Grooming

Many of these tips I learned from two wonderful people! Mary from Petmar Persians & Jean from Steeplechase Cattery. Thanks girls! 

The links to products on this page are for use as an example only. Although these are places I sometimes shop, you can get many of these products from other great stores.

Jake After his bath (not looking happy).

Jake After Blow drying & Brushing!

Grooming Tips
You'll need a soft bristle brush, and a comb.  I've found that brushing kitty with the soft bristle brush at least once a week and preferably once a day helps tremendously to keep shedding to a minimum and fluff the coat. An every day tooth brush or baby comb works well for the kitty's face. But the comb is probably the most important for a cat that tends to mat.  Running a comb through the fur for just a minute daily or every other day keeps the fur from matting. Some use a slicker brush to fluff the fur for a finished look. I don't use one any longer because it tends to make static electricity in their fur.

Before bathing kitty, trim his nails. Massage the paws until the nails come out of their sheeth. Trim nails to just before the quick (or the vein you see in the nail that goes into the paw). Be careful not to cut into the quick or the kitty will bleed. Trimming the nails before bathing will save yourself a lot of pain! And kitty needs to have them trimmed regular anyway!

Tear Stains

Wipe around kitty's eyes daily with warm water and cotton balls or a soft wash cloth. For kitties with light color fur and hard staining, you can use a product made for staining such as "Eye Envy". Persian's tend to have runnier eyes then most breeds. Some find it very helpful to also use a sterile saline drop in the eyes daily and I prefer this. Make sure the eye drop doesn't have a chemcial that gets red out. The saline drops you use for rinsing your contacts is just fine.  Many show cats get antibiotic drops in their eyes before a show. I prefer not to use antibiotic drops on a regular basis just because I don't want my kitties to become immune to the effects of antibiotics.

Bathing Kitty
Bathing kitty can be tricky! There are a few things that will help you tremendously. I bathe my cats in the kitchen sink so I don't have to bend over and struggle with a scared kitty. The kitchen sink also gives me a lot of counter space to have everything I need laid out including towels, shampoo and soaps. If you have a scared kitty or you've never bathed kitty before, run the water in one side of the sink before you bring kitty to the sink. It's also handy to have another plastic dish bin filled with warm water and about a Tablespoon of White Vinegar for rinsing. That way you're not running the water while kitty is in the sink and you'll get scratched less! Using white vinegar in the final rinse helps get all the soap out of the fur and also helps to restore the ph balance in kitty's skin so he won't get itchy!  In the empty side of the sink, place a rubber mat on the bottom. This keeps kitty from sliding in the sink and makes him feel more secure. That is the best tip anyone ever gave me!
  1. For cats who easily get greasy fur, follow this first step. Place kitty on a towel on the counter, holding him firmly. rub Goop Hand cleaner (Original Gel)  into his fur paying special attention to those areas where the fur gets greasy. For my big red boy it's his chest, tummy and legs. They actually have a Groomers Goop available that I didn't know about previously! If you don't want to order online though, and you can't find Groomers Goop in the store, it's fine to use the regular Goop hand cleaner. Many groomers have used it for years.
  2. Place kitty in the empty sink with the rubber mat on the bottom. Saturate kitty's fur with warm water using a plastic pitcher or large cup and dipping it into the other side of the sink that you previously filled with warm water. Rub the kitty to loosen up the Goop gel and continue to rinse until all Goop is out of kitty's fur.
  3. Next, rub kitty down with Dawn (original) dishwashing liquid and rinse again with the warm water and vinegar mixture.
  4. Now use kitty's regular shampoo to wash the fur again. Rinse well until all soap is out of kitty's fur.
  5. Wash kitty's face with a wet washcloth and if needed, a soft bristle tooth brush.
  6. Wrap kitty in towels that are laid out on the counter and hold him tight! Tell him what a good boy (or girl) he was and give him treats!

After you've bathed kitty a couple of times he will likely start trusting you enough so that you can use running water for most of your rinses. I have a removable sprayer faucet (not those small black ones on the back/side, although that will work) and my cats trust me enough so that I can use it on them now for saturating them and rinsing them. I still have a tub of warm water with vinegar for one rinse to get all the soap out.

Be careful not to get water in kitty's ears. Placing cotton balls in them will help prevent this. Also avoid getting soap or shampoo in the kitty's eyes.

Drying Kitty
Drying kitty can also be a little tricky and is probably the hardest part! Blow drying kitty is highly recommended if he is a Persian (or any long haired cat) and there are a lot of reasonably priced dryers out there. Make sure kitty is in a warm, draft free place until his fur is completely dry.

If your kitty is nervous about being blow dried you may want to try putting him/her in a carrier the first few times and blow drying them through the carrier. This will help him/her to eventually get more used to the noise and blowing of the dryer. If kitty is not too nervous about the dryer you can follow these next instructions. Make sure you place kitty on a skid free surface while blow drying. Put a towel or small blanket on a counter or table. I turn the blow dryer on before I bring kitty near it so that the noise isn't sudden and scares the kitty. He might still be scared but not as bad as if you just turned it on all of a sudden!  I also purchased one of those new blow dryers that is quieter and that seems to help some. I hold kitty tight against me and start drying his other side until he gets a little used to the blow dryer. Make sure the dryer is far enough away so that it won't burn kitty. Eventually I can just hold kitty lightly by the scruff of the neck to finish drying him. Keep brushing and combing kitty as his fur dries. I prop up the blow dryer to point it at the cat while I'm brushing him. You can also purchase a stand for your blow dryer. Use the soft bristle brush until kitty is about 3/4 of the way dry. They you can use the comb alternately with the brush for fine tuning! Use a clean tooth brush to brush kitty's face hair. Make sure this tooth brush was  purchased specifically and only for kitty's face!

After kitty is all dried and beautiful you can put the finishing touch on him by fluffing his fur with the soft bristle brush or a slicker brush! When it is all done, my Jake will prance around like a very proud king! And he'll pose for the camera too! Make sure kitty gets lots of scritches and attention after his grooming session!

This all sounds like a lot of work but truly, it doesn't take as long as it sounds. For me, this is just part of wanting and having a beautiful, long haired cat. And it offers a lot of quality bonding time with each of my cats. Good luck grooming your kitty and if you have any questions, or would like to share your grooming tips, please feel free to email me.