Shaving Your Cat

vampirecat

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Jake has a knotty problem at the moment


Usually i can sort it out myself and remove them, but this summer he is just covered in little 'clumps' down his sides and around his trousers. He also has one around his..ummm...well....'bits' which i am definately not going to try and remove myself
Poor lad, he doesn't seem bothered by it.

His fur seems to get quite oily near the skin and the fur forms a lump which he cant deal with and neither can i as it is too close to his skin and i am afraid of cutting him


So Wednesday he is booked in at the vets for a shave. I have never had to do this too him before and feel bad about it


I was wondering tho', this visit is going to be expensive, £40 - £60 depending on whether Jake needs a sedative or not
does anyone have their own shaver ? Is it worth buying one (assuming he would let me use it
), are they easy and safe to use for someone who has no experience ?
 

kittylova

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I dont. but do get him shaved. it is not really good to have nots in his fur.
is he a long hair cat. And can we see a picture of him??
 

zissou'smom

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The best thing to do for a cat with long hair is to brush him every day so that you avoid this problem altogether. When you find mats or whatnot, you can cut them out with safety scissors, since he's being groomed daily and so you find them before they become a huge problem.

I know alot of people shave longhairs, he may act a little weird since he's basically naked and not used to it, or he may act really happy about it because those mats are no doubt very painful for him.

Good luck!

Oh, and if you do decide to do it yourself, you absolutely must get a beard trimmer with a guard on it so that you can't cut him. You can't shave him with a razor or a regular electric trimmer, their skin is more delicate than ours. Many groomers and vets can tell horror stories about people who have tried to do it themselves and injured their kitty.
 

catlady810

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I have shaved my own cat before. I used one of those shavers for human heads, their to me, the same as the animal ones. I had to shave stormy due to flea out break. I have no experience, but she ended up looking like a lion. But they are pretty easy to use. OH YEAH!! Use the spacer to cutting. I learned that the hard way.

 

tru

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I bought a regular pet shaver to use when my Magic, (Maine Coon), gets into the burrs too bad for me to pick and comb out.
He was much more cooperative for shaving than he is for trying to comb and brush those burrs out.

I've found that if you keep the grroming sessions short and most of them pleasant, (like no removing matts and burrs(, then they will learn to not only become more tolerant, but may even come to enjoy their grooming.
 

jen

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Pet Smart sells very small battery operated clippers for the cat or a small dog. I have one that I used on my cat and it cost about $10. It works really well.
 
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vampirecat

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Thanks for all the replies. Here's a photo of Jake.

He has never tolerated being groomed, but during the last 12 years we have managed to keep him clear of knots. However this summer it has got a bit too much.

We have a people shaver, i do hubbys hair all the tim. But i think it may bit a bit too big for Jakey lad. But thanks for the idea.

I will check out the groomer from Petsmart Jen, thanks for that
It sounds just the job
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by VampireCat



Thanks for all the replies. Here's a photo of Jake.
He's a beautiful kitty


Chynna is 14 1/2 and has short hair (Hair about 1 inch long). I was quite ill for the most part of 2 years and it was quite hard for me to look after my 2 babies, so they didn't get brushed very often during that time. Chynna's has always had silky soft hair but during that time the hair on her back and her back thighs started to acquire knots, plus the hair on her back was greasy-like.

I managed to get the knots out myself but it took some work. The knots were right down to the skin so I couldn't brush them out. I cut the knotted area about 1/2 way down and then used the brush to work the knot out from the tip downward, while holding it tight at the base so it didn't pull. I kept brushing her daily and eventually the knot grew out more so that I could finally cut it off completely. And some I didn't even have to cut off because I managed to work them out with the brush.

But it being summer, I don't think your kitty would mind being shaved. I'm sure he would feel much cooler.
 
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vampirecat

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Hubby 'phoned our Pets at Home store and they will be getting a new delivery of grooming kits today. We will go and buy one first thing tomorrow morning and i have cancelled the vet appointment.

I was a bit worried about the mention of a sedative if we can do it ourselves without one then i will give it a go. Its always a risk giving sedatives no matter how safe they are.

I know its important to get rid of these knots and at least if i spend the money on getting the right equipment we will always have it for the future


I will have to make sure he doesn't lie out in the sun too much after his trim, last thing we want is sun burn
And as you say, if he likes being 'fur-less' perhaps he wont mind so much next time
 

arlyn

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My 12 year old NFC doesn't tolerate grooming at all either.
She also gets knots, but I do shave her, I have set of proffesional grooming shears that I use on her.

She tolerates it rather well, though it's obvious she isn't thrilled.

My advice is to go slowly, let him tell you when he's done.
Go back and get some more done later.
 

goldenkitty45

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Have no idea what it costs to shave cats, but do have a suggestion.

Try putting some cornstarch baby powder (NOT talc) in the areas where he gets oily. Then comb him and do that every day. Might help keep the tangles/knots from forming.
 
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vampirecat

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The thing with Jake is that he is not really keen on being cuddled. He had loads of affection and cuddles as a kit, but as he grew older he kinda shied away from attention unless it is when he wants it.

Hubby can pick him up and cradle him like a baby and he will just lie there in his arms purring his heart out, but he is not a lap cat.

He is a gentle lad (except when the thermometer comes out
) so i am hoping that if we take it slow and stop when he has had enough we should be able to sort out his knotty little problem.

I will let you know how we get on and maybe post some piccies of Jakeys new hair do
 

cearbhaill

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Have no idea what it costs to shave cats, but do have a suggestion.
In our shop it runs $50-70 depending on the cats attitude (i.e. how many people it takes) and whether or not the client wants it bathed as well.
 

alikatt

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I just wanted to add to this in case you haven't gone yet, but make sure you have someone who is competent in what they do. When Boots was rescued, he was so matted he had to be shaved. Whoever did it the first time was evidently a moron and actually managed to burn his skin. He has scars now, while minimal, it happened, and not once, but 3 times.
 
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vampirecat

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Thats awful, poor Boots !

I have got a shaver from the shop, made by WAHL. So far Jake has been very good with it, we have managed to clear one side of knots.

He does tend to get a fed fidgety after a minute or two so we let him wander off for a bit then start again. I am trying not to get too close to his skin, just enough to clear away the matted fur. The first 2-3cm is fine, its his undercoat which is the problem.
 

icklemiss21

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Mine have been bad for knots/mats this year too despite very regular grooming. I personally don't like shaving them myself and would rather pay a decent groomer for it and save my own sanity... Magnum loves being brushed and bathed but would kill me if I tried shaving him - he is not a fan of noise.

I do use an electric shaver with a guard to get out small knots during the year and keep their 'knickers' tidy.

My advice if you are going to do it yourself if to take him to the groomer the first time and see how your cat handles it and how the groomer handles the cat and how they shave him/her
 

kittiluv

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VC...in order to get to that undercoat....you'll have no choice but to go right to the skin..thats where the matting is always the worse. Provided you're using the proper blade, the risk of cutting him is slim. However, depending on the severity of the matting, the risk of giving him clipper-burn is a far greater concern. Just make sure you equip yourself with a can of Kool-lube, if you haven't already.
 

mooficat

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I am totally fascinated by this subject !
loads of great advice here and heres sending good luck {{{{{vibes}}}}} for a great hair cut. Are you just getting the knots out or are you gonna give him an all over ?
 
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