Anyone shave their cats for summer?

rang_27

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I was thinking it's been getting hot here already and I'm not sure when I can get my airconditioner put in my window. I think everyone is OK, but I worry about Isaac. He's a DLH, I call him my hairy monster. He seems to be the most uncomfortable in the heat. I probably won't do it because I don't want him to be too cold when the air goes in, but I'm just wondering if anyone does that for summer?
 

darkeyedgirl

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I shaved Dusty's buttocks (she is longhair and she looks like she's wearing "Britches" when she's totally long & furry!).

She can't groom back there very well due to her age. So I shave her down just back there. Not BALD; just a 'nice trim' to help her.

I am going to start shaving the problem areas of my eldest cat, Snickers. He also has been getting severe knots in his long fur, due to not being able to groom his long beautiful britches.

I don't think it's advisable to shave a cat bald... or a dog for that matter. I read someplace that dogs & cats NEED their fur to regulate heat and allow the sweat to have "some place to go" as it evaporates off their body. Sort of like humans. If you have no hair on your head, the sweat just runs off down into your eyes; if you have a full head of hair, it stays up in the hairshaft and then doesn't collect on the skin and/or run down all over the place.

Could just be a rumor, but I read you shouldn't shave long-haired pets 'totally bald'... just a trim here or there in problem areas.

(my pets are all indoor... even our doggie who only goes outside to diddle and play)

 

bella713

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Here is Sev with his summer do...We got his done last week...he loves to be massaged and scratched now...it must feel so different and he feels so GOOD
: He usually has like 4 inch thick hair
 

smokeys_mommy

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Some one once told me that cats fur keeps them warm in the winter and cool in the summer it serves as insulation
is this true
 

pee-cleaner

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Sev is quite the poser. He looks very proud of his "doo."


My neighbor who breeds champion kitties occasionally shaves her Persian and her elderly cats who have difficulty with grooming. Like Sev, they just get a trim, not shaved nekkid.

Cally
 

mom of 4

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I have Old English Sheepdogs and my cat. We are a hairy familly.


It is absolutely not true that dogs and cats need to keep the fur to stay cool. In fact, I have to alter the dog's outside schedule from Spring to Fall, just to keep them comfortable. It is very easy for them to overheat.

In our part of the country, we have ceiling fans going - all year long. All of the decorating shows hate them, but they make a huge difference in our comfort level and utility bills. We've even been known to use box fans on occassion. We keep the curtains/blinds/shutters closed off during the hottest part of the day. We've used 2 or 3 liter coke bottles, cleaned & filled with water before freezing, for them to lay next to during rolling blackouts.

Several year ago, I had surgery on my shoulder. I was given a machine that circulates icey cold water through a pad. The furries love it when I set it up for them. I've even found some extras available on ebay.
 

goldenkitty45

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If you are planning on getting the air conditioner soon, I would not shave the cat. Just comb daily and wet the comb in water and kinda "dampen" the entire cat to help cool him down.

In the few times we had extreme heat and no air condioner I had to literly put the cats in the bathtub in water and not dry them - let them be wet. These were rexes too - and they were able to keep cooler that way. At the time, it saved the 3 month old rex kittens from overheating!
 

weldrwomn

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My aunt had a Himalayan cat that she used to shave in the summer. He would be so embarassed the first few days of his new haircut, but it kept him a lot cooler
 
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rang_27

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Originally Posted by Mom of 4

We've used 2 or 3 liter coke bottles, cleaned & filled with water before freezing, for them to lay next to during rolling blackouts.
That's a great idea. I'll have to save some bottles, so that I can have those around. Especially for my hairy monster.
 

EnzoLeya

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I would leave his hair too if you are getting AC they adapt well even if you keep it a bit hot in the house. We don't always keep the air on and when it gets up to 75 or so my medium haired cat can be found laying on the cold bath tub. They are smart animals, they know how to keep cool!!!
 
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rang_27

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So the air went in on Tuesday. I set it for 78, so that means it's about 80 in the front room of the appartment, but he's been just fine with 80 degrees. Tomorrow he is going for a sanitary shave because I'm tired of finding treats & seeing wet back end fur (I don't know how he manages it, but he's always got pee in his butt fur.)
 
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