Persian cats and bathing

[nouran]

Hi everyone;

My 3 months little persian cat, kiwi, is a very messy cat. He's white so his fur gets all dusty very quickly. He doesnt clean/lick himself that often unlike my other 4 months and half long haired white cat , Natcho. Shes always cleaning herself and she only bathed twice ever since I got her.

I had to bath him twice a day before though cuz he was muddy when I first got him. And on the same day he pooped and the poop went all over his back and head and I had to bath him again.

How do I get him to clean himself more often? And is it ok to bath him several times a month? 

Also how do i deal with his tangeled matted hair balls? I try to cut those who r slightly away from the skin. But some are so big and so close to the skin that I cant get my scissors there.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Do you have any professional groomers near you?  Perhaps to get the ones close to the skin that would be best.  Or does your vet's office offer grooming?  If you had to have him groomed once to remove those you shouldn't need to again.  Your long haired kitties will need daily brushing to really avoid them.  Also you will need the right comb for a long haired cat.  My current kitties are all short haired and I cannot think of the name of the one my mother has for her long haired cat.

 

[orientalslave]

Agree with the groomer suggestion, and don't bath him if he has tangles - it makes them worse.  You need to get them out first.  A lot of Persians need combing every day.

 

[nouran]

when i got him he was already tangeled like hellllllllll...i tried to cut some of them. But the ones close to the skin are impossible and painful to brush.

I only brush the parts where he has no tangels. 

I dont have a professional groomer close by. And my vet grooms my cat but he doesnt untangle the fur. I dunno what to do with them.

I was wondering if applying conditioner on the tangeled areas would help?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I am not sure about conditioner because it is hard to wash off and probably something not safe for your cat to ingest.  I believe a professional groomer or vet would shave your kitty down with a lion cut or something along those lines.  The hair will grow back and under your care it should be less of a problem.  

I'm afraid I'm not much help beyond this.  I'm not sure if there is something safer that could help loosen them.

 

[bastfriend]

Nouran, I used to have the most tangle-prone Persian ever may he rest in peace.    You absolutely need to get your kitty to a groomer who can give him a "lion cut" - shaving down the fur on everywhere but the head, legs, and tail.   This way you can start over with daily brushing so he doesn't tangle up again.    You will need to call every vet and groomer in your city till you find someone with experience to do this - not doing it isn't an option.   Your cat truly is suffering with tangles close to the skin and at some point it will become so bad he will rip out his own fur to get relief - please don't let it go that far.   Also if poop is getting all over him he may have a diarrhea problem - that may need to be dealt with as well. 

 

[sandyshores]

Use a greyhound comb. I hold the knot by his skin, and then take the end of the comb with the other hand and kind of "pick" at the knot (using just the end prong on the comb).  Seems to get most knots out and doesn't hurt them as you are holding the hair with that one hand and it's not pulling much..  When you have to cut out a tangle, use the comb and get the comb under the whole knot, then take the scissors on TOP of the comb and cut it out. Since he is a new kitty, don’t try to do a bunch at once. Only do a couple at a time and have some treats on hand to give him after. Pet him in between trying to get out the knots. With the treats and pets, he won’t mind it so much. The sanitary cut is kind of hard for the novice to do….. but very necessary for a persian. They want to put their tail inbetween their legs when you try doing it. But again use the comb to collect the hair next to the skin and then cut the hair on top of the comb.  This makes sure you don't cut the skin.  Bathing once a week doesn’t hurt them.