Cat skin has sebaceous glands that secrete sebum, a greasy substance. When stressed, the glands shift into overdrive. This makes perfect sense. Many of the calls I receive come from homes in which the owner has either moved recently, just given birth or travels often. These can be high-stress situations for some cats.
Those glands must be pouring out oil when the vacuum cleaner monster invades the living room!
I’d say the answer is no, but if your cat is long-haired AND obese, then the answer is yes.
As long as you have air-conditioning or cross-ventilation and shade, your well-groomed cat should be fine.
A matted cat or a cat who is not regularly combed is a different story.
Mats turn a fur coat into a blanket. Dead fur that builds up over time, unless you comb it away, mixes with living fur. That makes the coat dense and heavy.
A bath will wash away excess oil that makes the fur stick together.
Go for a light, airy coat. If you accomplish that goal, then your cat can enjoy the warmth of summer. If you can’t keep the coat clean and combed, hire someone who can or get a lion-cut for your cat.
Siberian beauty from ForestWind
Excited? Sure you are!
Remember to stop by Petropolis, the cutest pet supply store in New York, conveniently located near Century 21 (ka ching!), the WTC, and Wall Street. I’ll be giving a cat grooming demonstration featuring my lovely assistant, Emma, shown below bulging out of her western-themed harness.
I’ll show you the tricks that allow me to groom cats while remaining unscratched. Yes, it can be done.
Petropolis, 1:00-2:00, Sunday April 14th
Cat grooming demonstration
91 Washington St., NY, NY
t: 212.608.2234
See ya!
Red is my color.
Does this harness come in x-large?
The rain that washed away the dirt on your cat’s fur? Now that’s you.
The mist on her face that cleaned away the grime? Now that’s you.
The branches and leaves that rubbed her skin, tugging away dead fur? Now that’s you.
The tree trunks she scaled that kept her claws short? Now that’s you.
Cats never groomed themselves. Mother Nature groomed them. Now we have to do the job. Or it won’t get done.
Snow washing cats. Branches brushing cats. Photo by Zenera.
I see Belle every week. We share a bond of trust.
I trust her not to hurt me with her kitty weapons (teeth and claws). She trusts me not to hurt her, even when I do things she doesn’t like (claw trims!).
Cats all over the world are shedding gobs of dead fur, as the days lengthen and summer approaches. That means it’s BATH TIME! Whoo hoo!
I bathed Belle in her parent’s great big tub, using the gentlest cat shampoo I could find. Then I towel dried Belle, giving her a vigorous massage at the same time. Next, she rested in the Drying Spa, where I served a snack of Fancy Feast. Finally, she had her “blow out” with my high-velocity dryer. The dryer gets rid of left-over dead fur. Believe me, even after a bath there’s dead fur hanging on by a thread. (The fur is now nestled in my throat.)
Almost bath time.
Checking out the drying spa.
Into the warm, soapy water Belle goes, tail first.
On my lap, rub down & massage with thick, fluffy towels.
In the roomy drying spa with Fancy Feast snack.
Strutting around, proud to be fresh and clean
- I’m so pretty, oh so pretty . . .
Dandruffy fur! Oh no! Off to the tub with you, Miss Emma.
I’ve taken showers with Emma, but this was our first shared bath. It was a meowlicious success.
Don’t try this at home, unless you have a cat like Emma. She’s a marshmallow.
I brush my short-haired cat, Miss Emma, a few times a week. I bathe her every couple of months. Even so, she sheds more than you’d expect.
I brushed her for a few minutes this morning. Here’s the result.
Fur . . . it sheds.
