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What is the very best way to brush/groom a cat with longer fur?

post #1 of 14
10/7/07 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
I was just curious how all of you keep your cats coats looking nice and tangle-free? Also, i was wondering what the BEST way to brush out/groom a long hair cat is. I have 1 long hair, Isabella (she's a Turkish Angora- so she doesn't have that undercoat a lot of other long hair breeds do- she doesn't matt at all really). I have 3 short hairs. What are the best techniques/etc to use for a long hair cat. I've noticed Izzy's been having a little bit of matting on her hind leg britches and would like to try and prevent that as much as possible.

Right now I use a slicker brush on her, then 3 different combs with different lengths of "teeth combs" if that makes sense. After I brush and comb her with the slicker brush and combs/ i go over her with the soft bristled brush and then a soft cloth to pick up excess furs. Anything else i should be doing? What are the best techniques/etc? Any recommendations on brushes/combs?? Izzy is just now over 2 yrs old and many Turkish Angoras don't get their full coats in until about now- so now that the rest of her fur is really comming in and filling out, i want to make sure that i'm doing everything right to keep her coat in good shape! Thanks guys!

Also- are those Furminator brushes as good as i've been hearing about? I was thinking about buying one!
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post #2 of 14
10/7/07 at 6:52pm
With Kandie the furminator was great ... Zoey has what the vet called rabbit fur ( since touching a few rabbits I agree ... it didnt do anything for her)

a long handled flea comb or fine tooth is the best IMHO
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post #3 of 14
10/7/07 at 7:09pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky View Post
With Kandie the furminator was great ... Zoey has what the vet called rabbit fur ( since touching a few rabbits I agree ... it didnt do anything for her)

a long handled flea comb or fine tooth is the best IMHO
Thanks Jennifer! Izzy has very soft/smooth Angora fur -so the texture of it is a little bit different from a lot of the other cat's i've bushed/groomed before. I was trying to figure out what would work best on her fur!
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post #4 of 14
10/8/07 at 8:49am
Since I show cats, the only things I've used and seen on longhairs are various width combs - usually small toothed and the medium toothed for fluffing.

So if I had a long hair I would only use combs on them - no brushes. Start with the neck/ruff and work down the body to the tail and do the belly last. If you cat is not used to a regular daily or 2-3 times a week grooming, then you need to work up to that.

Do a small section at a time and train them to stand still.

We were benched next to a persian breeder at the show and my DH was impressed with all the grooming and combing she was doing for her show cats - paid off since both of them took lots of finals including several Best Cats
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post #5 of 14
10/8/07 at 9:59am
I use a Zoom Groom on Sassy and then a fine toothed comb on her and that seems to work very well!! She likes the Zoom Groom, but we are still working on the comb!!
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post #6 of 14
10/8/07 at 8:24pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45 View Post
Since I show cats, the only things I've used and seen on longhairs are various width combs - usually small toothed and the medium toothed for fluffing.

So if I had a long hair I would only use combs on them - no brushes. Start with the neck/ruff and work down the body to the tail and do the belly last. If you cat is not used to a regular daily or 2-3 times a week grooming, then you need to work up to that.

Do a small section at a time and train them to stand still.

We were benched next to a persian breeder at the show and my DH was impressed with all the grooming and combing she was doing for her show cats - paid off since both of them took lots of finals including several Best Cats
Thankyou for all the great tips!! I appreciate it! Hehe and it shouldn't be a problem at all to get Isabella to hold still while being brushed- she begs to be brushed She's such a princess She will walk out into the middle of the living room every night around the same time then throw herself in the floor in front of me and chirp at me until i brush her (it's kinda cute!). I must have been brushing her in the wrong order (normally i start at her head and work my way down to her tail then get her legs and belly) I will have to try brushing her the way you suggested! Also a question for you since i'm curious- why are combs better than brushes for long hairs? What combs do you recommend? Right now we have a small shedding blade, and several combs of various teeth sizes.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulena View Post
I use a Zoom Groom on Sassy and then a fine toothed comb on her and that seems to work very well!! She likes the Zoom Groom, but we are still working on the comb!!
Hopefully yours will learn to like being brushed! My kitties LOVE it They get jealous too if i brush one of the other girls and not them Kojak on the other hand (the only boy) he doesn't like being brushed so much!
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post #7 of 14
10/8/07 at 8:47pm
As someone who shows a Wegie, here's what I use:

1. A medium/small comb (mine is teflon coated - excellent stuff, only costs around $9!)
2. A 28mm (2") pin brush (Mine is made by Chris Christensen)
3. A boar bristle brush and lastly (unneccessary for non-show peeps, can't remember the brand, but mine is made in England)
4. A goat's hair brush (unneccessary for non show peeps, again made by CCS)

(No, you don't want to know what I paid for the brushes....)

