caring for a long haired kitten

I hope I am posting in the right spot. We, up until last year, had two male short haired cats. When we moved they stayed with my uncle and were somehow able to escape and we are still looking for them but haven't heard a word.

just 2 weeks ago while strolling on craigslist I saw an ad for free kittens so I called and went to pick one up with my 4 year old. She is supposedly a ragdoll x maine coon cross and has long fur. Now she was not in the greatest of health when we got her(flea ridden, under weight and filthy) but not she's healthy and clean.

she was on purina kitten when we got her but I am in the process of transferring her to taste of the wild dry food. Also i've been giving her 1/2 can of nutrisource canned kitten food a day too (some in the morning and some at night). she is using the litterbox like a big girl and her poop looks good.

my question is is there special care a long haired cat requires, or a special diet? We brush her everyday (or try to anyways she's very squirmy).

Congrats on your new addition! A comb works better on long haired cats and it would be good to get her used to one now. If you plan on bathing your cat this is the time to get her used to that as well. It really does help keep down the shedding and the matts. But it's your choice and certainly not necessary. If she really is rag and maine coon you may have a fairly easy time with her coat.

Combs work much better... Also the Furminator is a wonderful tool to minimize shedding and prevent hairballs. I have 2 Ragdolls and one cat that I was told to be be a Maine Coon mix, but that is probably just a DLH - their coats do not matt, and are very easy to take care of... The brushing/combing I do is more to prevent hairballs than anything else.
Congrats on the new addition!

I also have a long hair cat and hair doesn't really matt. She loves to have her hair brushed and combed! It is hard to get ready in the morning because she jumps on the vanity and head butts you until you brush her hair. The only think I watch out for his poo in the tail if her tummy is a little upset.

Originally Posted by lonelykitten

We, up until last year, had two male short haired cats. When we moved they stayed with my uncle and were somehow able to escape and we are still looking for them but haven't heard a word.

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Were you not able to take them with you? Poor cats, I wonder where they are now.

There are plenty of long hair cat breeders/owners in her to give you tips. I refuse to own any kind of long hair cat - I'll stick to my wash n wear short hair cats

But showing cats, I know how to groom a long hair.

First mistake most make is to brush a long hair. It won't do a thing to prevent mats and tangles. You need to groom with a fine and medium toothed comb only (some use the pin brushes, but I don't think they work well at all).

Since its a kitten YOU are in charge of grooming - not the kitten. You must teach the kitten now to stand and accept combing. Generally long hairs will need to be combed at least once a day, but some with silky fur can be combed a few times a week. This is 365 days a year job if you don't want your kitten/cat to have mats in the coat.

Start by setting up a small table (coffee table) and comb the neck and ruff first and then work on the rest of the body. Tail and belly/legs are the hardest to get the cat to stay still, but if you do it as a routine, then eventually the kitten will accept the combing.

It's unfortunate your two cats are missing. I think if I'm going to leave my cats with someone, that person would have to be responsible. For two cats to disappear tells me that no one was looking after them the way they should have.

I have a very friendly deaf stray cat living in my neighborhood for quite awhile. Took him to the vet recently and she estimated his age to be around 10-12 years. He was also neutered as a kitten. It led me to believe that he once had a loving family but he was dumped. Now he lives on the street.

I have two DLH gray (or blue) cats (look like Nebelungs). One hardly lets me brush her. She had a lot of problems with mats at the shelter where she lived for over 3 years. They even had to shave her every few months (not too close and not her head, legs, and tail tip - very lion like). They had to put her under to do this as she is very high strung and doesn't like to be touched. I've had her for almost a year and her coat is quite nice now. No mats.

My other one is a male with very thick luxurious fur. His tail is a fantastic plume. When he was at the same shelter (2 years) he would also get mats and have to be shaved the same way. When his coat grew out, he had some mats and he would be very patient as I worked on getting them out (I volunteer at the shelter). I've had him 2.5 months and he's had no new mats since I brought him home. I brush him some, but not every day. He loves to be brushed. Actually, I brush about 20 cats a week at the shelter, and they all like it. I'm respectful though, and not too rigorous.

