Does a cat need a summer haircut?

Many owners wonder from time to time whether it is worth trimming their cats during hot weather, due to allergies in the household, or simply for aesthetics? The short answer is no, none of these reasons are serious enough to warrant this traumatic procedure.

Grooming for cats is a huge stress that can seriously damage their physical and psychological health. In addition, contrary to popular belief, fur protects furry cats from overheating; without it, cats are much more likely to get heatstroke. If you are concerned that your pet may be hot, it is best to provide him with plenty of fluids and a cool place under an air conditioner or fan.

Also, shaving cats will not affect the owners’ allergies in any way, because it is not provoked by the fur itself, but by skin particles and saliva. It is not a haircut that will help you cope with the disease, but regular wet cleaning of the room and special leave-in shampoos for cats.

Indications for haircut

Grooming of cats is carried out only in extreme cases, when without it the animal will be much worse off:

1. Heavy soiling that cannot be removed by washing.
2. Large tangles that cannot be combed out.
3. Diseases such as ulcers, which are difficult to care for due to long hair.
4. An old cat that can no longer take care of its fur on its own, so it is matted, dirty and smells bad. But here it’s worth looking at the circumstances; perhaps for an old pet, the most gentle procedure will be washing rather than cutting.

How to carry out the procedure

The hair on a cat's head is usually not cut.

1. The cat is fixed on its side by its hind and front legs.
2. If the animal is overly aggressive, a collar is put on the animal to prevent it from biting.
3. First they cut the tangles with scissors, and then take the clipper and continue working on the sides and back.
4. The fur on the paws is removed last, if necessary at all.
5. When working in the abdominal area, exercise maximum caution and carefully avoid the nipples and intimate area. It is better to cut the area around with scissors in advance so that all the delicate parts are clearly visible.
6. The hairstyle is not done on the head; in extreme cases, it can be shaped using thinning scissors.
7. The tail is cut at will and as the hairdresser's imagination allows.

It is not always possible to completely trim an animal at once - do not be upset: even though the procedure will be carried out in several stages, but all participants in the “acting” will remain safe and sound.

After grooming, the cat should be washed and dried with a hairdryer. Although, to avoid unnecessary stress, you can simply wipe your pet with a damp cloth or suede cloth to remove cut and stuck hairs.

In the cool season, the trimmed miracle needs to be provided with a comfortable indoor microclimate without drafts and the possibility of hypothermia.

To cut your cat's hair, you need to choose a moment when he is calm and peaceful. Otherwise, it is better to postpone the event at home. In salons, aggressive cats are put on a special collar and sometimes given anesthetics. For nervous, fearful cats, it is better to avoid trimming or minimize stress by using an at-home cat grooming service.

How are cats cut? To begin with, comb thoroughly. After this, they are laid on their side and held by the paws: front and back. Therefore, if you are planning a large-scale haircut at home, you will need an assistant. Follow this order for cutting the fur:

1. Cut off the tangles with scissors.
2. If you plan to give your cat a full haircut, trim the hair around the nipples and in the groin so as not to injure them later with the clipper.
3. Carefully, bypassing the pre-clipped areas, go over the abdomen with the clipper.
4. After the belly, you can first move to one side, then to the other.
5. At the very end, the back and tail are trimmed.

After cutting, be sure to remove hair from your body. This can be done by wiping the cat with a piece of chamois and blowing it with a hairdryer. Provided she is not afraid of loud noises.

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At home:

• Don't try to cut your cat's hair in one go. To avoid unnecessary stress, the procedure can be repeated after a while and finish what you started;
• Don't groom overly active cats. You simply cannot cope with them at home. In the salon, special sedatives are used for this;
• You can't cut your head. Especially the ears and whiskers of cats;
• To avoid unnecessary injuries when grooming at home, trim your cat's nails.

Important to remember:

1. Taiping or colorpoint colors will not look the same after they grow out. The belly and fur along the spine will be several shades darker than it was.
2. Be prepared that it takes a very long time for the fur to be completely renewed - sometimes more than six months. Cats typically shed twice a year. This is how their body prepares for seasonal temperature changes. This means that it is recommended to cut your hair no more than twice a year. If a kitten needs the procedure, it will grow faster.

