Is It Okay To Shave A Cat?

Well, it is okay to shave off the fur of your cat. If you’re dealing with a cat with certain skin diseases and wounds, shaving will make it easy for you to apply topical medication. Also, it will help in better cleaning of your cat. More often than not, cats need shaving before they go into surgery for more or less the same reasons. If your cat’s fur becomes hopelessly and completely matted, the only recourse may be shaving.

During the hotter and warmer times of the year, it is good to get your cat’ summer shaved’. This will help Meow to shed less and remain cool. Also, the fur will be less tangled. It is best to let the shaving business be done by a professional, but there is nothing wrong with doing the task on your own. If you decide to take hold of the shaving machine, ensure that you leave around ½-inch or more of fur. This will ensure that your cat’s coat remains alive and thus retains its very-important insulation properties. 

Why The Cat Shave Is Necessary

During the wintertime, your cat’s coat ensures that its bearer is kept warm. When summer approaches (and it is usually blazing hot), you may start thinking about when and whether your feline needs a shave.

As noted in the kicker at the start, your pet’s coat’s primary job is thermoregulation. So, the coolness of your cat is highly dependent on their furred cat. Typically, cats are shaped to care for their fur’s cleanliness and general personal grooming.

However, there are cases where the fur does not do its job the way it’s supposed to. To exemplify, obese or overweight cats that suffer from joint pains might no longer be mobile and strong enough to groom themselves. In such kind of cases, getting the said cat shaved will help in keeping it spotlessly clean.

Another cat problem that may warranty shaving is severe matting. If your pet’s coat has matting all over, it becomes painful for the cat to do personal grooming. So, you may need to assist your pet in removing all the matting. Other pet parents will choose to shave their cats to deal with the matting and take care of allergies and excessive shedding.

You should know that cat shaving may not be a pleasant experience for your pet. It may be stressful and painful. Professional pet groomers sometimes have it rough when doing the shaving. This may twitch things to the right if the cat has never shaved before or if its coat is matted extremely. In the latter case, removing the affected parts will definitely be painful for the cat.

Now that we have clearly established that it is okay to shave a cat, it is time to delve deeper into the activity’s nuances. If you want to take the shaving up as a DIY, stick around until the last word. You will get the richest and most up-to-date information regarding cat shaving.

The Ins And Outs of Cat Shaving – Tools And Supplies, Styles, Steps, And Post-Shave Care

The grass is greener on this side, between these lines. In this mega section, you will know what you need, how to do, and what to do in the cat shaving activity. Before you go on reading, the following table boils down everything, just in case you are in a rush:

The Ins And Outs
Tools And Supplies	Styles	Steps
Gloves Clippers Combs Brushes Detangling Spray Old towel or newspapers	Sanitary cut Belly shave cut Lion cut Comb cut Panther cut	Choose a Location Get the Cat Brushed Ensure that the Pet is Calm Start with both Firmness and Gentleness

The Tools And Supplies

Here, you will get the necessary equipment needed to prepare if you’re thinking and planning to do the shaving at home. For the safety of your pet, avoid any tools that are designed to be used on humans.

With the right grooming tools and supplies, it will be easy for you. Your pet will experience little or no pain and stress.

1. Gloves

Even if the cat is docile, shaving is likely to prove stressful to them. Actually, it can cause your cat to display aggressive behavior. So, it would be a good thing if you were protected against possible bites and scratches. Ensure that you pick thick gloves that will effectively protect your hands.

Also, ensure that your forearms are not left bare – they should also be protected. So, get something that has long sleeves. If you feel apprehensive and think that your cat will explore, get several layers of protective clothing.

2. A Clipper For Pet Hair

Perhaps, this is the most crucial tool that you will require when doing the shaving. So, it is a brilliant idea to go for the best – a high-quality clipper that may need you to dig a little deeper into your pockets. Whichever choice you make, ensure that it is designed for pets only.

The clippers’ blades should be sharp so that the hair trimming is easy. If you choose a clipper with dull blades, your pet is likely to go through a lot of pain.

Also, ensure that the clippers you choose are not loud or don’t make any extreme buzzing sounds. These would cause lots of unneeded and unnecessary distractions. Since you need the animal to remain still, make the right choice.

Finally, the clipper you choose should not heat up quickly. Your pet’s skin is sensitive, and any heated touch may cause burns. Also, get an item that has a safety feature. This will prevent you from nicking the very-sensitive skin of your pet.

3. Combs And Brushes

Before firing the clipper and getting it buzzing, it is a brilliant idea to brush your cat’s fur. While brushes will help remove dead and loose hair, metal combs will work their way around breaking up mats.

Mat combs are also beneficial in that they cut the matted hair as the groomer comb’s through the pet’s coat.

4. A Detangling Spray For Cat Hair

This product comes second to the clippers and is an excellent investment to take care of your cat’s needs. The product you choose should be easy to apply – you only need to spray it on the matted hair then proceed to comb the matting out. The product can be used anytime you detect any kind of matting on the coat of your pet.

