Shaving, Grooming, and Kitty Lifestyle Changes

[dragulescugirl]

Well, two weeks after Kinko had a hairball obstruction removed and biopsies done (he has small cell lymphoma) there was another obstruction caused by a kink from where the biopsy in the intestine healed. Poor boy had to go under the knife two days after he got his stitches out.

Our vet has recommended shaving the cats and we did purchase a well rated shaver for this purpose. Any good tips on this? I just really can't afford to have 4 cats professionally done every few weeks.

I'm also going to start trying to dedicate at least 5-10 minutes a night to each cat for grooming.

Also - I'm going to begin mixing in a little mineral oil into his food to help ease everything out.

I'm also thinking to keep him separate from the other cats for awhile as well. He loves to groom all of them. We will have supervised visits but I wonder if he may end up having to live separately from now on to cut down risk.

I love my fluffies but if their hair causes all this much trouble, I'll just have to trim them down.

 

[mani]

I hope this is the last of the major surgical things for Kinko, poor guy.

I don't know much about shaving kitties, except that it's a pretty specialised job.

There are videos on YouTube showing exactly how to go about it, but I would be taking the process pretty slowly.

Is the vet saying that this is something you need to to permanently?

I use a furminator on mine... you can buy them for long-haired cats.  No disrespect to your vet, but you can get an enormous amount of hair out without putting the cat through the whole shaving thing constantly.  However she/he will have had their reasons for suggesting it.

Good luck.. you have such beautiful kitties! 

 

[franksmom]

I hope this is the last of the major surgical things for Kinko, poor guy.

I don't know much about shaving kitties, except that it's a pretty specialised job.

There are videos on YouTube showing exactly how to go about it, but I would be taking the process pretty slowly.

Is the vet saying that this is something you need to to permanently?

I use a furminator on mine... you can buy them for long-haired cats.  No disrespect to your vet, but you can get an enormous amount of hair out without putting the cat through the whole shaving thing constantly.  However she/he will have had their reasons for suggesting it.

Good luck.. you have such beautiful kitties! 

I have to respectively disagree. My cat also had a hairball issue and the furminator just did not cut it so to speak. Shaving him has been a godsend and he has never eaten so much in his life- I always thought he just wasn't that interested in food but it seems the hair had been bothering him for a long time. He also has not thrown up since I shaved him which is amazing because he had been throwing up every other day up until I shaved him. I cannot say enough how beneficial shaving a cat who has hairball issues is and I will be keeping him shaved from now on. I will also get my kitten shaved when she is older because she is also long haired and he grooms her. It may not be pleasant for 30min to an hour while doing  it but I have to say in my case it is so worth any discomfort. 

I hired a groomer to come to my house but I assisted her and I think I could probably do it myself if I had a helper. Would you be able to get a friend to come over and help? I suggest starting by cutting his nails because even my docile ragdoll tried to scratch. If your can gets violent I would suggest wearing some protective gloves. You can also try giving him rescue remedy to calm him. The process is rather fast and even with stoping and starting it should take about 30-45 min. One person should hold the cat while the other shaves. You may have to give your cat some breaks in between. Like I said it is not the most pleasant experience but it will last 4 months so you will not have to do it often. I have only done it to my cat once and he hates strangers so I am hoping it gets easier everytime.  He did bite me for the first time ever (he didn't break the skin or anything) and was kind of mad at me for about a day, but it was only 30 min and it made his quality of life so much better- he is like a different cat since being shaved. I would start with shaving him first and then do each of your other cats if he is grooming them. I was watching some youtube videos on lion cuts and people were commenting that cats seem so much more energetic and happy after getting it done so it should not negatively effect your other cats and they may enjoy it. 

 

[mani]

I bow to your greater knowledge, Franksmom..

I've never had to shave any cats, but was concerned that it involved four cats every few weeks. 

DragulescuGirl, are you going to shave all of them because of mutual grooming?   Or do they all have a furball issue?

 

[franksmom]

I bow to your greater knowledge, Franksmom..

I've never had to shave any cats, but was concerned that it involved four cats every few weeks. 

DragulescuGirl, are you going to shave all of them because of mutual grooming?   Or do they all have a furball issue?

Thanks I am kind of obsessed with shaving now because of the amazing results I had. The OP shouldn't have to do it every few weeks the groomer told me I would have to get it done every 4 months to maintain it but some cats can go longer. Frank had his done about a month ago and his coat is still nice and short. 

 

[dragulescugirl]

I have to respectively disagree. My cat also had a hairball issue and the furminator just did not cut it so to speak. Shaving him has been a godsend and he has never eaten so much in his life- I always thought he just wasn't that interested in food but it seems the hair had been bothering him for a long time. He also has not thrown up since I shaved him which is amazing because he had been throwing up every other day up until I shaved him. I cannot say enough how beneficial shaving a cat who has hairball issues is and I will be keeping him shaved from now on. I will also get my kitten shaved when she is older because she is also long haired and he grooms her. It may not be pleasant for 30min to an hour while doing  it but I have to say in my case it is so worth any discomfort. 