How to groom cats correctly

If this unpleasant procedure cannot be avoided, then it is advisable to contact a professional groomer who can perform the haircut as quickly and safely as possible. If this is not possible, then it is worth considering several rules:

1. Find yourself an assistant who will hold and calm the cat; you can’t handle this alone. Don't forget to trim your cat's claws beforehand.
2. Take a clipper with a nozzle of at least 3 mm and very carefully start cutting from the sides, then continue on the back, belly and under the tail. Under no circumstances should you touch the hair on the ears and whiskers.
3. Remaining fur can be removed with round-tipped scissors.
4. After cutting, be sure to comb your pet with a slicker brush and wipe with a damp towel.

The most popular haircut is the “lion”, when the hair is left on the paws, head and tip of the tail, and only the body is shaved. This is the optimal haircut that will preserve the animal's whiskers and prevent the cat from biting its hairless tail.

Does a cat need a summer haircut?

You can, of course, help fight the heat this way. But will your pets thank you for this?

Photo: PHOTOXPRESS

It all started with a post on Facebook. A friend reported: “With trepidation I imagine Kisa in a new image. My wife cut my hair while I was away. Because she was suffering from the heat and the wool was already hanging in the air of the apartment. In the special salon they warned that Kisa was very comfortable this way, but under no circumstances should you laugh at her. Otherwise, psychological trauma is possible. And indeed, Kisa is very pleased, but sometimes she looks inquisitively. How, they say? We assure her that she is the most beautiful cat in the world. (But funny - creepy.).” And then there’s a photo of a short-haired Kitty with a fluffy ball at the end of her tail.

Immediately there were comments: you can’t cut her hair like that, she has vibrissae (tactile hairs with nerve endings) all over her body, so the cat after such a procedure is a tactile-sensory disabled person. After all, they are on the paws too, and all over the body. And the biggest ones are on the face.

ANIMAL BARBER

This discussion really excited me for the following reason: the other day I cut my guinea pig Vasya’s hair. Also for reasons of humanism: it’s summer after all, the little one will get some relief. Vasily is long-haired, his sides are seriously matted and “overgrown” with tangles. Also a good reason for a haircut. I cut my hair, and then got scared: what if I can’t? What if guinea pigs also have these, what’s their name... vibrissae?

And in order to find out everything and not be afraid anymore, I called Alexander Petrov, a veterinarian at the Animal Repair clinic:

“Animals can be safely cut; it won’t hurt them.” Even cats. In summer, a hygienic haircut is sometimes even necessary. After all, the wool becomes matted, diaper rash appears, and also tangles in which parasites appear. The worst thing that can happen from a haircut is skin irritation from the hairdressing clipper. But it will pass. And the animal may also feel uncomfortable immediately after the procedure, when the cut fur is prickly. Therefore, we recommend that you wash your pet after grooming.

Another important advice from the veterinarian: after a very short haircut, protect the bare skin of your four-legged friend from the sun. Cover with a cape and do not let it out into the open sun. When the fur grows to 3 - 5 mm, sunburn is no longer a problem.

Comfortable and not hot

It is especially difficult in the summer for furry animals - Persian cats or Spitz dogs; it is even recommended to cut them. Dogs are usually scheduled to see a groomer (animal hairdresser) once every 2-3 months, cats - a little less often. Cats are also often brought in to be combed (after this procedure, the apartment will be free of fur for a couple of weeks).

“Rarely does a dog or cat get a haircut with pleasure,” says Natalya Yamshchikova, groomer at the Ricci salon. “We try to “come to an agreement,” communicate, reassure, sometimes we put a muzzle on the dog, a collar on the cat and wrap its paws, asking the owner to hold the pet. My advice is to get your animals cut in a salon. At home they are the masters and begin to defend the territory, but in the cabin they are calmer. And remember that for a dog or cat, any procedure - cutting, coloring, combing - is a serious stress, so be there to calm your pet.

You may be laughing: stress? in dogs and cats? But in vain, by the way. Look at the shorn animal: at first he behaves like a person who finds himself naked on the street. Then, however, he gets used to his new appearance.

Poodle is a lion

Poodles provide the greatest scope for dog barbers: even the standard show haircut (with a “lion’s” mane and pompoms on the tail) looks very extravagant, and there are also options for treating paws and ears... But if for poodles this is all in the order of things, then, Let's say a short-haired chow-chow looks, frankly, stupid. And, apparently, she understands this very well. It is not recommended to cut some dogs, no matter how hot it is: bobtails, collies. But spaniels, West Highland terriers, and Yorkies still have to be taken into the hands of groomers from time to time, so in the summer they can simply be cut shorter than usual.

What types of cat haircuts are there?

