Shave your cat?

Hello all!

Do any of you with medium/long hair cats get them shaved in the summer?

Our rental house doesn't have air conditioning and I just see poor Whitey sprawled on the floor...he's a medium hair. I'm thinking about getting him shaved to help him during the summer.

Maybe bleach him too? He's all black Just Kidding! I'll just go with the highlights

My dear friend has her cat shaved each spring - Mojo was just shaved last week and lost about a half pound of fur in the process. He is a white turkish van with a double coat that is both long and thick.

I will tell you that he HATES the procedure and he comes home growling at anything that crosses his path. But once over the initial shock, he feels so much better. They don't have air conditioning in their house and it really does help him.

They also have a cat that is a long haired black but do not shave him - he doesn't have the double coat and can handle the heat much better.

Hi!
I can honestly say as a vet tech of 6 yrs as well as the hospitals current cat groomer that there is nothing more your cat would love than a summer short do! My aunt's cat is not only very obese but also a black short hair kitty. He does tend to matt up some but that is only cause he is so "fluffy" as we prefer to call it! After giving him a lion cut for the summers he is a different man-usually he is kinda angry at life and standoffish, but after grooming he is playful and affectionate. So to this I say YES! just make sure that wherever you go that they are very experienced with cat grooming-I have seen way to many kitties come in to the hospital with cuts because the groomer is not used to kitties and their short attention span. And as all makeover shows do-we want to see before and after pictures please!

Now which is it because Cearbhaill and Semiferal in the other Shaving thread said that shaving does nothing because they do not cool off the same way we do and shaving makes no difference. I am confused?

Yikes! I didn't even think about looking in the Care & Grooming first.

Well in anycase i mentioned it to B and he said that we would "Talk" about.
I just felt bad for all the cats because we don't have air and they've just been passed out all day (its like 85 in here without the fans on)

My grandparents have a...surly...longhaired cat. I'm not sure what breed, though. They don't get Kitty Budy shaved, but rather take him to a groomer to get his hair clipped. They cut it shorter than it usually is, but leave him with some fur. Kitty Buddy loves it, too! He eats up the attention at the groomer & struts around the house when he gets home like he owns the place(he does). I don't know if it helps him keep cool or not. They say it does.

My poor NFC girl looks terrible in hot weather.
I spot shave her mats out (in her armpits the one place no comb or brush is allowed to go), and I keep her belly shaved in the summer.

No loss of dignity and the loss of her belly fur she enjoys.
One of the first things she does is lay like a long sausage on her belly on the tile floor.

Originally Posted by Momofmany

My dear friend has her cat shaved each spring - Mojo was just shaved last week and lost about a half pound of fur in the process. He is a white turkish van with a double coat that is both long and thick....

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What is a "double coat?" We are not familiar with the expression. We assume this is something other than an "undercoat?" The Turkish Van is noted for not having an undercoat, as you can see here and here. Would we be correct in our assumption that Mojo is not completely white but has patches of contrasting color here and there?

We could not imagine shaving our lovely Vans of their beautiful cashmere-like coats, but to each their own.

I would never think of shaving a single coated cat.
Most all cats are double coated (yes, the undercoat), some breeds are not.
Those with single coats that come to mind are Siamese, Tonkinese, Birmans.

We have to shave Rachel..she develops enough coat over the winter to look like a sheep - and it mats no matter what (she loves to scoot and coocheycoo in the top part of the largest cat tree and just rolls up these huge mats).

She is so much happier with the lion cut we give her (we bought good clippers and do it ourselves).

I shave my persian but not because he is hot but because of his matts. My persian hates being groomed but when he gets home he runs around happy and acts like a new cat. I have not had him shaved in the last year tho because he has heart failure now and is very sick and his hair doesnt seem to matt as bad ive been able to keep up with him.

Cats and dogs have coats for a reason. Its not recommend to shave in the summer to "cool them off". The hair actually insulates from some of the heat. Cats and dogs sweat thru their paws - not from the coat.

I would use a few fans if you have no air conditioning, but I would not shave a cat thinking it would help. Only time to shave a cat is if its very badly matted.

Would a groomer be able to shave just the armpit, stomach and "rear" areas?

We have a long hair cat and he's good with his top coat, but gets mats all underneath.

Does anyone have tips for doing it yourself? I have been able to shave out some of his mats, but not all of them before he gets stressed out and angry. He usually ends up pulling the rest out himself the next day, so it would be nice if I could get him short enough so he doesn't even mat up at all.

~Julia

If you want to do it yourself, my first bit of advice is to invest in professional quality electric shears with a ceramic blade.

Mine ran about $119 and they weren't the best quality available.

Spaz won't sit through it either, so I shave while she tolerates it, and then let her have a break (and the shears cool) then go back and do a little bit more.
It takes about two days for me to do her summer cut.

Yes, a cat groomer will shave them any way you like, just be explicit.

I have Simon shaved at the groomers every 8 months or so. He is a Persian and HATES to be brushed. I tried shaving him myself but it was a disaster.

I think Simon absolutely loves it. When his coat is so long he doesn't like to cuddle or be picked up and loved on but as soon as he gets home after his cut he is the biggest cuddle bunny for months.

jlutgendorf said:

Would a groomer be able to shave just the armpit, stomach and "rear" areas?

~Julia

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I get my medium length haired cat's butt shave regularly. Otherwise she always has poop stuck to her fur. I prefer taking her to a groomer, because she has to have one person holding her and one person doing the shaving.

KaleidoscopeK8e said:

I get my medium length haired cat's butt shave regularly. Otherwise she always has poop stuck to her fur. I prefer taking her to a groomer, because she has to have one person holding her and one person doing the shaving.

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Just so you know, this is a very old thread (from 2006) and the original posters may not be around any more.