Long-haired Grooming Routine

[SpadaLuca]

Hey all! I’ve been a little gung-ho about what I like to call “kitty maintenance” lately, and I got curious about what your grooming routines for long-haired cats look like. I’m especially interested because Luca is my first long-haired cat, and I’ve also never met anyone with a long-haired cat.

I have two different routines for Luca. The first is a “casual brush,” which I do daily. I use a slicker brush and mainly focus on his back and butt (what gets pet most often and sheds the most) and his tail. I’ll go over his back a bunch because he loves it, and really focus on getting his tail on the top, bottom, and both sides at least five times. I try to get as much of his tummy, armpits, and between his back legs as possible, but he hates it, so I’m lucky to get two thorough once-overs.
The second routine is the “hardcore brush.” For this one, I start with the casual brush, but up next is using a Furminator brush in the same pattern on his back and tail. He doesn’t shed much on his tummy so I usually only go over it once or skip it. Then I finish out with another casual brush to get any more loose fur. The hardcore brush is a once-a-week event.

What about everycat else?

And here’s a photo of the hair I took of Luca during a hardcore brush routine:

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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SpadaLuca - I'll use a soft-bristled brush, but only after they're completely combed. Only five of my eleven are longhairs, so the routine just takes twenty minutes or so, twice a week. Kitty skin is paper-thin, and the lifting action of a comb won't push mats down into the undercoat as a brush can.

Edit: an older TCS thread, with excellent information:

Grooming Tips For A Long Hair
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[1CatOverTheLine]

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I'm going to bump this up, hoping that some of our regular posters with longhaired kitties will share their grooming tips with SpadaLuca here.

posiepurrs @Purr-fect mightyboosh @kat0121 @foxxycat @Boris Diamond @sabian @MistyDawn @MsKatieB @scraggles @kashmir64 and @KatsPurrrsians - how about it?
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[posiepurrs]

For my pets that I am not showing the grooming routine is easy. Comb thoroughly (never brush) an occasional bath and dry. Re combing to remove any tangles made by the dryer. For my show cats this article explains my process:
What Is Grooming A Show Cat Like?
If you are bothered by shedding, you could try the Furminator, which needing coat on my Persians, I HATE!

 

[mightyboosh]

Being a Maine Coon, Oliver is relatively maintenance free and requires combing maybe once a month or even less. It's an amazing coat on these cats. However, I groom more often because we both enjoy it. It's a bonding thing in a way as well as an occasional practical imperative. I have left it for well over a month before with no great problem.
Chubchub the Siberian is a different story. His coat becomes matted on his tummy quite easily so he's done a couple of times a week but he's not too keen on it. He doesn't get matted on the rest of his body anywhere near as much as on his tum so at a glance one would assume he is tangle free all over.
I use a generic pet shop metal comb with a couple of mm gap between the teeth. I usually wait until he's relaxed and lying down in one of his favourite spots and then get cracking. I sometimes groom the top half of him when he's eating and he's ok with that. He's a pretty laid back dude.
I do Chubchub when he's in a fairly good mood and not when he's being silly and skittish.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hey all! I’ve been a little gung-ho about what I like to call “kitty maintenance” lately, and I got curious about what your grooming routines for long-haired cats look like. I’m especially interested because Luca is my first long-haired cat, and I’ve also never met anyone with a long-haired cat.

I have two different routines for Luca. The first is a “casual brush,” which I do daily. I use a slicker brush and mainly focus on his back and butt (what gets pet most often and sheds the most) and his tail. I’ll go over his back a bunch because he loves it, and really focus on getting his tail on the top, bottom, and both sides at least five times. I try to get as much of his tummy, armpits, and between his back legs as possible, but he hates it, so I’m lucky to get two thorough once-overs.
The second routine is the “hardcore brush.” For this one, I start with the casual brush, but up next is using a Furminator brush in the same pattern on his back and tail. He doesn’t shed much on his tummy so I usually only go over it once or skip it. Then I finish out with another casual brush to get any more loose fur. The hardcore brush is a once-a-week event.

What about everycat else?

And here’s a photo of the hair I took of Luca during a hardcore brush routine:

Our furmily is three shorthairs right now, but in the past, when there have been longhairs among us, the FURminator has been a boon -- if quite a mess -- for keeping matts at bay. I always use a slicker brush on everyone, long or short fur, and a flea comb, because you can never be too careful even when you're caring and responsible and keep your cats indoors only. I try to groom everyone daily, and most of the cats I've shared my life with -- and there have been/are many! -- love to be brushed. They actually come in and jump up on the master bath toilet, our main grooming place, and sometimes more than one will jump up there at the same time!

 

[1 bruce 1]

Well, we're obsessive dog and cat people so I'll share our past routine and our current routine.
Our long haired cats, previously, always knew what a high velocity dryer (we have one for our dogs) set on low (dial control) was. This gets rid of TONS of hair on a wet or dry cat, and with the right nozzle, separates the coat, and lets us see their skin (mats, rashes, skin irritations, flea/ticks, etc., and saves lots of brushing and combing time as the coat is dried faster). It also "busts up clumps" (removes/separates hair that isn't technically matted but is getting there).
The downside is getting them used to the noise/sensation, and my fail story begins here as our last two long hairs (and only current long hairs) hate this dryer and we did not do the proper introductions as kittens and it's not usable on them =(

Not so much routine, but we've noticed a difference in their acceptance if we do NOT dry brush/dry comb but keep the comb or brush wet with plain water while we work. The static can be horrible with cats, and when we dry brush or dry comb we can feel static jumping through them. No wonder they hate it.
Keep the grooming tools damp and keep the static down!
Our asthma cat is a floofy thing and HATES all combing, brushing, grooming and even with a damp comb and a helper he tenses up and does a leap into the air to escape. Grooming him is a nightmare as I freak out thinking the stress will cause him to have an attack, ugh.
Our last kitten we did due diligence and started them right and she's a brush brat, she'll boot others out of the road to get "her turn" and if we sit indian-style on the floor, she'll march in, park her butt in one of our laps and demand her turn. She lays on her side, her back, four in the air, etc. She's a joy to work on.

 

[tarasgirl06]

*Brush brat*. I like that. There are three of those here.

 

[Furballsmom]

but keep the comb or brush wet with plain water while we work. The static can be horrible with cats, and when we dry brush or dry comb we can feel static jumping through them. No wonder they hate it.

I use a damp paper towel to dampen and re-dampen his fur throughout the process for static elimination. I can only use a zoom groom now - he won't tolerate metal anymore.

We're aiming for daily. He doesn't really like having his belly brushed or his chest either, so of course mats develop there that I usually have to cut out.

I have clippers, and I'd like to use those more frequently on his belly and chest - when there is no hair to mat, there are no mats … voila', funny how that works

 

[1 bruce 1]

I use a damp paper towel to dampen and re-dampen his fur throughout the process for static elimination. I can only use a zoom groom now - he won't tolerate metal anymore.

We're aiming for daily. He doesn't really like having his belly brushed or his chest either, so of course mats develop there that I usually have to cut out.

I have clippers, and I'd like to use those more frequently on his belly and chest - when there is no hair to mat, there are no mats … voila', funny how that works

One of our boys loves his head/cheeks/chest brushed but the rear end he goes postal. Which stinks because he's super floofy and looks cute with floofy genie pants..
We've done the belly clip thing too =) We usually use something like this

It doesn't "shave" anything but takes it very tight.

 

[Furballsmom]

I LOVE those floofy genie pants LOL
Nice recommendation - thanks!