I hired a groomer to come to my house but I assisted her and I think I could probably do it myself if I had a helper. Would you be able to get a friend to come over and help? I suggest starting by cutting his nails because even my docile ragdoll tried to scratch. If your can gets violent I would suggest wearing some protective gloves. You can also try giving him rescue remedy to calm him. The process is rather fast and even with stoping and starting it should take about 30-45 min. One person should hold the cat while the other shaves. You may have to give your cat some breaks in between. Like I said it is not the most pleasant experience but it will last 4 months so you will not have to do it often. I have only done it to my cat once and he hates strangers so I am hoping it gets easier everytime.  He did bite me for the first time ever (he didn't break the skin or anything) and was kind of mad at me for about a day, but it was only 30 min and it made his quality of life so much better- he is like a different cat since being shaved. I would start with shaving him first and then do each of your other cats if he is grooming them. I was watching some youtube videos on lion cuts and people were commenting that cats seem so much more energetic and happy after getting it done so it should not negatively effect your other cats and they may enjoy it. 

This is definitely required per my vet and to shave all the cats. I'm taking a lot of photos these next few days until his stitches are out (I'm keeping him separated while he recovers) so I can have some memory shots of them in all their fluffy glory.

Thanks for the great tips! I'm trying to watch as many videos as I can. Cutting his nails has always been easy but he can get testy when trying to cut out the occasional matted fur. I'm wondering if putting a cone on him might help. I'll probably wait till my husband gets home. I may do the holding as I'm not afraid to have a stronger grip on them and he's better at doing cutting things. In the end, I'd rather shave them all then have this poor guy go through another surgery.

4 months - that's a good amount of time between shaves! How do you gauge when he is ready for another shave? How do you groom in between shaves? Do you use Laxatone or mineral oil (or anything similar) to help with any occasional small hair ball?

I bow to your greater knowledge, Franksmom..
I've never had to shave any cats, but was concerned that it involved four cats every few weeks. 

DragulescuGirl, are you going to shave all of them because of mutual grooming?  Or do they all have a furball issue?

Kinko is the only one with the issue but I have to shave them all from the mutual grooming. Kinko especially loves to groom his fur siblings as well as myself and my husband. I have a couple of furminators and they do grab a lot of hair. The vet tech made a suggestion of shaving and then maintaining with a furminator between shaves.

Thanks for the replies! I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep this little guy healthy and extend his life as long as possible. The vet believes with the hairball issue resolved he will be able to go into remission nicely and have quite a few more happy years since we caught the cancer early.

But I've already warned my husband. If this happens again he will become a one room cat with supervised visitation with the other cats. Not that he really minds. He's been hanging out in the master bedroom and I think loves having the bed and fluffy pillows all to himself.

 

[franksmom]

The groomer told me four months I am monitoring the regrowth and if it seems to be getting too long I will have him done again. So far after a month he is still shaved down nicely. There is really very little grooming needed but I do furminate is mane and I make sure there is no shedding from the shaved part and so far nothing.
He has not had any indication of a hairball since he was shaved (which again is amazing bc he had been throwing up one every other day) so I do not give him laxitone or any hairball remedies though I am going to get some egg leichen to be extra careful. I am not a big fan of the petroleum based products like laxitone actually because of the cancer risk so I would not recommend continuing to use it after the shaving but instead use egg leichen which helps with mobility.

Good luck and I really think you will see amazing results once they are all shaved.

 

[dragulescugirl]

Did you shave his tail as well? What length do you cut? I have an electric razor for pets with various guard lengths.
Sorry! I have so many questions.

 

[franksmom]

She shaved most of the tail except the tip and also left the bottom half of his legs and around his head. Here is a picture from when he first got it done. 

 

480211_10100653098732427_997223460_n.jpg

• franksmom
• Jun 24, 2013

photo-1frank.jpg

• franksmom
• Jul 23, 2013

Here he is today:

frank.jpg

• franksmom
• Jul 23, 2013

 

[franksmom]

I am not sure what length she used it was pretty close though. 

 

[dragulescugirl]

Ohhhhh! So cute!!!! I guess they can lick themselves still but the hair is minimal. My poor fluffies. I completely believe that doing this will help him and its something I must do but man am I going to miss those puddles of fluffiness. I have a little less than two weeks to enjoy them and I plan on taking lots of photos to remember how they looked.

 

[1healthymummy]

HI! I am a groomer and clip cats regularly.  have a look in my pics at one i did recently.  One of our cats who is short haired anyway is permenantly clipped, he had a lot of trouble with hair balls and this has done the trick.  It is quite a tricky job clipping a cat and especially if it has not been clipped before as the skin is very delicate and things can easily go wrong.  That said there as special cat clipping blades which make things easier.  If you have nay questions please feel free to ask.

claire

 

[mani]

HI! I am a groomer and clip cats regularly.  have a look in my pics at one i did recently.  One of our cats who is short haired anyway is permenantly clipped, he had a lot of trouble with hair balls and this has done the trick.  It is quite a tricky job clipping a cat and especially if it has not been clipped before as the skin is very delicate and things can easily go wrong.  That said there as special cat clipping blades which make things easier.  If you have nay questions please feel free to ask.

claire

Yes, Claire.. I thought of this thread when I saw what you do.  I hope DragulescuGirl sees your offer..

