Cat Grooming 101

Published Categorized as Cat Guide, Cat Health 9 Comments on Cat Grooming 101
Cat Grooming 101

One of the reasons why cats are loved so much is because they are very clean pets. Cats love to keep themselves clean and will keep grooming themselves. However, despite their efforts, they don’t groom themselves properly, and this is where they have to be groomed by their owners. If you have to adopt a cat for the very first time and have no idea how to groom your cat properly, here’s a guide for you in which you can learn some very useful cat grooming tips:

Brush your cat frequently

Softly brush your cat to remove dirt, grease or dead hair

Regardless of whether your cat has long hair or short hair, it is important to frequently brush your cat. Even though cats keep grooming themselves, there is still dirt, grease or dead hair in their coat which has to be removed. Other than that, cats love to be brushed, so it can also build a great bond between your cat and you. However, use only cat specific combs for brushing your cat instead of your comb. Brush your cat once or twice a week if it’s a shorthair breed, and if it’s a longhair breed, you’ll have to brush more frequently. You have to brush your cat softly and have to appreciate her by patting and caressing its fur coat while brushing.

Clip your cat’s fur and learn how to trim cat nails

You might not have to do it if you have a cat belonging to a shorthair breed. However, if your cat has a fur coat with long hair, you’ll need to trim the hair of your cat periodically to avoid matting, which causes health problems. If you plan to trim the hair of your cat, it’s recommended to get it done by a professional pet groomer. The reason why we recommend you to go to a pet salon for trimming your cat’s fur coat is that they have pet specific equipment. You have to be very careful with the hair around your cat’s ears, anus, genitals, underbelly and legs so that your cat doesn’t get hurt. Apart from trimming your cat’s hair, you

Bathe your cat

Cat in a towel after bath

It is a big struggle to bathe your pets but to help them get rid of germs and fleas, you need to bathe them. Even though cats keep grooming themselves using their tongue and teeth, it’s important to bathe them to remove germs and fleas from areas their tongue cannot reach. You can bathe your cat whenever she stinks or feels sticky. Before taking her to bath, trim your cat’s claws, place cotton in her ears and brush her fur coat properly to remove excessive dirt. Massage her with cat shampoo in the direction of the growth of her fur, while avoiding her face, ears, and eyes. Rinse your cat with lukewarm water and dry her out using a washcloth.

Diagnosing skin problems

A vet is treating a cat’s skin problem

Cats often suffer from a variety of skin problems. This is why it’s important to be careful while brushing, bathing or clipping your cat’s fur coat. You should be checking your hair’s skin for possible skin issues. Skin issues can also indicate various allergies and diseases in cats. Therefore, it’s important to be attentive while grooming your cat and if you witness something abnormal, visit a vet immediately. Common cat skin problems include:

  • Parasitic Infections
  • Fungal Infections
  • Bacterial Infections
  • Viral Infections
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • Sun Damage
  • Skin Cancer
  • Drug Reactions
  • Fur loss caused by excessive stress
  • Dermatitis
  • Trauma

Eliminate Fleas

Even though cats keep licking themselves to clean themselves, their fur coat often attracts many impurities like dirt and grease. However, fleas are external parasites that cause a lot of diseases in cats. If you find any of them during grooming your cat, eliminate them. Fleas also make your cats skin itchy, ultimately causing various skin problems. Fleas feed on your cat’s blood and leaving back dirt and impurities in your cat’s fur coat. Fleas can not only make your cats itchy and dirty, but they can also cause many infectious diseases.

Eliminate Ticks

Another external parasite that can harm your cats is tick, and if you find ticks in your cat’s fur coat while grooming it, try to eliminate them as soon as possible. You should also check your cat for ticks whenever it comes from outside. This problem is very common in cats, especially cats belonging to longhair breeds. Once you remove ticks from your cat’s fur coat, it is also recommended to take it to a vet to get unseen ticks removed and also check if your cat has contracted a tick-related skin disease. Ticks can cause swelling as they feed on your cat’s blood, and they are also visible to the naked eye as they are the size of a pinhead. After, eliminating ticks from that area, disinfect that portion of your cat’s body.

Eliminate Ear Mites

A vet is treating ear mites problem

These are external parasites that can be found in your cat’s ears. These tiny parasites are commonly found in the ears of kittens. These are highly dangerous and can cause various skin problems and hearing problems. They look like a dark brown, coffee-like residue stuck on the walls of your cat’s ears. If you suspect the presence of ear mites in your cat’s ears, take it to a vet and get it checked. Upon diagnosis, the vet will help you get rid of ear mites from your cat’s ears and will also tell you how to get rid of itchiness in your cat’s ears. You can clean them yourself by using a towel when your cat is calm, or, you can buy cat-specific ear cleaners from your nearest pet shop.


We hope that through this post, you will be able to learn a lot about pet grooming for cats. Grooming for cats is a very important factor that determines the relationship between you and your cat. Cats love grooming themselves and getting groomed.