5. Old Newspapers Or Towels

The area you will be working on needs to be covered, and these two are merely options. The newspaper or towel will ensure that the work area is protected from any scratches. Also, the materials will make your shaving neater since cleaning after will not be hectic.

The Styles Of Cat Shaving

There are several cat shaving styles that you can choose from. Each type has its merits and demerits. To select your style, take into consideration the reason why you are shaving your feline.

If you’re grooming your cat for the first time, leave aesthetics aside and focus on doing the easy stuff. You may choose a style based on a flashy outcome only to mess up everything.

Here are the styles for you to pick – you’re spoilt for choice! 

1. The Sanitary Clip Style

As its name suggests, the shape and form of this clipping style are entirely on hygiene. In the sanitary clipping style, the focus is on trimming the area surrounding the genitals of your pet. This shaving style is beneficial for elderly and overweight cats who can no longer clean or groom those sensitive parts. It is also known as the hygiene cut.

This style is a practical way of ensuring that matting does not happen. Also, it helps to deal with the little clumps that may get stuck in the genital areas of your cat.

2. The Belly Shave Style

If yours is a long-haired cat, this style is an excellent and practical workout. The area where you find a lot of matting is the belly one. It is important to note that the hair around the belly area is quite sensitive. This means that removing the (matted) hair may be painful sometimes for cats. Many pet parents opt out of a belly shave.

In this shaving style, the area shaven is around the belly while the other parts of the cat’s coat are left unshaved. Like the sanitary clip style, this cut is impressively hygienic since it takes care of the hair sticking around the genitals and between the rear legs.

For pet parents who are doing this shaving business for the first time, this style may prove challenging. This because any errors made may make the cat behave erratically. Remember that the hair in the belly area is quite sensitive.

3. The Lion Cut

This is perhaps the most famous cat shaving style. The cut makes your warm and gentle feline look like a bold, fearless, and ferocious lion. Also, it ensures that matting and shedding are reduced. With the lion cut, close shaving is done in most of the cat’s body hair. However, the fur that sits on the legs, neck, shoulders remains long.

The cute thing about this clipping style is that you can decide to shave off your cat’s tail hair, well, except for its end part. This will make the cat have something remotely close to a lion’s tail. Cat types like Maine Coons and Persians are given this type of clipping to prevent the matting of their long fur.

4. The Comb Cut 

Like others on this list, this cutting style is trendy. Also, it can be likened to the lion cut. If you decide to do a comb cut, there won’t be a need to shave your pet’s fur entirely off. Instead, you will trim the hair on your cat’s back and leave the rest of the coat long. The comb cut will help to prevent matting and shedding.

5. The Panther Cut Style

If you’re looking for extreme styles to take on, this is the one for you. You will need to do the shaving for the entire cat’s body. The fur that you will leave long is that of the legs and the head. If your cat is suffering from severe matting, this is the best style to take on.

The Steps In Cat Shaving

At this point, you have the supplies with you, and you know what shaving style to take on. It is now time to get the business rolling. If you are a cat parent and want to know how to shave a matted cat, here are some easy to follow steps.

NB: It is a great idea to get more hands to the job. You may need to hold the cat down, and I’m sure that you’re not an arachnid.

1. Choose A Location

It would help if you chose with care. The surface needs to be flat so that the cat lies down comfortably.

Remember that there is going to be lots of hair around when you finish. That is why you shouldn’t forget the old newspaper or towels. Apart from collecting the shaved-off hair, the materials will help the floor area to remain unscratched.

The best choice for this kind of grooming is a bathroom – it is easy to clean after compared to the carpeted living room.

2. Get the Cat Brushed

Before you turn the clippers on, ensure that the cat’s hair is thoroughly brushed. This activity will ensure that the clumps and dirt from the cat’s fur are removed. You will also get to understand the problem areas, particularly where matting has hit severely.

3. Ensure That The Pet Is Calm

While you are brushing the cat, you can talk to them soothingly. They may not get the point, but it will help them remain still. This will help to deal with the agitation that may come when shaving starts.

4. Start With Both Firmness And Gentleness

To start, identify any loose skin by looking at your pet’s neck. If you do, grip it firmly. Whoever has the clippers can start running them. This should be done whenever both of you are ready. Also, ensure that the skin is pulled taut before the shaving business starts.

Then, it is best if you start the shave from the top and go downwards. As you do, remember always to be careful, especially when dealing with sensitive areas.

The clippers should always be moved in the direction that follows the fur’s lie. If you do it in the opposite direction, the chances are that the clipper will snag your cat’s skin. This is not good news as the cat will feel painful and could throw itself into a fit of aggression.

Always Remember

Be careful when doing the shave. If anything happens and you hurt the cat, consider taking them to the vet for medical attention.