Cat grooming can be divided into show and domestic. The purpose of home grooming is to make caring for your pet easier. Popular haircuts for domestic cats are summer, “puss in boots” and “French lion.”

The “French Lion” is the cutting of fur on the entire body to a length of 2-3 mm. The hind legs are cut to the hock, and the front legs to the elbow. The tail is cut to a third. The head and mane are carefully trimmed using scissors. The remaining haircuts are a modified French haircut - there is no mane, a small brush remains on the tail, or, on the contrary, it is left untouched. Leaving the tail completely bald is not recommended.

Show haircuts are designed to enhance the beauty of a cat. Usually the coat is shortened slightly on the sides and belly. Show cat haircuts are performed by a groomer. There are several varieties: modern, harlequin, continental, etc.

What to expect after a haircut

Despite the benefits of grooming for cats, especially those with thick, long hair, there are also negative consequences of this procedure. These points are mainly associated with changes in the structure of the coat. Thus, in tipped and colorpoint breeds, the coat that grows back after trimming becomes two or even four shades darker.

After being trimmed, cats' fur grows back slowly and may never reach its original length.

It is also important that after machine processing of cat fur:

• the fur coat may become thinner and shorter;
• the hairs in the first week after cutting (especially with a 1 mm length nozzle) will be hard and prickly;
• the likelihood of skin damage increases (during playing or scratching, after a long stay in the sun).

In my opinion, grooming a cat is a tedious procedure not only for the owner, but also for the animal. Therefore, it is better not to experiment with your pet unless unnecessary. Being the owner of both long-haired cats and medium-length purring cats, I have always limited myself to thorough combing.

With proper care, machine treatment of a pet is not so necessary and is a last resort. And exotic lovers would do well to pay more attention to the psychological comfort of their pet. After all, curly haircuts take a lot of energy from a cat. For mobile or too independent “touchy people”, I would rather not change their image at all.

How often should cats be groomed?

The cutting procedure should be carried out depending on the rate of hair growth. On average, the coat grows in 3-6 months. Therefore, you need to cut your cat’s hair no more than two or three times a year.

When grooming is done more often:

1. A model haircut can be carried out more than 2-3 times a year, but it is necessary to take into account the season, the health of the pet and the condition of the coat.
2. Hygienic and therapeutic haircuts, including haircuts for mats, are carried out as needed.

It takes an average of six months for a cat to grow new fur. The exact period depends on the breed, age, health and general condition of the animal. It is advisable to carry out a full haircut 2-3 times a year, and remove matted wool and tangles as necessary. It will be much easier for your cat to take care of neat and trimmed fur on its own.

Let's go to the grooming salon

When the owner of a furry purr does not have enough skills and opportunities to groom the animal on his own, a decision is made to change the image of the pet by the masters of the grooming salon.

Grooming experts will do the job efficiently and quickly, with minimal discomfort for the cat.

When deciding to take your pet to the cat barber, you should remember the following nuances:

• During the trip, the cat may become agitated and behave aggressively in the future;
• the cost of a haircut depends on the type of hairstyle - model ones are more expensive than hygienic ones (the latter cost from 1-1.5 thousand rubles);
• the result depends not only on the skill of the groomer, but also on the condition of the animal’s coat;
• If the master is unable to cope with a frightened pet, a sedative injection may be offered, which does not have the best effect on the health of the purr.

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The best way to change the appearance of your pet is to call a grooming specialist to your home. After all, in a familiar environment, it will be easier for the animal to endure the grooming procedure with minimal stress. And a professional hairdresser will not harm the cat, delicately removing excess hair from the most difficult and sensitive areas.

What tool is needed for cutting

Grooming cats is done with two tools - a clipper and scissors. A nice and neat haircut can be achieved by alternating both tools in different areas. It is convenient to use scissors to trim what is left after the device. Cutting long hair with scissors is time-consuming and traumatic, and the result is not always neat.

Select scissors of medium size with sharp edges and rounded ends. The machine does not injure the cat, it is comfortable to work with and will require less time. My only wish is to choose a model with minimal noise so as not to frighten your pet. When working with a human machine, it is difficult to achieve straight lines. It is better to purchase a special device. For long and thick wool, its power should be at least 45 W.

Additionally, for a haircut you will need:

1. Fine-tooth comb
2. Hydrogen peroxide for skin cuts
3. A place for cutting, such as a small table
4. An old towel as a bedding to collect the wool in and throw away
5. Cat entertainment toy