Persian Cat Grooming Tips & Hints

What is the first thing you think of when you hear someone talking about a Persian cat? Someone like my mom would say the Fancy Feast commercial but talk to any breeder, show handler or someone who owns a Persian you will hear them say grooming. Persians are one of the most beautiful breeds of cat in the world, with rotund cobby bodies, pert ears that adorable face and of course their long glorious hair. They are fantastic cats to own, but you have to have some tricks up your sleeve to keep them well groomed.

Now if you are not a show person or live in an area where it is very hot in some months, or have a Persian who does not like to be groomed at all the best suggestion for you is to have a professional groomer or Veterinarian give your furry buddy a lion hair cut. It is a very cute style and easy to take care of, many breeders when not showing or during breeding season use this cut for ease of care.

Alas however not everyone wants to do a lion cut or there is not a time when it can always be done. So you need to groom your Persian buddy and you need to do this daily for most cats (it does vary from cat to cat). The first thing you will need to do is comb through that wonderful hair, Persian hair is not only long but very thick so it is highly recommended that you use a wide metal comb instead of a brush. Thoroughly brush your Persian taking special care to comb the areas that usually matt, the space behind the ears, the arm pits and the ruff are the most common matting areas.

Daily grooming does not need to involve daily baths, in fact I would not bathe your Persian daily as it can dry out the coat and make for a very grumpy cat. If you are grooming daily a bath should only be needed every three to six weeks (unless you have a show cat). The first thing you need to do when giving your Persian cat a bath is to de-grease your furry friend. You can use Dawn dish soap (unscented) in the water or you can apply Goop (hand cleaner) to the dry coat and let it sit for 5 minutes or so depending on the grease levels. Make sure whichever product you decide to use is fully rinsed from your Persian friend before letting them go off on their way. You wouldn't want to leave any residue behind that weighs hair down or can be licked off by cat tongues.

You can use just about any shampoo that you would like on your Persian but stay away from anything with tea tree oil in it as tea tree is toxic to cats. If you have a Black cat make sure your kitty stays out of the sun when wet and do not dry them to fast. White cats should use a whitening shampoo, there are many to choose from at pet supply stores as well as just for silver hair shampoos at Sally Beauty supply. Our red Persian friends need to have a shampoo that will bring out the highlights and lowlights of their natural red coats. If you have one of the beautiful multi color Persian cats your shampoo selection should be based on the most dominate color of their coat.

If you do not have professional grooming experience do not use sharp scissors or tools on any mats you might find. Cats do not have long attention spans and do not like being poked and prodded at and something that is pointed or sharp may end in injury for you or your pet. Instead of those tools use some baby powder and your wide toothed comb to carefully break apart each matt. Take care that you do not pull to hard as the skin under the matt is going to be ultra sensitive and you don't want to make your cat any more upset than they already are.

Grooming does not have to be an unpleasant experience for you or your cat. As long as you keep on top of it and groom them often you should not have to worry about to mats. And just like a Lady with long hair likes someone to brush her hair, if you're combing through matt free hair your cat should enjoy it.