Grooming Tips for Long-Haired Cats

Long-haired cats have it tougher than other cats when it comes to grooming and fur maintenance. As long-haired cats become more elderly they also tend to get more matted fur and clean less often due to laziness and lack of energy to be as adamant about cleaning. Your long-haired cat will have digestive issues and more hairballs if you do not groom your cat at least 3 to 5 minutes daily.

Brushes for Long-Haired Cats

You should not use just a boar bristle brush on a long-haired cat, as this type of soft brush will not adequately remove loose hairs from your cat. While the soft bristles might make for a nice massage that helps to spread the oils in your cat’s fur, it does not help your cat with hairballs as much as a wire slicker brush will.

Wire slicker brushes are helpful with removing loose hairs because they go deeper into the fur and collect the hairs inside the wires. This will help significantly reduce or eliminate hairballs for your elderly cat and will help prevent or remove matted fur tufts due to a lack of grooming.

Daily Routine for Brushing Your Cat

Cats, especially elderly cats, enjoy routines when it comes to feeding and grooming (as well as waking, if you have experience with accurate cat alarms). You should set aside a specific time for about 5 minutes daily for grooming your cat. Use a wire slicker brush for the first 3 to 4 minutes, and then smooth out the fur and oils with a bristled brush for about 1 to 2 minutes. If you enjoy grooming your cat, feel free to spend more time bonding through the grooming sessions.