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What I use to groom my show cats

post #1 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:10am
Thread Starter 
I've been getting a lot of pm's lately about what I use to comb/brush my cats be it for show or just daily. So, here are the tools I use, for Short hairs first, since it's a bit easier and then long hairs:

For Shorthairs:



1. Item #17-704 - just to comb out dead hair



2. This is a boar bristle brush. It separates each strand of hair and brings back natural oils.



3. A goat's hair brush - specifically for shows - brings out shine!

Now Long Hairs:

1. Go back to the first picture - the combs. I use 17-709 for my longhairs. I have just ordered 17-705, since I find it's better to have them separate than in one comb



2. This is my most disliked comb - it's large and heavy but it does the job fantastic - a comb that's staggered for breaking up mats.



3. The most fantastic brush - it's a pin brush and it's great for getting rid of fly-away hairs and for fluffing up.



4. Slickers - only to be used when the cat is 90% dry and the coat needs some straightening. Also good for calming down coats!

And that's all!
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post #2 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:25am
What do you think about using a chamois leather on ultra-shorthairs?

I don't show my Orientals, but I do like to keep them looking at their best, Sonic especially as he has a wonderful and extremely short shiny coat and he always gets compliments from visitors which I enjoy as much as he does.

I find that Sonic's coat is too short to use a comb on and even finishing with a the softest of brushes leaves lines in his coat and doesn't give a good finish. A comb and then soft brush is OK on Jacob as he has a slightly longer denser coat, still shorter than the average shorthair, but that bit of extra length over Sonic's makes all the difference when using a comb.

My day to day (fairly casual I admit, they don't need it but do enjoy it) grooming routine for the Orientals involves using a zoom groom to remove loose hairs, if it's a real pampering session then a comb on Jacob, then a chamois to smoothe the coat back down evenly without parts and to evenly oil the coat.
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post #3 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:27am
A picture is worth a thousand words!
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post #4 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:35am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
What do you think about using a chamois leather on ultra-shorthairs?

I don't show my Orientals, but I do like to keep them looking at their best, Sonic especially as he has a wonderful and extremely short shiny coat and he always gets compliments from visitors which I enjoy as much as he does.

I find that Sonic's coat is too short to use a comb on and even finishing with a the softest of brushes leaves lines in his coat and doesn't give a good finish. A comb and then soft brush is OK on Jacob as he has a slightly longer denser coat, still shorter than the average shorthair, but that bit of extra length over Sonic's makes all the difference when using a comb.

My day to day (fairly casual I admit, they don't need it but do enjoy it) grooming routine for the Orientals involves using a zoom groom to remove loose hairs, if it's a real pampering session then a comb on Jacob, then a chamois to smoothe the coat back down evenly without parts and to evenly oil the coat.
I've tried chammies but after using the goat's hair brush I find nothing works better than that - seriously. I even bought the real suede chamois but alas, the goat's hair brush has it all beat
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post #5 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abymummy View Post
I've tried chammies but after using the goat's hair brush I find nothing works better than that - seriously. I even bought the real suede chamois but alas, the goat's hair brush has it all beat
Interesting - I am not a serious enough groomer to go out and buy a goats hair brush to try it out but I will bear it in mind for if I have a show cat in the future!

Mind you when it comes to shorthairs we are a little less fanatical about pre-show grooming in the UK, suggest bathing an OSH to prepare for a show and it's met with either horror or hysterical laughter Pre-show grooming usually consists of clean the eyes, ears, and bum, a quick wipe down and you're ready to go.
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post #6 of 20
9/11/08 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
Well aware of that - same goes for Australia too...in fact Whata's breeder bathes the cats before only a VERY important show

Having said all that, it's been and still is a very interesting learning how to groom journey...it took me 1.5 years to "perfect" grooming an Abyssinian. I got my first ever "perfectly groomed" comment from a judge only this last May!

It all depends on the breed standards - for Abys in CFA the coat is resilient which means the fur MUST snap back if rubbed the wrong way. If it doesn't the coat is probably either dirty or over oily!
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post #7 of 20
9/11/08 at 8:16am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abymummy View Post
It all depends on the breed standards - for Abys in CFA the coat is resilient which means the fur MUST snap back if rubbed the wrong way. If it doesn't the coat is probably either dirty or over oily!
I do think Orientals are probably the easiest cat to groom for a show. The GCCF insists on flat-lying and glossy coat with no flakes of skin which does not require the most arduous grooming routine ever! Making sure loose hair is removed and that the coat is flattened back into place with good distribution of oil is the main thing.

