While most dog owners know that grooming and brushing is an important partof daily life, cats are often overlooked when it comes to at-home-grooming.

**** Whilst cats do spend time each day grooming themselves, getting them usedto be handled by humans for grooming and even bathing can have huge benefits.When they groom themselves, they have no other equipment to use other thantheir paws and a tongue!

Just like dogs and other pets, cats can still benefit from having a bath and abrush at home. Long haired cats can become matted in a short period of timeeven when they are regularly grooming themselves, and where mats form oftenthe skin underneath can become irritated, sore, or even infected.

If you start from a young age, you can get them used to having a bath andbrush by using some warm water in your laundry sink, a big fluffy towel to drythem, and a comb and soft brush and comb to get the hair smooth and untangled.Hopefully, with practice, they will learn to relax and enjoy the experiencewith you. Some cats will still prefer not to be bathed, so remember you canalways defer the task to your local groomer!

Another consideration is for the elderly cats, who will often neglect theirself-grooming which can lead to problems with their coat and health.

Many groomers offer services for washing and grooming cats, and they areequipped with the patience, experience and gentleness needed to get the jobdone. Professional groomers often report that after a couple of sessions, mostcats seem to enjoy the process!

If you cat is used to being brushed, groomed, or clipped and are due for aholiday at your local cattery, it’s a great idea to make sure that they aregroomed just before the start of their holiday. This will mean that if theyare a little nervous as they settle in over the first few days, it does notmatter if they neglect their grooming as much, as their coat has been tendedto. If they have a particular brush that they love, send it along to thecattery and let the staff know, because it is a great enrichment activity andwill help them bond and settle in with their team of carers!

Provided by Australian Pet Care Association (APCA) – Become a member with usathttps://www.australianpetcareassociation.com.au/membership/application/ orcontact us anytime by emailing [email protected]

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