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Cat Forum / General Topics / August 2004Shave the kitty!
Ok, so I've decided to shave two of my kitties. Problem is - they are not declawed (indoor only), never would I do such a horrid thing to them! They never scratched or hurt anybody, they don't destroy the house (other then the couch but I allowed them to do that in the first place, my fault. Now it's 'their' couch) and they get clipped regularly. However - no groomers will take them to get shaved because they're not declawed. Mind you, they are both extremely peaceful cats, I don't even need help from anybody to get them clipped. But man, they are both HAIRY beasts. Not long hair, but something in the middle. I talked to a friend of mine, and he has it done regularly - helps a ton with hair all over the house and his cat seems to be much happier about it too. One of my cats hacks out furballs on a regular basis, and from what research I've done, it might be very beneficial to both of them. So, I'd like to try to shave them myself. I know they both will let me do that without any fuss. Question is, does anybody out there do it at home as well? What tools do you use? Any recommendation on the 'shaver'? Trim it first? I'd probably want to leave about 1/3rd of an inch of fur on them, and give them the lion cut. Any help/insight much appreciated! >Ok, so I've decided to shave two of my kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >leave about 1/3rd of an inch of fur on them, and give them the lion cut. Any >help/insight much appreciated! Suggestion: Watch an expert do it first. Question: Do you brush and comb them regularly? Yep, of course. They get brushed, clipped, dental check, etc. on regular basis. But that doesn't change the fact I'd love to just plug them into a steamcleaner! Or bathe them in Nair. Or toss them into a washing machine. *for all those people who think I'm serious right now - I'm not! Relax. I've never hurt any of my animals, or done any of the above*. I just patiently use my big steamcleaner all over the house on a regular basis and remove the carpets of hair my 3 kitties produce. *looks for a shaver* > Suggestion: Watch an expert do it first. > Question: Do you brush and comb them regularly? > Yep, of course. They get brushed, clipped, dental check, etc. on regular > basis. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > patiently use my big steamcleaner all over the house on a regular basis > and remove the carpets of hair my 3 kitties produce. *looks for a shaver* If you havent already, you should look into one of those "hairball" foods that has the soy lectins in it. Like night and day for my cats. Used to be one hairball every 3 days for each of them, now one every three months for the longhair and NONE for the shorthairs. (Soy lectins destroy the "stickyness" of the hairballs, so they slide out the other end a little at a time rather than causing issues in the gut.) >Yep, of course. They get brushed, clipped, dental check, etc. on regular >basis. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >> Suggestion: Watch an expert do it first. >> Question: Do you brush and comb them regularly? When my Siamese first adopted me (RB16) she was a terrible shedder. My daughter-in-law said it was the worst she had ever seen. I had been using the store-bought food. I changed to Science Diet and in a short time it made a big difference. Of course, I started the regular brushing too. I feed my current cat Iams and give her daily grooming. She sheds but not to excess. What kind of food do you give your kitty? > Yep, of course. They get brushed, clipped, dental check, etc. on regular > basis. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > patiently use my big steamcleaner all over the house on a regular basis > and remove the carpets of hair my 3 kitties produce. *looks for a shaver* We had our groomer shave our Golden Retriever every year. First year I freaked..felt she had cut it way too short but Mags loved it so that became her summer cut. It is a great way to deal with all the shedding all at once. For a cat...have you asked the vet? They shave them for surgery so maybe they have a technique or perhaps one of the vet techs would be willing to show you how. AG > Yep, of course. They get brushed, clipped, dental check, etc. on regular > basis. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > patiently use my big steamcleaner all over the house on a regular basis > and remove the carpets of hair my 3 kitties produce. *looks for a shaver* I think you have the wrong breed. Maybe you should get yourself a sphynx. Aside from that, although I cannot possibly understand why anyone would want to shave their cat and alter their natural beauty in the first place (aside from medical reasons) - I would get expert advice. One nick with the razor might make them very uncooperative in the future. If you use an electric razor or clipper, you can still nick them or it might pull on the hair. Cats have very sensitive skin. It's not something to dive into without knowledge and advice. -Silver "I love cats because I enjoy my home; & little by little, they become its visible soul." - Jean Cocteau 1889-1963. >Ok, so I've decided to shave two of my kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >regularly. However - no groomers will take them to get shaved because >they're not declawed. *boggle* That's horrific. I'm a groomer and I *prefer* clawed kitties because declawed ones are such biters. Have you talked to any groomers affiliated with a feline hospital? What about calling up your local TICA or ACFA club to see if they know of cat-friendly groomers in your area. *grin* If you're in the DC Metro area I'd be glad to take them. :) >So, I'd like to try to >shave them myself. I know they both will let me do that without any fuss. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >leave about 1/3rd of an inch of fur on them, and give them the lion cut. Any >help/insight much appreciated! With cats closer is better because cat skin is *so* fragile. Closer blades have less space between the teeth, which makes it harder to accidentally catch and nick a fold of skin. Nicking cats is Not Good(tm) because cat skin will tear like wet tissue paper once it is nicked. I use a #15 blade on most cats, or a #40 with clip-on combs for longer cuts but I have been doing this for a good while. Get some experience before you try doing the #40-with-a-comb thing. Get a helper -- having someone else around to help restrain the cat when you get to their bellies is 1000 times safer than trying to do it alone. If at all possible, get a professional to do it for you and/or teach you how to do it. Orchid See Orchid's Kitties! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/bengalpage Want a Purebred Cat? Read This! -- http://nik.ascendancy.net/orchid > Ok, so I've decided to shave two of my kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > done, it might be very beneficial to both of them. So, I'd like to try to > shave them myself. I know they both will let me do that without any fuss. You could try grooming them. Use a fine comb/brush and get *all* the loose fur; comb against the grain even... if they're trusting enough to let you get near them with a buzzing shaver, then they're trusting enough to let you "thatch" them. It could take a few days to actually get all the loose hair out, but then once a week will catch it all. I'm not sure how shaving the cats would help that much more, if even as much. pat > I'm not sure how shaving the cats would help that much more, if even as > much. You would be surprised...and as long as you don't tell them they look funny, they don't know it :-) My dad lives in the desert and he has his long haired done. Rufus is infinitely more comfortable with the short cut in the summer and while brushing, good diet, etc.. is all well in good..nothing removes the hair like a good razor. :-) AG >Question is, does anybody out there do it at home as well? What tools do you >use? Any recommendation on the 'shaver'? I see no reason why a groomer wouldn't do it. I've had my clawed cats groomed before. Generally they will trim their claws before they start grooming them. I suggest finding a groomer who'll do it, who knows how to trim cats then watch them. You have to be careful. I took my dog to a groomer once and they trimmed a nipple off. Seems my dog lunged for the guy, he got the nipple, then she bit the $%&* out of him. I personally use a fine tooth rat comb to pull out any loose hairs. Best to do this in bathroom or outside. I also sometimes just wet a comb with water so you can pull out even more loose hairs. I always trim the butt hair on my long hair cats so they don't get cling-ons. Be sure to treat for fleas or they will scratch out even more hair. Make sure they are on a good diet also. Cats have fur for the same reason you do. I wouldn't recommend shaving a cat unless for medical reasons. If you don't like loose fur, why not get a hamster? > Ok, so I've decided to shave two of my kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > leave about 1/3rd of an inch of fur on them, and give them the lion cut. Any > help/insight much appreciated! > Cats have fur for the same reason you do. I wouldn't recommend shaving a cat > unless for medical reasons. If you don't like loose fur, why not get a > hamster? Harsh. First off, I don't have fur, I have hair...and I do cut it quite often especially in the summer. It's cooler. If your cat doesn't need to wear a fur coat to protect if from the elements it doesn't "hurt" the cat. I doubt they mean shave it down to the skin. It just means making a long haired cat a short haired cat...temporarily. We did the same thing to our dog and she loved it! Much cooler. AG >If your cat doesn't need to wear a fur coat to protect if >from the elements it doesn't "hurt" the cat. I doubt they [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >AG True. Our pampered cats don't need their fur for protection from other beasts and from the cold (not here, where temps reach 100 every summer). You just have to make sure they're not exposed to the sun, their skin will sunburn without fur. My daughter shaves her 2 longhairs every summer. It's amazing how much more playful and contented they are afterwards. I think it makes them feel better. Sherry Sorry,...Wrong. Cat's skin hasn't evolutionarliy developed to not have fur. As can be read elsewhere in the topic, their skin is extremely fragile. The cat's fur/skin system is designed with everything it needs to get it through life. When humans impose their neuroses upon it, it will suffer, due to the rapid change, and ill-equipped defense. You cut your hair, and that's your business (let alone the fact you wouldn't be cutting it so short if you were "in the wild", say paleolithic...). Can you ask a cat whether it would like, or enjoys having short-back & sides? > > Cats have fur for the same reason you do. I wouldn't recommend shaving a > cat [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > AG |
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