Grooming and Exercise for Cats

Proper grooming and regular exercise are essential for maintaining a cat’s overall health and well-being. Grooming helps keep the coat clean, reduces shedding, and prevents hairballs.

Exercises for Cats

Cats need sufficient exercise when they are confined in houses or they should be provided with play things like crushed paper pieces, balls etc, so that they can run after them.

Interactive play using toys like feather wands, laser pointers, or motorized prey mimics hunting movements and keeps cats engaged. Climbing and jumping activities can be encouraged with cat trees, shelves, or window perches, allowing them to explore and stay active.

Scratching posts help stretch muscles and maintain claw health while also serving as an outlet for territorial marking.

For indoor cats, puzzle feeders and treat-dispensing toys provide both mental stimulation and physical activity by making them work for their food.

Chasing and fetch games, especially with lightweight toys or crumpled paper balls, can be enjoyable for cats that like to retrieve objects.

Grooming for Cats

Cats can clean the body by washing with the tongue. However grooming will save the furniture from the cat’s hair.

Cats up to one year of age have coat shedding or moulting. So moulting should not be mistaken as a disease. For short haired type cats, grooming is not necessary. Whereas long haired type breed required grooming twice daily.

For this purpose wide toothed metal comb or nylon brushes can be used. The grooming is also a way of communication of our affection.

At the time of grooming talcum powder can be sprinkled and grooming can be done until all powder is removed.

Purpose of Grooming

A sleek and glossy hair coat is an indication of a cat‘s general health and care.

All cats benefit from grooming, although the long haired breeds require more attention.

A cat‘s fur usually sheds in spring and fall, although some shedding may constantly occur. Grooming removes old, dead hair and lessens the risk of hairballs.

Regular grooming gives the opportunity to check for parasites, skin disorder, and eye and ear problems.

Long haired cats should receive daily care. If neglected, the hair will tangle and mat.

Removal of these tangles and mats may be difficult and an unpleasant experience for the cat.

Equipments and its Use

Equipment for long haired cats should include a comb with two sizes of teeth, a fine-tooth or flea comb, nail clippers, a grooming brush made with natural bristles (nylon may cause excessive static), and grooming powder (baby powder, talcum powder, or cornstarch).

Using a wide-toothed comb, comb all areas of the animal. One must be careful of the sensitive areas of the stomach, the insides of the legs, and under the tail.

If the coat is free of tangles and mats, the fine-toothed part of the comb should be used. The skin and not just the outer fur should be combed; now, the fur should be brushed out.

One should brush in the opposite direction to which the hair naturally lies and occasionally sprinkle grooming powder into the fur.

If the fur has become badly tangled and matted. Scissors should be used to cut the mats out, being careful not to injure the animal. Blunt-ended scissors never sharp-pointed scissors, knives, or razor blades should be used. A sudden movement by the cat could cause serious injury.

Grooming of Short Haired Cat

Grooming short haired cats can usually be accomplished with a fine-toothed or flea comb. In many cases, hand grooming is sufficient to remove dead hair.

A rubber grooming brush is also very effective, but it must be used carefully because good hair may also be removed.

The use of a soft chamois, silk, or nylon pad causes some static in the coat and helps it cling tightly to the body.

This is an especially effective way to complete the grooming for Siamese, Oriental Short hairs, Colour point Short hairs and Burmese. Other breeds enjoy a light brushing with a soft brush.

The coat of the Cornish and the Devon Rex is delicate and easily damaged; a soft brush should be used occasionally, avoiding friction or over brushing.

Friction and over brushing may cause the hair to break and may even cause bald spots.

Bathing of Cats

Occasionally, it may be necessary to give a cat a bath. In the case of show animals, more frequent bathing is necessary.

Cats should be accustomed to bathing at about four months of age.

Cats get nervous from the sounds of the water, and unnecessary splashing should be avoided. The tub should be filled with about 4 inches of warm water.

The cat should be gently lowered into the water and wet all over, being careful not to get water in the eyes or ears. If the cat allows, a piece of cotton can be placed in its ears.

After the coat is thoroughly wet, one should apply shampoo and lather the coat followed by a thorough rinse to remove all traces of the shampoo.

The cat should be wrapped in a towel and patted dry or blown dry using a hair dryer on the warm setting.

Excessive rubbing should be avoided because this causes the hair to tangle. The cat should be dry before letting it outside, including the insides of the ears.

Many pet shampoos are available in the market that are suitable; some of these are medicated to help control fleas and other parasites. Baby shampoo is also suitable.

Care during Grooming

During regular grooming, the ears should be checked for mites, signs are a dark, crumbly residue inside the ear.

Ear mites can be controlled with ear drops available at any pet store.

The eyes of the cat should be bright and clear; any discharge may indicate illness or infections.

White cats, especially Persians, may show staining around the eyes; this staining can be removed by careful bathing.

Teeth and gums should be observed during regular grooming and should be free of any soreness.

Occasional use of dry food helps clean the teeth. Excessive amounts of tartar may need to be removed by a veterinarian to prevent tooth decay and gum disease.

If claws require trimming, one should be careful not to cut into the pink area of the claw because this causes pain and bleeding.

Specially designed clippers should be used-never use scissors. Cats that are using a scratching post will probably never need their claws trimmed.