Having said that, an entire HALF of the points (50 points) are awarded for colour and coat, but the vast majority of that is going to be looking at even colour, clear markings, and the length and texture of the coat which is down to genetics, the only thing you could do wrong with grooming would be to strip out oil, thin the coat too much, or leave the coat sticking up or with partings where the skin shows through so I think overgrooming or overbathing is probably the biggest danger to the appearance of the coat.

ETA: Oh of course having a white hair on a non bicolour is a fault, so if you have an otherwise fantastic cat with one white hair your grooming routine could involve a pair of tweezers (and possibly a pack of band aids for yourself) Ouch!
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post #8 of 20
9/11/08 at 8:37am
The bristle brushes look interesting. My Tomas have a slicker, more normal short hair coat and while a Zoom Groom works, it leave lines and doesn't smooth the fur down - it's just getting fur out, nothing else.

Sho's fur is a troublesome for me. For a short hair cat, he sure has a lot of it. His coat is thick - his father was a DLH, and grandmother cat was the fluffiest DSH I've ever seen.
I feel that the Zoom Groom pulls too much fur out of his coat, not just old fur. I don't want to over groom him, but I'd like less dead fur left for him to shed and ingest.
His fur isn't any longer, but would some of the long hair type combs and brushes perhaps work better?
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post #9 of 20
9/11/08 at 8:43am
Thread Starter 
For short hair cats with thick coats (like Brits) I recommend a comb, a pin brush and the bristle brush. Granted the comb and pin brush will leave lines - but that's what the bristle brush is there for...to brush out the lines! The comb and pin brush (a good brand mind you) will collect all the dead hair without pulling out other hairs.
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post #10 of 20
9/11/08 at 8:51am
Thank you for your reply. I'll soon be adding a long hair to my bunch, so I'll have to do a bit of comb and brush buying. I figure it's a good time to get a better handle on Sho's coat as well.

I would ask about brands, but it would probably be different ones for me since I'm in the US.
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post #11 of 20
9/11/08 at 8:57am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by strange_wings View Post
Thank you for your reply. I'll soon be adding a long hair to my bunch, so I'll have to do a bit of comb and brush buying. I figure it's a good time to get a better handle on Sho's coat as well.

I would ask about brands, but it would probably be different ones for me since I'm in the US.
Wrong! All my combs and brushes are made by US companies! Except for the comb and the bristle brush but you can buy a good bristle brush from a US company! My bristle brush just happens to be British! pm me and I'll give you the website links!
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post #12 of 20
9/11/08 at 9:07am
This is a fascinating thread, for someone with 3 shorthairs I have come to take a great interest in grooming, although I would not like to have to groom daily.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Abymummy View Post
For short hair cats with thick coats (like Brits) I recommend a comb, a pin brush and the bristle brush. Granted the comb and pin brush will leave lines - but that's what the bristle brush is there for...to brush out the lines! The comb and pin brush (a good brand mind you) will collect all the dead hair without pulling out other hairs.
Radar is my grooming "problem child" he absolutely detests it, he is not a very tactile cat and it just involves far more touching than he is happy with! His coat is very thick and like a BSH forms breaks and ripples when he moves, but it's mostly very fine slightly crinkly undercoat as he only has sparse guard hairs (probably due to him being half Cornish Rex) and he detests the zoom groom. I have tried all sorts including combs and bristle shoe-brushes of different grades but not with much success! His hair gets everywhere, fortunately he is not plagued with hairball problems, but he does cough them up more frequently than the others. It doesn't help that he grooms Sonic so much either, he's not just swallowing his own fur!
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post #13 of 20
9/11/08 at 9:13am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
This is a fascinating thread, for someone with 3 shorthairs I have come to take a great interest in grooming, although I would not like to have to groom daily.
I breed Abyssinians! My home is 95% shorthair! I don't groom my Abys or other SH cats daily - but I will admit that my cats are trained from birth to love being combed or brushed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
Radar is my grooming "problem child" he absolutely detests it, he is not a very tactile cat and it just involves far more touching than he is happy with! His coat is very thick and like a BSH forms breaks and ripples when he moves, but it's mostly very fine slightly crinkly undercoat as he only has sparse guard hairs (probably due to him being half Cornish Rex) and he detests the zoom groom. I have tried all sorts including bristle shoe-brushes of different grades but not with much success!
The problem is, I'm not there to feel his coat! A lot of the time, it may be the texture of the hair that disallows the use of brushes or combs and yes, I believe a lot of that may come from the Rex side of it. Is he ok with a Chamois?
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post #14 of 20
9/11/08 at 9:13am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
It doesn't help that he grooms Sonic so much either, he's not just swallowing his own fur!
I have that problem with Tomas, it's not so much of his fur that he coughs up.
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post #15 of 20
9/11/08 at 9:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Abymummy View Post
The problem is, I'm not there to feel his coat! A lot of the time, it may be the texture of the hair that disallows the use of brushes or combs and yes, I believe a lot of that may come from the Rex side of it. Is he ok with a Chamois?
I have often wished it were possible to post a 'texture' over the internet, because describing his coat does not do it justice, it feels closer to baby rabbit fur than shorthaired cat fur if that makes sense!

