How do you shave long-haired cats?

I posted this under Care & Grooming but haven't gotten any responses, so I thought I'd try it here.

The shelter where I volunteer has two long-haired white cats who are badly in need of grooming. The shelter director wanted to have them shaved for the summer, but both of the local vets have said they would do it only if the cats are sedated. The cost to the shelter is prohibitive---and that's not even taking into consideration the risk of anesthesia for 7-year-old cats. I really don't understand why they won't consider doing it without sedation. These are two of the calmest cats I've ever met. Milo let me cut a huge mat out of his fur yesterday and never even twitched when the kittens pounced on his tail in the middle of the process.

I'm thinking about doing the shave myself, but I'm not sure how I should go about it. Does anyone here shave their own cats? What do you use? I thought maybe a beard-trimming kit would work. That way I could set it to leave maybe 1/2" of fur and decrease the risk of cutting them. There is a separate room where I can take them to keep the kittens out of their hair (literally ).

Any suggestions?

Jax


Milo

I have no experience shaving cats - but my cousin is a pet groomer and has said that you really need to have a professional do it - cats skins are very delicate, and if you don't do it right, you can seriously injure a cat. Is there any professional groomers in the area that you can ask to do it? They might be willing to give you a discount, or free, and if you ask maybe for a demonstration on how to shave a cat properly?

Originally Posted by TheDivineOomba

I have no experience shaving cats - but my cousin is a pet groomer and has said that you really need to have a professional do it - cats skins are very delicate, and if you don't do it right, you can seriously injure a cat. Is there any professional groomers in the area that you can ask to do it? They might be willing to give you a discount, or free, and if you ask maybe for a demonstration on how to shave a cat properly?

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My own vet nicked my kitty's belly when he shaved her for an ultrasound. It required a stitch!

I've had several responses to the thread I started in the Care & Grooming forum. Could a mod please combine these two threads? Thanks.