Longhaired cats?

For those of you with longhaired cats, any advice/tips for grooming and keeping them clean would be great. One of the kittens we're keeping is possibly going to be medium-longhaired (he's sooo fluffy already), and I've never had a longhaired cat, never even fostered one so I have no clue what to expect! He'll be 4 weeks old tomorrow and I'm already getting him used to being brushed/combed so he won't have a problem when he's older.

I think you are doing the right thing. Get him used to brushing now when he's a baby and you shouldn't have any trouble.

Best advice is to establish a grooming routine daily so the kitten will learn to stand still and be combed. Earlier you start this, the better you will be

And get several combs (brushes do nothing on a longhair) - fine toothed (flea comb) for the shorter fur around head/neck and legs. Medium toothed for rest of the body/tail/tummy/ruff on neck.

If your kitten gets too messy when pooping, you can trim the hair a little shorter so its not so bad in grooming.

Thanks everyone!

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

I think you are doing the right thing. Get him used to brushing now when he's a baby and you shouldn't have any trouble.

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Ditto....

Get a fine tooth comb, for his baby fine fur, and a natural bristle brush if you want to fluff him up, and get him used to is right away. Start short sessions at first (a minute or less) and work your way up. When he gets bigger, the combs are going to keep mats away more so then the brush. Also start bathing him occassionally if that is something you are going to want to do later. If you don't, and think he's going to be a fine groomer, then don't worry about it.

Yes I agree, starting young is a huge help, The breeder I got Zylah from gave me this awesome rubber gloved brush, it is good for pulling out old hair, and it is soft and flexible, so her and my other medium-longhaired boy get brused regularly...they like it !

Originally Posted by bnwalker2

For those of you with longhaired cats, any advice/tips for grooming and keeping them clean would be great. One of the kittens we're keeping is possibly going to be medium-longhaired (he's sooo fluffy already), and I've never had a longhaired cat, never even fostered one so I have no clue what to expect! He'll be 4 weeks old tomorrow and I'm already getting him used to being brushed/combed so he won't have a problem when he's older.

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I'm a week behind then...Ron looks like he's going to be the fluffy one of the bunch, and I haven't tried brushing him yet. I wish I had thought of this when Spock was a kitten. She really needs a brushing to get rid of the excess fur so she can be a bit cooler, but she won't let me brush her for more than a minute

Originally Posted by Hermione2011

I'm a week behind then...Ron looks like he's going to be the fluffy one of the bunch, and I haven't tried brushing him yet. I wish I had thought of this when Spock was a kitten. She really needs a brushing to get rid of the excess fur so she can be a bit cooler, but she won't let me brush her for more than a minute

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Your lucky you can brush for a minute, Blossom won't let me for more than 10 secs. I started to brush her from about 4 weeks, maybe I should have done it every day instead of every other day. Even at that age she would scratch & bite.

Fluffy has to be brushed on a daily basis or she will matt up very quicklyi use a flee comb first then go over with a fine wire brush, she gets hand fulls of fur if i leave her even a day. and a night mare where she sleeps lol. i havnt had any problems with her back end apart from when she was pregnant which wont be a problem now. but the place you will have to watch if under the legs sometimes it easy to forget about that part and you will find they will get slighty matted up there.

All great advice!! When the kitty is older you may even consider a lion shave. The groomer will take all the hair, except face and end of tail, down to about 1/4-1/2 inch - probably whatever you specify. It's great for the summer, and no more mats!!

Most longhaired cats do not matt. But since you do not know until he is older combing him now is a good idea. I have 4 longhaired and non of them matt. 2 are domestics and 2 are Somalis.

Originally Posted by kitytize

Most longhaired cats do not matt. But since you do not know until he is older combing him now is a good idea. I have 4 longhaired and non of them matt. 2 are domestics and 2 are Somalis.

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Most long haired cats don't matt? Sorry but most do if they are not groomed and cared for. Maybe the breeds you have are less prone to matting. But in my vast experience... the majority of long haired cats will matt to some extent. You're lucky yours don't!

Some longhairs tend to have silkier coats and don't mat as much but ALL longhair cats can mat or tangle if you don't keep up the grooming. Especially on the belly/under the leg area (most prone to mats).

Its better to establish a grooming routine on a longhair cat from as early as possible if you want a cooperative cat when older.