I use a kitten brush they sell at Petsmart. They come in pink, blue, or purple. They seem to work best of the many brushes I've used at the shelter. I don't have much need for a comb or anything else. And I don't really know if I need to brush these cats of mine. I brush the male because he likes it. I brush the female because I am slowly desensitizing her to being touched.

Terrible about the loss of your cats. I'd be devastated. I hope you get a microchip for your new one. You can have it done when you have spayed and she's out. It's one thing you can do to help you find a lost cat, and it costs so little.

Robin

Forget the brushes - they won't do a darn thing for a long hair kitten/cat. You will need to get a fine toothed and medium toothed comb and start training your kitten to sit or stand and accept combing every day. The earlier you start, the easier it will be later.

Depending on how quickly your kitten/cats tangles or mats, you will need to do this at least 2-3 times a week.

I don't understand how it can be said that brushes "don't do a thing" for long haired cats, when a person (me) just posted that I use a brush on my long haired cats (as well as lots of them at the shelter) and they work great. All brushes are not equal, and maybe a comb would work, too. But the brush I use works and the cats love how it feels to be brushed.

I mean, I'm not lying about the brush working.


Robin

Unless the brush is a "pin" brushe with long teeth, the only thing it does is go over the surface of the coat - it does nothing to get to the base of the coat and tangles will form.

I show cats - you never will see a longhair cat owner or breeder EVER use anything other then a comb on their long hair cats (or the pin brush).

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I show cats - you never will see a longhair cat owner or breeder EVER use anything other then a comb on their long hair cats (or the pin brush).

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Same here. I also used a comb on the long hairs I owned in the past, a brush would not have worked there either.

I would definitely make sure to groom the kitten often so she learns to accept grooming. She may or may not need to be groomed often to keep from matting depending on her coat, but it is always better to get them used to the process early anyway. I have a Maine Coon and she never mats, the only thing she ever gets are little tangles beneath her ears so I don't need to groom her often. I do use a very high quality food though and I think that helps the skin/coat.

I guess it is a "pin" brush that I am using, though I never heard that term before. It has a small surface, as it is a kitten brush. I take tons of hair off cats at the shelter each week, including the long-hair ones.

We have a "master groomer" who volunteers too to tackle some of the long-hair cats. She hasn't been available lately, so I've taken over the job. She showed me all her tools, and trained me a bit. She uses a comb to get out mats. I use my fingers. The brush I use to prevent mats. If I brush them once a week, no mats seem to form. However, some won't let me brush them in certain places, like the back of their legs or their belly. They end up getting mats and they have to be cut out. The long-hair cats that don't allow any brushing usually have to be shaved at some point. They are sedated for this.

I use this wire (pin?) brush on the short-haired cats, too. I get so much hair off some of them. They all like it.

Robin

thank you for all the responses! She has a brush and comb we comb her and then do a quick brush(because she likes the brush.that's her reward for letting me comb her). she doesn't much like the whole combing but tolerates it.

whatci noticed though is her fur doesn't seemed to be long anymore? she has a mane around her neck almost that's kinda full but she looks like a medium coated cat now. will her fur come in different as she gets older.

as for our other babies. When we moved from our townhome we had to wait for the house to open up so we stayed with my in-laws. My mother-in-law threw a fit because on the second night our one cat started crying because he could not find his buddy(our other cat). So my mother-in-law threw them in the garage. My uncle agreed to take them but he has 4 cats so our boys had to stay in his breeze way, which it's warm so fine with us. Well he had a cast party for the students from the play he directed (he teaches college drama courses) and someone went out that door and left it open and they apparenty slipped out. My uncle was so tore up about it it really wasn't his fault it was an accident we miss them and still hope to find them but we don't blame him he took great care of them.

My cat is a long haired too, but in random spots, like her neck, ears and between her toes. Its not a fun job picking out what gets clumped in her fur during the course of the day did you find you have this problem too? Or just with brushing?

Originally Posted by quietlydestroyd

My cat is a long haired too, but in random spots, like her neck, ears and between her toes. Its not a fun job picking out what gets clumped in her fur during the course of the day

did you find you have this problem too? Or just with brushing?

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yuck! yes we have problems if she sometimes steps in the wrong spot in her litter box ! Sometimes she gets some food stuck on her chest .