Brushing Cats

Long haired cats must be brushed daily to achieve a shinny and lustrous coating and prevent them from swallowing dead hair. They can be brushed with a comb of prongs that eliminates any loose remains and then you can sprinkle some talc ( if they have white coating) and then later pass on a finer comb. Inspect their whole body, specially armpit, abdomen and behind the rear legs, which is where knots appear the most.

Patience is needed and not all are entertained by it, but later they get used to it and are grateful. A soft comb is useful for the face. Remember always to award the cat with caresses while grooming it and with some goody once finishing if they are not docile so they can start liking it.

Short-haired cats are a lot easier, with a simple glove or soft comb once a week is enough. After brushing, with a piece of cloth or suede we can make their coating shinny and eliminate any remains.

If a cat abandons their cleanliness and so do you, it will have the hair so tangled, that it will be best if a professional shaves it off since those knots favor the appearance of infections or parasites.

Continuous brushing and bathing will prevent them from swallowing any hair balls. If this happens, the cat can vomit fragments of hair in shape of a hotdog or eliminate them through the dregs. If the hair provoke constipation and cannot be expelled; we can try giving them paraffin oil or prepare them a malt, which is specially made with extract of malt oil and vitamins, two or three times a day, for a couple of days. If the problem continues or we think we wont be able to give them any of these solutions, the best is to take them to the veterinarian.

In some cases, fresh herb also helps them regurgitate hair which is commonly called purge. Not all herbs serve for this function, there exist stores where you can find special herbs for cats which we can even plant ourselves.