Grooming Longhaired Breeds

Not all of us own shorthaired kitties~

I have a few questions about the grooming of longhaired cat breeds. ~

1. How often must they be bathed?
2. How often must they be groomed?

Also, feel free to recomend any brand useful for dealing with longhaired cat grooming. Thank you! <3 ~

I have no idea, but I bath my Sphynx once a week. Hopefully others will chime in

There are threads in here regarding longhair grooming, but to answer your questions.

How often to groom - depends on the type of coat. A cat that has a lot of persian in it would need DAILY combing. One that had more of an angora or silky texture would need 2-3 times a week. If the coat mats or tangles easily - you need to comb daily.

As far as bathing, show cats would get bathed before every show. In general maybe once a month or once every two months if they have problems keeping the coat nice and clean.

Notice I mentioned COMBING - a brush on a longhair does nothing. You need to have a medium and fine-toothed comb for proper grooming of a longhair cat. And you need to establish a grooming routine and train the cat to stand or sit still while being groomed (usually on a small table or grooming table).

If you train them as kittens to be groomed properly you won't be fighting them as adults. Now if you have an adult they will take a little more time in getting them established, but YOU are in charge of grooming - not the cat.

I've only ever bathed Ginger once, and that was because she sat in spilled dishsoap on the counter. Soapy butt = unhappy longhaired kitten.

I use combs on both Ferris and Ginger, but am getting Ferris shaved tomorrow because he is a semi-feral and is getting matts on his belly fur that he will NOT let me groom out. So as of tomorrow, he will be sporting a sexy new lion cut.

The best comb I have found for my longhairs is the one that has alternating long and short tines on it - it really does a good job lifting and removing the loose undercoat.

IMO it depends on the breed.

My Persian, Dumdum (not a show cat) get combed daily and gets bathed every 10-14 days.

My NFO, Lou (show cat but not really ) gets bathed once a month unless it's a show month and is combed every 2-3 days.

I think for DLHs, it's better to figure out the coat type first. Cotton or persian, birman type coats require daily combing. Forest cat type coats about 2-3 times a week unless shedding season. As for bathing, it all depends on the cat!

As for good bathing products... I am absolutely in love with Chris Christensen products - especially for show cats. Also good is All Systems and Jerob. Really depends on whether you're showing your cat or not.

For basic bathing, I use Johnson&Johnson Baby Shampoo with Wheatgerm and honey!

All these suggestions are great! For two years I've only had those silly wire grooming brushes, and they did NOTHING on my semi-longhair. And nothing on my other two, but the longhair it just irritated. When I became a member here.. I read some suggestions on grooming combs.. and YAY! The comb I have now is so much better than the (human) combs I had been using. I think it's called an easy-groom? Maybe that's just the brand name. It's got a big, soft, black plastic grip and a 3 inch long "blade" (I don't know what you call it?) with smooth, round, close-set tines that are rounded at the ends. It is just amazing. I got away with piles and piles of fur.

Thank you for all of your advice! I feel much more educated now! :3 ~ Kiba

I use the zoom groom, furminator and a metal comb with alternating teeth to groom Stan. He has medium/long hair and rabbit soft fur. We try to comb him every day and quite a bit of fur does come out. As a result he doesn't really shed very much and he loves to be groomed. Bella is a regular DSH and she is the shedder in my house because she won't let me brush her.

I don't show my cats, so I only bathe them if they've gotten into something nasty or had a messy litterbox experience.

Thankfully, i resuced my long haired kitten and therefore was able to get her used to baths. if your cat is young enough try giving her a bath every day so she gets used to the water. now i bath her once a week.

I also use combs and find them more effective. Bathing really depends on the cat and what your plans are for the cat. Long haired cats don't necessarily have to be bathed if the cat is able to keep itself clean and you're able to keep kitty groomed and mat free! But many of us find it easier to keep the cats properly groomed when they are bathed. And some people bathe to keep allergens down in their homes. It all just depends on what you and your cat's needs are.

I had one shorthaired cat that we groomed 2X a week and he got bathed at least once a month because he had troubles keeping himself clean due to arthritis.

Our longhaired kitties though, it all depends on them. They all get combed at least 3-4 times a week with a metal wide-tooth comb as well as a flea comb.

Kuce - being a silky coated semi-longhaired TV gets combed 3 times a week and a bath at least once a month since she is finding it a little hard to keep herself clean due to her advancing age (she's 14) and her coat is getting more oily.

Luvbug gets combed 4-5 times a week and he loves it. He also gets a bath at least once a month because his skin sometimes gets itchy and - in summer - he really enjoys cooling off in the water.

Lil' Jag (our Persian Mix) gets bathed at least once a month as well and combed every day to avoid mats.

Originally Posted by Kibasgirl

Not all of us own shorthaired kitties~

I have a few questions about the grooming of longhaired cat breeds. ~

1. How often must they be bathed?
2. How often must they be groomed?

Also, feel free to recomend any brand useful for dealing with longhaired cat grooming. Thank you! <3 ~

Click to expand...

My cat grooms herself? She cleans herself several times per day. Usually she doesn't need my assistance

My missy is not a show cat. Missy is not a cat that likes to be held or petted. and I have never been able to comb or brush her for more than 5 seconds.. she is long hair a maine coon breed. and she has fur balls around her bottom. she cleans herself but this is beyond her she hasnt gotten the balls out there is feces stuck in the fur and she smells. my problem is how can i contain her to cut the fur around her bottom and the fur balls out. i though maybe my husbnad can put a towel around her and hold her while i cut. and this is all i can come up with she is a year and half old and we got her at 6 months and she wouldnt let us touch her she has gotten better but still wont let us hold her of pet her or love on her.. so someone please help me.. i also posted this in the care and grooming forum i just need help and i need it now.. please. hallycat

Cutting yourself can be a bit dangerous. Cats have a layer of skin thinner then tissue paper that is easily torn. Cutting is especially risky if mats and stuff are close to the skin. I'd take her to a professional groomer. They are trained to handle animals. Just ask your vet for recommendations so you can find a good one.