Grooming Seniors - Cat Edition

If you are a cat owner then you know most of the time you see your baby licking himself and cleaning himself. Its true, most cats are cleanliness freak and spend up to 50 percent of their awake time indulging in some form of cat grooming.


What we should know is cats licking themselves is actually good for their skin. It maintains healthy skin by stimulating the production of sebum, an oily secretion produced by sebaceous glands at the base of each hair. Licking spreads sebum over the hair coat to lubricate and waterproof the fur and make it shine. It also removes loose hair and prevents mats, and removes dirt and parasites like fleas.

But when your kitty is old they reduce this, older kitties with arthritis may be unable to lick themselves enough to stay clean.

Before we get to how to groom an older cat, lets get a basic idea of how cats groom themselves in general.

Every cat has their own grooming ritual, but most begin with the licking of the mouth, chin, and whiskers first. That's followed by each shoulder and foreleg. Then they wash both flanks and hind legs, the genitals, and then their tail from tip to stern.

But older kitties would not be able to do this themselves, leaading to ba odor, matts on the fur and skin innfections,

So thats where we come in.

Here are a couple of tips to groom a senior cat :

• Pick a comfortable place where you feel your kitty will be comfortable, their favourite place in the house, Place a soft cloth or matt under them before you start the grooming.
• Try to keep your kitty calm by cuddling him or giving him lot of soft rubs in their favorite spots, just to keep your him/her comfortable.

Once you feel your kitty is comfortable, you can start the grooming process.

• You can start slowly brushing your kitty to remove any tangles, matts etc., make sure you use the proper brush depending on your kitties coat. If you have any doubts you can drop by here at PetStepin' and ask our groomer in choosing a right brush for your kitty. 

          Make sure you brush your kitty from head to toe running your hands across his/her coat. If you            find any matts your are not able to remove which are too hard, then you can bring your kitty to            PetStepin' and our professional groomer will take care of it by removing with proper grooming            equipments.

Do this daily to prevent heavy matts, and maintain healthy coat for your senior kitty. If you are planning to give a bath to your kitty, you can do the bruhing after a complete bath and dry.

Now if  you want to give your kitty a bath you can follow the below steps to make it a little easier.

Most cats do not like getting wet and you will need to work fast when bathing your cat.

• Always use luke warm water.You can use your washrooms bath tub or a bucket. Only fill the tub or bin with enough water to cover your cat to its belly. 
• Try to keep your kitty as calm as possible as you slowly wet your cats coat,  make sure you avoid sensitive places like the head, so as to not freak out your kitty.
• Once your cat is wet, use a cat shampoo on your kitties coat. Gently rub the shampoo into your cat’s fur. Be careful when lathering around your cat’s ears, eyes, and mouth. 
• Once that is completed you can rinse your kitty off completely, making sure there is no shampoo anywhere.
• Then make sure to completely dry off your kitty with a towel or a soft cloth or you can use a hair dryer if your kitty is comfortable.
• You can also clean your kitties ear with a cotton in order to clear any dirt to prevent ear infections.
• It is also advisable to clip your kitties nails once a month. You can always get professional help with this, as it is not advisable to cut the nails if you are not sure of how to clip.

If you need any help or any queries you can always contact us here at PetStepin' and our certified pet stylist will be able to help you out.

Thanks

PetStepin' Team