{"id":5878,"date":"2023-02-09T12:06:17","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T20:06:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=5878"},"modified":"2023-02-09T12:06:17","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T20:06:17","slug":"meowy-monday-how-to-groom-a-cat-without-losing-a-hand-or-an-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/?p=5878","title":{"rendered":"Meowy Monday \u2013 How to Groom a Cat Without Losing a Hand or an Eye"},"content":{"rendered":"

Note: Monday’s post is late because of a website glitch. I’ll follow tomorrow with Wednesday’s post and bring you Friday’s post on Saturday.
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\"\"Cats are certainly good at grooming. Most of them are fastidious when it comes to personal hygiene. Some cats will help us with our<\/em> grooming, as well\u2014licking our hand or face while we\u2019re cuddling with them. And cats groom other cats\u2014their kittens, their housemates–feline or canine, a random cat they meet up with in the yard.<\/p>\n

The grooming routine of a cat is traced back to their \"\"wild cat ancestors who relied on fastidiousness for their very safety. A tiger or lion or cheetah cannot risk detection from the scent of the last thing they ate, so after eating they lick all of the smelly evidence from their fur.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve ever felt a cat\u2019s tongue on your skin, you know it\u2019s made for cleaning\u2014like the bath sponge you use in the shower. I read the other day that the \u201cbarbs\u201d on a cat\u2019s tongue is made from the same substance as is in our fingernails.<\/p>\n

\"\"So yes, cats do a great job of grooming, but sometimes they need help. Cats get mats where they can\u2019t reach with their tongue to untangle the fur\u2014around their neck, for example. Some types of fur tend to mat more easily than others and grooming becomes a job the cat can\u2019t manage on her own. Lately, I use my cuddle time with Olivia to work small mats out from around her \"\"neck. I unravel the tangles with my fingers, then use a wire brush or comb to finish the job. One small beginning of a mat can take a whole cuddle session.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s wise to brush\/comb your medium to long-hair cat often to prevent mats and catch those that are just starting. Use a fine-tooth grooming comb to help a short-hair cat shed her undercoat. If you have a cat like \"\"Olivia, though, the tummy and under arms are off limits\u2014\u201cno touchy there, Mom.\u201d So it becomes a more difficult situation. However, if she is relaxed enough I can sometimes get in there and make headway. Blunt-nose scissors are recommended for tough mats. I\u2019ve cut many mats from cats that keep those mats a secret until they\u2019re painful.<\/p>\n

There are also powders and other products you can use\"\" on cat fur that will help to prevent and loosen mats. Choose wisely\u2014make sure the product is safe for your cats and use it according to directions.<\/p>\n

There are also instructions for dematting a cat on the internet\u2014by people who know more about approaching this task than I do. We\u2019d love to hear from those of you who have discovered successful methods of helping your cat with her mats.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, each cat is different in their fur-type and their tolerance level. What works for one might not work for another. I had a lovely calico years ago who was horribly prone to mats. She and I could manage those on most of her body, except for her tummy. Finally I discovered a solution. Each summer I\u2019d take Daisy to the groomer and have them shave her tummy. The fur always grew back in time for winter, you couldn\u2019t even tell she\u2019d been shaved because the fur fringe around her sides covered our secret. She still looked beautiful and felt so much better. I like that solution better than shaving the whole cat, which is the kindest thing to do with cats that have mats beyond what you or the cat can handle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Note: Monday’s post is late because of a website glitch. I’ll follow tomorrow with Wednesday’s post and bring you Friday’s post on Saturday. Cats are certainly good at grooming. Most of them are fastidious when it comes to personal hygiene. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5878"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5879,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5878\/revisions\/5879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matilijapress.com\/catscapades\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}