Comb everything first from head to tail - including toe tufts if any. This will get all the knots out. Brush out the fur with the pin brush - not too vigorously (esp. if not using high end brushes like CCS or All Systems brushes) - you don't want to pull the hair out by the roots. If not for show and depending on breed or coat types, use the pin brush to fluff out the coat a bit Especially the ruff and tail. Et voila, you're done!

Brushes 3 and 4 enhances the coat shine and vitality. However, I use Brush 3 less on the long hairs than I do on the short hairs. Brush 4 is especially wonderful for bringing up the shine - working much better than a chamois!

Hope this helps
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post #8 of 14
10/9/07 at 5:22pm
Combs are better because they get out more of the dead, loose fur. Some people can brush and brush daily and still end up with mats. Sometimes I use a brush just for fluff and shine. Mostly I use a medium tooth comb, a fine tooth and an extra fine on the face and top of head. I also use the Furminator. But my cats have that dense undercoat.
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post #9 of 14
10/9/07 at 6:32pm
I use a comb and a slicker brush on my longhaired kittens. They're still small, so I'm not sure if I'll need to change anything when they're fully grown. But it works well for us right now!
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post #10 of 14
10/9/07 at 6:39pm
wow, i never even thought to use a comb before! lol... murphy LOVESSS to be brushed, that's part of our playtime so i use brushes. i have a small goody *human* purse-sized brush and i have this vibrating brush that he REALLY loves! *also meant for humans*

both feel great to him and remove the small mats he gets ~ although it happens rarely since we brush so often.

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post #11 of 14
10/9/07 at 6:42pm
Both of my boys are short hair- but shed just about as much as a long hair
I used the Zoom Groom on them for awhile, but recently bought the Furminator and WOW... its the best product on the market!
If it works wonders on my DSH boys- it's got to be a miracle for long haired kitties!
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post #12 of 14
10/9/07 at 7:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by babyharley View Post
Both of my boys are short hair- but shed just about as much as a long hair
I used the Zoom Groom on them for awhile, but recently bought the Furminator and WOW... its the best product on the market!
If it works wonders on my DSH boys- it's got to be a miracle for long haired kitties!
i've never heard of a furminator. i'm going to google it.

i love finding new cat stuff!

speaking of....

do y'all know about gonzo sponges? omg, genius!!! i can't live without that thing! i keep them all over the house. if you don't have one and you have issues with cat hair on your clothes, bedding or furniture, i can't recommend this highly enough! one sweep over the problem area and the hair is GONE! you use it dry so there is no damage to delicate fabrics...

i was using those sticky tape rollers and going through massive amounts of the sheets and it takes forever because once there is the tiniest amount of hair on the sheets, they don't work.

(ps, i am not a paid spokesperson for gonzo. it's just that good!)

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post #13 of 14
10/9/07 at 9:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abymummy View Post
As someone who shows a Wegie, here's what I use:

1. A medium/small comb (mine is teflon coated - excellent stuff, only costs around $9!)
2. A 28mm (2") pin brush (Mine is made by Chris Christensen)
3. A boar bristle brush and lastly (unneccessary for non-show peeps, can't remember the brand, but mine is made in England)
4. A goat's hair brush (unneccessary for non show peeps, again made by CCS)

(No, you don't want to know what I paid for the brushes....)

Comb everything first from head to tail - including toe tufts if any. This will get all the knots out. Brush out the fur with the pin brush - not too vigorously (esp. if not using high end brushes like CCS or All Systems brushes) - you don't want to pull the hair out by the roots. If not for show and depending on breed or coat types, use the pin brush to fluff out the coat a bit Especially the ruff and tail. Et voila, you're done!

Brushes 3 and 4 enhances the coat shine and vitality. However, I use Brush 3 less on the long hairs than I do on the short hairs. Brush 4 is especially wonderful for bringing up the shine - working much better than a chamois!

