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Belly Shave?

post #1 of 11
5/10/09 at 3:51pm
Thread Starter 
Hey all!

One of our two cats, Marlon, has a wonderful long coat. His belly is covered with the softest, finest, most incredibly dense fur I've ever seen on a cat. It tangles fairly frequently under his armpits. He hates being brushed (we got him when he was almost a year, and he'd obviously not been acclimated), but we bribe him with treats and try and have a go at him anyway. We have a Furminator, which is great, but still doesn't seem to make a dent now that it's warming up. I think he's blowing his coat.

We've been thinking of shaving his belly. The rest of his fur is less dense and doesn't tangle, so I don't think there's any reason for a full lion cut. Does this make sense? I think he'd be more comfortable, and we would definitely appreciate the lack of airborne fluff.

Is this the sort of thing we could do ourselves with pet clippers, or should we really get it done professionally? We'd rather do it ourselves, since the only thing Marlon hates more than being groomed by us is being groomed by other people (you should see what he did to the poor vet tech's arms!). I'd hate for him to be sedated just for the sake of a hair cut, but on the other hand, we don't want to do something potentially dangerous for him.
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post #2 of 11
5/10/09 at 5:00pm
I've heard of people doing underside shaves on cats. I think it's fairly common. If he'll let you do it that's probably best, but I think most cats would have to be sedated for that kind of thing.
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post #3 of 11
5/10/09 at 6:22pm
They gave Disa a belly shave at the shelter... it's sooooo soft! *cuddly cuddly*
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post #4 of 11
5/10/09 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
Good to know it's fairly common.

I really hate the idea of sedating an animal just for grooming. I could see it being necessary for bad tangles and that sort of thing, but otherwise it just seems like overkill, unless the cat really can't be restrained.
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post #5 of 11
5/10/09 at 7:22pm
I gave Titus a full Lion cut and I did it in phases. That way it wasn't too traumatic.
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post #6 of 11
5/11/09 at 6:20pm
Thread Starter 
That's a good idea. Thanks! I think we're going to buy a trimmer and give it a try.
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post #7 of 11
5/11/09 at 11:57pm
If you have Big Lots in your area see if they still have any shavers left...they had a Wahl (I think that was the name) refurbished for $15 about a week ago.
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post #8 of 11
3/9/11 at 10:33am
2 things to add.

1) NO SEDATION. Its cruel and can cause serious health problems
2) Go to a groomer OR use only professional clippers. Cheap clippers pull on the hair (think about shaving your areas with a dull cheap clipper, not a pleasant idea).
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post #9 of 11
3/14/11 at 7:32am
My Kitten dusty long hair - 10 mths. sounds like the same type hair and texture with the same problem under the arm pits.
I have a human comb one those long ones with wider teeth one one
end and smaller on the other end. Every couple days I lay him on his back
with my legs together face up to me,
and use the wide end to go through that area and then turn over comb
it get the smaller end through once and all done. If you do it often and
they are dont feel it like a chore. I think it helps. The problem is when
you hold them and refrain them for more then a a minute some cats
just dont like it. Do one arm at a time if that is all your cat can stand
in one sitting. I do take scissors and trim around his bum area, not really a good job but try to cut down the length of hair.
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post #10 of 11
3/14/11 at 8:02pm
Cat bellies = magically softest thing on Earth.

But I know for me it took a lot of treats, affection, and trust building for Buttercup to let me rub her belly much, and now she flops over and requests it w/ feet sticking up. If I tried to shave that belly, yeah, I think she'd hate me.

So my advice is to have someone else do it, so kitty doesn't associate YOU with the evil belly shaving. Better they hate some random groomer!
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post #11 of 11
3/15/11 at 10:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spongesmom View Post
2 things to add.

1) NO SEDATION. Its cruel and can cause serious health problems
2) Go to a groomer OR use only professional clippers. Cheap clippers pull on the hair (think about shaving your areas with a dull cheap clipper, not a pleasant idea).
I have to address your #1 comment. I have a former feral, Ferris, who needs to get a shave every couple of years as he refuses to allow me to comb his belly and he has very long fur.

He panics when he is put in a carrier and pees all over himself. THE only way he can be safely shaved when necessary is to be put under general anesthesia. This is done at the vets office, and truly, it is much LESS cruel to put him under than to submit him (or the vet) to the trauma of trying to do it while he is awake and clawing in sheer terror. Or worse, to NOT shave him and instead let him run around with painful mats under/between his legs. THAT would be cruel for certain.

Not every cat is the same, and some cats require sedation. In no way should this be considered cruel. Unnecessary in some cases, sure, I can agree to that, but cruel? HARDLY.

My Ginger gets her belly shaved at the groomers when she needs it (she occasionally mats up between her back legs.) She is docile, and looks around meekly while being held up in a "standing" position. It takes 5 minutes and she runs around like a happy little kitten for days afterward.

So again, each cat should be considered individually, and what is ultimately done for each should be in that particular cat's best interest.
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