulky item...
  19. spiffykitty

    How many times do you bathe your cat?

    I bathe my short-haired cat every two months.  I do it in order to stimulate her skin, reduce hair balls and loosen the shedded fur that is adhering to her body. Cats shed year round.  Some of the fur that has been released adheres to the body with the assistance of friction or of natural body...
  20. spiffykitty

    cats nails spliting and brittle

    When you trim the claws, I use a claw trimmer that isn't very old. I like my claw trimmers to be no more than a year old so that the blade is sharp. There are small claw trimmers with a round hole -- you can buy them in a pet store. That is the type I prefer to use.  You don't need to cut the...
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