He actually doesn't mind being made wet so my usual routine with him once every so often is a from the neck down sponge bath which helps keep his white from looking grubby and deals with the assorted stains he manages to accumulate on his adventures (tomato juice is not a good look) followed by wiping down with a soft hand towel, I find that slightly rough texture of towelling does a fair job of picking up loose hairs. Because his natural state is fluffy rather than sleek, I don't usually use a chamois as well, when he is fully dry his coat springs nicely back to it's usual state, but I will give it a go next time if he isn't getting fractious by that point!
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post #16 of 20
9/11/08 at 9:54am
For the majority of my shorthairs (Oci/Rex) I only use the flea comb. I do use a little mink oil on Charlie's coat for extra shine just before going in the ring.
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post #17 of 20
9/12/08 at 12:43pm
I loved reading this thread. You ladies that groom your show cats sure have your work cut out for you.

Bijou gets a few strokes with my own hairbrush when I'm grooming and vacuumed every Saturday when I haul out the central vac. I don't think I've ever seen a hairball in the almost 5 years we've had him.
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post #18 of 20
9/12/08 at 2:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
suggest bathing an OSH to prepare for a show and it's met with either horror or hysterical laughter Pre-show grooming usually consists of clean the eyes, ears, and bum, a quick wipe down and you're ready to go.
I used to bathe mine and they all thought I was crazy. I don't bother anymore, they rarely even get a brush or wipe down and I always get comments on how nice their coats are.

Some have to wash the back ends of their studs, but not usually a whole bath.

I'm a bad show mum, I even let mine in the backyard the day before shows and depending on time the morning of too so they can run off their energy.
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post #19 of 20
9/12/08 at 4:27pm
The last show I went to I bought the *Greyhound* comb. I was constantly told to get one and I finally did. It is a wide tooth metal comb made in Belgium out of some special metal so I was told. I only used it once at that show because I have not been to a show since. It is suppose to do wonders on longhaired cats. That comb cost me $25! I was told to never ever leave it out or someone will steal it lol.

I also have another wide tooth metal comb and a very small metal wide tooth comb that I used on Kingston when he was a kitten with no hair.

I use a baby brush on the Somalis tails so I do not pull out any hair. This was passed on to me from another Somali breeder who was told by an Aby breeder.
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post #20 of 20
9/12/08 at 7:40pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Epona View Post
ETA: Oh of course having a white hair on a non bicolour is a fault, so if you have an otherwise fantastic cat with one white hair your grooming routine could involve a pair of tweezers (and possibly a pack of band aids for yourself) Ouch!
Sometimes even on a bicolor you have to tweeze! Maxx gets about a dozen wiry, white hairs in the middle of his back where it is pure black (he's a black and white Persian) and I have to pluck those bad boys out! Luckily, he's really good about it and just sits there. He's such a good boy! Perfect cat for someone who is just getting into showing!
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