Brushing Your Cat

Brushing or combing your cat regularly helps remove all the loose hairs that it would otherwise swallow when it grooms itself. Swallowing too much of its own or other cats' hair will give your pet hairballs, which it may have to throw up in some discomfort.

Generally speaking, short-haired cats need not be broomed as often as long-haired ones. A weekly brushing is theoretically sufficient for short-haired cats, while long-haired felines needs daily combing.

However, grooming can be such a pleasurable bonding experience between cat and owner that even the short-haired should be gently brushed daily if both pet and human enjoy it.

Unfortunately some cats have had bad grooming experiences, with previous owners who hit it with brushes or did not know how to groom it properly. If you adopt such a cat, it may initially be very wary of anything associated with grooming.

In such cases, start only with your hands, by gently runni8ng them over the cat - always in the direction of hair growth. Cats do not like having their hair rubbed the wrong way, Your hands alone, if very slightly dampened with water, will pick up quite a lot of the loose hairs so be prepared to vacuum or sweep them off your lap or the sofa afterwards.