 

[spiffykitty]

I'm a cat groomer.

Just some safety tips . . . 

-- If you notice your cat panting, stop. As you may know, cats don't pant like dogs. For dogs it is normal. For cats, it is a sign of stress. 

-- Cat skin is thinner than canine skin. It is easy to nick the top layer of skin. Luckily, the top layer doesn't have nerves or blood distribution, but you still don't want to nick it because over time the little tear in the skin can develop into a bigger cut.

--Skinny, older cats are the hardest to shave (next to hyper young ones). The more loose the skin, the harder to shave smoothly, because the skin bunches up.

I suggest using a blade that is called a #10. The teeth are close enough so that it isn't easy to get skin caught in the blade. It can still give you a smooth shave. 

Vets tend to use surgical blades, #30, #40 or even #50. That's not necessary for a non-surgical groom.

--If you're doing it yourself, don't worry about whether the shave looks smooth or even. Just get it done. Over time, it will become easier.

--Blades can heat up very quickly, especially if you are shaving a thick-coated or matted cat. Hot blades hurt and can leave the skin pink and tender. Keep testing the blade on your own skin. If it feels hot, change blades or let the blade cool for several minutes.

Good luck!

 

[dragulescugirl]

HI! I am a groomer and clip cats regularly.  have a look in my pics at one i did recently.  One of our cats who is short haired anyway is permenantly clipped, he had a lot of trouble with hair balls and this has done the trick.  It is quite a tricky job clipping a cat and especially if it has not been clipped before as the skin is very delicate and things can easily go wrong.  That said there as special cat clipping blades which make things easier.  If you have nay questions please feel free to ask.

claire

Hello Claire - I definitely will! I think my best bet is to go to a groomer like Franksmom did first - to at least see how it is done and if I'm comfortable. My vet gave me a few recommendations so I'm going to try them out. I believe I did by the electric razor with cat blades. It was the highest rated on Amazon and had many good reviews from cat owners. Will definitely be asking you what is what!

I'm a cat groomer.

Just some safety tips . . . 

-- If you notice your cat panting, stop. As you may know, cats don't pant like dogs. For dogs it is normal. For cats, it is a sign of stress. 

-- Cat skin is thinner than canine skin. It is easy to nick the top layer of skin. Luckily, the top layer doesn't have nerves or blood distribution, but you still don't want to nick it because over time the little tear in the skin can develop into a bigger cut.

--Skinny, older cats are the hardest to shave (next to hyper young ones). The more loose the skin, the harder to shave smoothly, because the skin bunches up.

I suggest using a blade that is called a #10. The teeth are close enough so that it isn't easy to get skin caught in the blade. It can still give you a smooth shave. 

Vets tend to use surgical blades, #30, #40 or even #50. That's not necessary for a non-surgical groom.

--If you're doing it yourself, don't worry about whether the shave looks smooth or even. Just get it done. Over time, it will become easier.

--Blades can heat up very quickly, especially if you are shaving a thick-coated or matted cat. Hot blades hurt and can leave the skin pink and tender. Keep testing the blade on your own skin. If it feels hot, change blades or let the blade cool for several minutes.

Good luck!

Two of the cats are fluffies but both are wiggly. I have a young very thin cat (and have run every test on her - turns out she is just a thin cat - she gains about a 0.25lbs a year steadily but still teeny) that is wiggly and my now thin older cat who is bitey but fairly calm. 

I just cut my cat the other night. I could tell a matte was bothering him so I went to cut it out and cut a teeny hole of skin. I rushed him to the overnight vet and they cleaned it, added skin glue, and told me it's common. Still, I was very unhappy about it. 

I'm definitely not going for looks at first. ha! Poor guys are going to look a wee bit messed up for awhile.

Claire and SpiffyKitty - do the blades dull? How do I keep them sharp? Any herbal remedies to keep them calm? I was thinking about coning them so they could see but not bite. 

Is a furminator okay to use in between shaves?

 

[1healthymummy]

Hiya! Its not a nice thing seeing a nick on your animal but i'm sure it will heal fine and try not to feel awful as its an easy thing to do.  The problem with matts is that you can't see where they end and the skin begins so its always best to tease it out with a dematting tool...easier said than done i know.  Blades do go dull but take quite a lot of work to do so.  If you are just doing your cats they should not dull easily.  Cat fur is fine and cuts easily.  You can always have them sharpened for next to nothing (im from the uk though).I've found the nails to be the problem rather than the bite! If they are going to bite you can get a cat muzzle but I have never used one. You can use the furminator on the non clipped areas until the fur starts to grow back and a softer brush on the clipped areas to begin with then as it grows back start to use your normal brushes / furminator to stop any matts forming in the new coat.  Hope this helps!

claire