Hope this helps
Thankyou soo much! That is some wonderful advice!!! I think i will look into purchasing some good quality brushes/combs in the future when i get a little extra $! Thankyou for all the detail- that definitely helps-now i'll have a better idea of the right way to brush her out so that her coat looks great!!!
Her coat is SOOOOO different from my other short hair kitties!

Quote:
Originally Posted by bnwalker2 View Post
I use a comb and a slicker brush on my longhaired kittens. They're still small, so I'm not sure if I'll need to change anything when they're fully grown. But it works well for us right now!
That's what i've been doing for now and it works well on my short hairs, but not for Izzy at the moment.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mzjazz2u View Post
Combs are better because they get out more of the dead, loose fur. Some people can brush and brush daily and still end up with mats. Sometimes I use a brush just for fluff and shine. Mostly I use a medium tooth comb, a fine tooth and an extra fine on the face and top of head. I also use the Furminator. But my cats have that dense undercoat.
Thankyou for the explaination! I'm looking into buying a Furminator so i'm glad to hear of someone else that recommends it!

Quote:
Originally Posted by leesestyle View Post
wow, i never even thought to use a comb before! lol... murphy LOVESSS to be brushed, that's part of our playtime so i use brushes. i have a small goody *human* purse-sized brush and i have this vibrating brush that he REALLY loves! *also meant for humans*

both feel great to him and remove the small mats he gets ~ although it happens rarely since we brush so often.
Your kitty is beautiful!

Quote:
Originally Posted by babyharley View Post
Both of my boys are short hair- but shed just about as much as a long hair
I used the Zoom Groom on them for awhile, but recently bought the Furminator and WOW... its the best product on the market!
If it works wonders on my DSH boys- it's got to be a miracle for long haired kitties!
Thanks Kenzie! I'm definitely interested in buying a Furminator when i get a little extra cash! Did you get a small one or a medium one? I was thinking of getting a medium sized one so i can use it on both the cats and the dogs

Quote:
Originally Posted by leesestyle View Post
i've never heard of a furminator. i'm going to google it.

i love finding new cat stuff!

speaking of....

do y'all know about gonzo sponges? omg, genius!!! i can't live without that thing! i keep them all over the house. if you don't have one and you have issues with cat hair on your clothes, bedding or furniture, i can't recommend this highly enough! one sweep over the problem area and the hair is GONE! you use it dry so there is no damage to delicate fabrics...

i was using those sticky tape rollers and going through massive amounts of the sheets and it takes forever because once there is the tiniest amount of hair on the sheets, they don't work.

(ps, i am not a paid spokesperson for gonzo. it's just that good!)

Do you have a link to the gonzo sponges? I'm interested to hear more about them.
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post #14 of 14
10/10/07 at 9:44am
Quote:
Originally Posted by StarryEyedTiGeR View Post
Thankyou soo much! That is some wonderful advice!!! I think i will look into purchasing some good quality brushes/combs in the future when i get a little extra $! Thankyou for all the detail- that definitely helps-now i'll have a better idea of the right way to brush her out so that her coat looks great!!!
Her coat is SOOOOO different from my other short hair kitties!



That's what i've been doing for now and it works well on my short hairs, but not for Izzy at the moment.



Thankyou for the explaination! I'm looking into buying a Furminator so i'm glad to hear of someone else that recommends it!



Your kitty is beautiful!



Thanks Kenzie! I'm definitely interested in buying a Furminator when i get a little extra cash! Did you get a small one or a medium one? I was thinking of getting a medium sized one so i can use it on both the cats and the dogs



Do you have a link to the gonzo sponges? I'm interested to hear more about them.
sure starry, here you go! i got mine at the container store but gonzo also has a website where you can buy their products directly. here are the links...

http://www.containerstore.com/browse...RODID=10020631

http://www.gonzocorp.com/pet.htm (it's the second item on the page. the gonzo pet hair lifter for $5.49)

enjoy! i'm addicted to it. even when my furniture looks clean, i'll give it a sweep with the gonzo and am always amazed how much invisible hair hides on the sofa...ready to get on our clothes. lol... actually, a friend who is horribly allergic to cat hair told me about it. she's here all the time but has never once gotten sniffly and said of all her friends who have cats, she has the easiest time being here because there's no cat hair on the furniture.

thank you gonzo! how's that for an endorsement?
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