At what point does a cat need to be brushed?

I have a short-haired cat that I don't brush. I feed her high quality food (innova or orijen) and her coat is fine without any special care. However, my sister wants me to take her long-haired cat because her husband's allergies are getting worse. The cat seems to have messy fur that's not as nice... no terrible mats, it just doesn't seem as nice as my cat's. It's not as soft and he sort of smells bad. Could be the diet, too, she just feeds him Wal-Mart brand stuff.

Anyway, I'm wondering how do you know when it's necessary to brush a cat? He gets hairballs and I think it may help to brush him. I think it may also help his coat once he's eating better quality food.

Good for you taking in your sister's cat and your going to feed her quality food!!
If it were me, I would immediately give her a bath, and brush her after, and if you can't get the matts out, just cut them, the fir will grow back fast especially if your going to PURGE her system of all that JUNK she has been eating.

IMHO the general rule with a long or medium haired cat is to try to brush/comb them every day. Better food will help too.

How old is this cat? Some cats have trouble grooming themselves as they get older and lose flexibility.

Originally Posted by Rolenta

I have a short-haired cat that I don't brush. I feed her high quality food (innova or orijen) and her coat is fine without any special care. However, my sister wants me to take her long-haired cat because her husband's allergies are getting worse. The cat seems to have messy fur that's not as nice... no terrible mats, it just doesn't seem as nice as my cat's. It's not as soft and he sort of smells bad. Could be the diet, too, she just feeds him Wal-Mart brand stuff.

Anyway, I'm wondering how do you know when it's necessary to brush a cat? He gets hairballs and I think it may help to brush him. I think it may also help his coat once he's eating better quality food.

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I comb (not brush) Persi every day. He has never had a hairball. I brush Alley about once a week but do not get very much hair. She has also never had a hairball. I have had cats in the past that did have problems with hairballs which I attribute to the fact that I was neglegent in combing/brushing them.

If you decide to bath her, make sure you 'comb' her all over and get the matts out FIRST. It's very important you remove the matts 'before' the bath. If you don't, the matts will get thighter from the contact with water and it will be much harder to remove them after.

Cat skin is very delicate (it's not like dog skin) Very easy to hurt or bruise kitty and if you have matts that are all the way down to the skin, I'd be very careful removing them as it can create a bald spot after.

Be VERY careful with scissor also, use 'blunt nose' scissors if you have to cut matts and make sure you are far away from the skin as possible. Just a little nick on the skin from the scissors can make the skin rip up to an inch long. A cut could turn into a trip to the Vet, and we don't want that!

If you have cat groomers in your area, you might want to bring her to them. They could dematt & wash her. Also, they could clip the hair a little shorter if you would like to make it easier for you to maintain her coat.

I love long hair cats, if you can take just a few minutes every day to comb her, you'll never have matt problems. Remember 'comb' not brush (just like Pepsi & Alley said) as a brush doesn't go deep enough to the skin, and kitty will start matting from the hair shaft.

I'm not a professionel groomer, just been grooming cats for the past 2 years as a hobby and have learned alot. Wish I lived close to you, I'd come help you out I LOVE making kitties all swanky

Minou

Ok if its a longhair you need a fine-toothed and medium-toothed comb - not a brush.

Poor quality (cheap) food results in poor coats. So gradually give the new cat better food. When was the last time the cat was completely checked out by a vet? The cat also may have worms which would cause poor fur and odor.

You might want to give the cat a bath when you bring him in.

One of my kitties is a medium-hair who absolutely HATES to be brushed or combed. Luckily she does not really get mats except during peak shedding season, so I just do as much brushing as she'll tolerate (not much) and then clip out any mats as soon as they start to form. My dog, however, has long hair, and I have to brush him at least 3 times per week or he would be a matted mess. I think a lot depends on the individual kitty's coat. Daily brushing is certainly the ideal, though! If your new kitty's coat is in really bad shape, I think I'd probably start with a professional grooming just to get things in shape. Good luck!

I comb my long hair Persians a little bit every day. When you do it that often it only takes a couple minutes. Sounds like your sisters cat may benefit from the change in diet. Just remember to do it gradually. I always cringe when I hear of people cutting out mats. Cats have a really paper thin layer of skin that can be cut without you even knowing you've cut it. And then infection can be introduced. Hopefully you can control the mats by regular grooming. I've never had to cut out mats in the 2 cats I have now. Peaches only gets an occasional small mat and I pull it apart with my fingers (gently) while she's relaxing on my lap. It also sounds like a bath is in order. (But not before all the mats are out or they'll get worse!) I always recommend taking a new adult cat to a groomer for their first bath.