Is it cruel?

Is it cruel to shave your cat? I got my maddox a lion cut, b/c he sheds HORRIBLY! He is a long-haired white cat, and his hair shows up everywhere. Since I had him groomed, he is waaayyy more lovable and he has actually transformed into a lap kitty. I guess it feels better to him when I pet him now. But, people keep looking at me like I'm crazy when they see that I had his coat cut down. I think it's absolutely adorable and he doesn't hate me for it. Is it usually considered cruel to shave your cat?

When my long-haired girl got to be about 17, she could not longer groom herself and she would not allow anyone to comb her--the vet had to anesthetize her to handle her. So she got matted and before she died, she was shaved about four times. She didn't look very good, but she was at least comfortable and clean. I don't know whether I would do it because of shedding, but if the cat doesn't seem to mind, why not? For my baby, it would have been much more "cruel" to leave her matted.

I would only lion cut a longhair if it was extremely hot for awhile or due to horrible matting.

You should be on a grooming routine with every day or every other day combing your longhair cat. That will help with the shedding.

My mother recently started to lion cut her long haired cat. We live in south Florida and it is humid and hot ALL YEAR long. The poor cat was miserable, not to mention she would always have poop/pee on her rear end because the hair got in the way. It was completely unhealthy for her to be walking around with that. Now she loves when she goes to get the cut and looks happier I think under certain circumstances shaving the cat can sometimes be beneficial for them

Maddox was never fond of getting groomed. He would allow me to do a little bit at a time, but not enough to help with the shedding. Then, he eats the clumps of hair that he finds on my bed or on the floor. I'm not too fond of that. I couldn't deal with the hair floating around in the air and being found in areas like my kitchen or car that he is never really in. He really does seem to enjoy his cut, but people have me feeling like it was inhumane of me to have his coat cut down. Someone even compared it to getting him declawed! Sure, I did it for convenience, but if it seemed to have bothered him, I would not do it again. He's my first cat, so I don't want to make any mistakes. Gosh, they really have me feeling horrible :-(

I don't think it's cruel at all,
sure you did it for conveniance but if the cat isn't suffering from it then I don't see how it could be cruel.
it's not like you're cutting a part of the cat that actually hurts it.
those that make you feel horrible should stop and think about if they consider it "cruel" to cut a childs hair...

Don't worry about what others think. If it doesn't hurt him, if it works for you, then just enjoy

It isn't even close to being the same as declawing! How awful for someone to suggest that! His hair will grow back - claws never do.

The fact that you are worried enough to ask shows you are a good feline friend

no it is not cruel to shave a cat it can help the cat

No, it's not cruel. Especially if he was not inclined to let you groom him. Just make sure the house is warm enough and he has some good snuggly places to sleep and you'll both be happier

a cat that lives in a very hot place, is very matted, or cannot clean themselves is better off shaved. if your cat is nicer now, take that as a sign you did the right thing. take care to provide warmth of course.

Wow, comparing shaving to declawing is pretty brave, and pretty clueless...these people don't have a working knowledge of how a cat is groomed, compared to it getting something actually removed to never come back; fur grows back, the cats never get their claws back...vast difference.

A vast majority of cats that I groom on a weekly basis get shaved off, or the lion cut. The cats don't seem to mind, and when they come in matty all the time, it really is better for them, than having all the excess hair; many cats though, do hate being groomed, so I can imagine what they might be like at home to be brushed. Yes, most people 'could' learn to groom their pets, but cats and alot of dogs are quite objectionable for the inexperienced 'groomer', so sometimes it is better to leave the grooming to people who know how to handle bad pets.

If you do shave your cat, maybe it will be a good time (as the fur grows back) to condition them into a grooming routine so the cat won't fight the combing in the future.

But to continue to shave them down...I don't think that is wise.