Get Your Persian cat used to grooming from kittenhood
Persian cats are known for their sweet and well-behaved nature. Nonetheless, they are not always in the mood for a grooming session. You will find below our recommendations to make the ritual pleasant.
It is ideal to get Persian cats used to grooming from kittenhood. If you are adopting a Persian kitten, start their grooming routine as soon as possible to have them accustomed to it. Don’t miss sessions. Establish a routine and stick to it. Cats do not like sudden changes in their daily lives. By following a schedule, you will avoid stress on your cat. Opt for the right time and place. For example, right after a meal or before their regular naptime, are generally the best moments to groom them. You can use cat treats, healthy ones of course, if you think your cat responds well to them, in order to distract them and feel rewarded for behaving well.
It is a natural instinct for Persian cats to groom themselves. Nevertheless, their thick and long luxurious hair requires more upkeep than any other cats as they can only reach the top layers of their fur. Without regular grooming, they tend to develop knots around their ears, legs, belly and collar. Avoid any painful skin irritation by grooming them twice to three times a week. Your furry baby will appreciate your help to keep his fur beautiful, soft and healthy.
In case you get your Persian cat at a later age, try to pick a time when your cat is calm and relaxed. Give him a lot of loving and gentle petting first and then replace your hands with a soft brush. He will feel as if you are still petting him. Repeat this routine several days in a row, before introducing a large metallic comb or any other grooming tools. Little by little, this will become an established grooming session for your adult Persian cat and makes your work easier.
6 steps for Persian cat grooming process:
- How do I brush my Persian cat?
- How do I bathe my Persian cat?
- How do I clean my Persian cat’s ears?
- How do I clip my Persian cat’s claws?
- How do I clean my Persian cat’s eyes?
- How do I trim my Persian cat’s backside area?
1. How do I brush my Persian cat?
As we mentioned earlier, it is quite important to brush your cat regularly as their undercoat tends to knot easily. Making sure those knots don’t develop into mats will avoid pain to your furry companion. We like to begin brushing our own Persian cats with a rubber bristles brush, to relax our cats and make the brushing session an enjoyable one. This is a go-to grooming tool with flexible rubber bristles that are long enough to provide soothing stimulation. This gentle brush not only combs the body, tail, head and throat but glides easily in order to untangle its fur for a flowing finish. Together you will experience a true relaxing moment!
To detangle their coat, use a two-sided brush structure that consists of one side composed of horse hair and the other side is thin stainless steel bristles with rounded ends, so you can not hurt your cat skin. The rounded brush with a nice elastic handle has rubber brittles and its thermoplastic rubber feature (TPR) allows a very gentle untangling massage for your Persian cat. Every item is so light that it will facilitate your grooming. It will keep your Persian cat fur looking great, gently pulling out loose hair, evens out its coat and a wire bristle side for thick fur. It will help remove any knotted fur. This brush is the perfect combo for your cat to maintain healthy fur. Start at the back of your cat’s head and slowly work your way down to the tail. Pay special attention to the belly, behind their ears and armpits, where you may find knots. Use quick, yet gentle, strokes. This way, you will get rid of extra hair and knots.
To prevent matting, we recommend you to use a short metallic comb on their legs and strategic, more sensitive areas such as ears, armpits and belly. Do not forget to brush their skull with this short comb. This double sided comb is not too big and not too small, to gently remove loose cat hair from front and back legs and its tail as well. The two sides can be used whether you wish to remove just some hair or achieve a deeper brushing. Your cat will appreciate your cautiousness to ensure he is not being hurt while being brushed.
Continue the brushing until there is almost no more hair on either the brush or comb. Plan to spend a few minutes every day removing the top flowing hair. You will witness soon how his fur becomes soft, healthy and looking its best. Your furry baby will appreciate those quality moments with you.
2. How do I bathe my Persian cat?
It is well-known that Persian cats are no big fans of water. By bathing them regularly, you will avoid having an uncomfortable experience. Bathing your Persian cat once a month is essential for this specific breed. Their long hair tends to develop grease, dirt and dead skin flakes into the deeper coat. Ask your veterinarian the best shampoo and conditioner appropriate for them. Make sure you have brushed and removed all knots before bathing them.
Before you begin their bath, prepare all the material you need by the sink or tub such as shampoo, conditioner, several thick and soft towels and an air blow dryer set up on low dry.
Before bringing your cat, fill up the sink or tub up to 4 in (10 cm) with warm water. Not too cold nor too hot. After all the preparation is done, gently place your cat into the water, pet them, talk to them, make them feel as safe as possible. Some cats will either love it or hate it. So be patient with your baby, especially if it is his first experience.
Start Without Cat Shampoo
Do not use shampoo right away. Holding them firmly, begin by the tail, wet their fur little by little, working your way up until their head. Watch out how your baby reacts. If he does feel nervous, talk to him in a soothing voice until he calms down. That’s the perfect moment to use the shampoo. Dilute with water and pour the solution in the palm of your hand and apply by gentle strokes, like massaging their body, first on the upper coat to reach the deeper one. Always begin from his tail up to his head. Be very careful around their eyes, noise and mouth and avoid the shampoo to get inside those. You can very carefully place some cotton balls at the entrance of their ears to prevent the water from getting into them. Take advantage of this bathing session to clean their eyes. Due to their flat face, Persian cats are prone to improper tear drainage that causes discharges. Carefully use damp cotton balls on the outside rim of each eye.
Once their body is entirely shampooed, you must rinse it thoroughly. Your cat body must be entirely into the water with their head above to achieve a perfect rinsing.
Use A Vet Cat Conditioner
To get the perfect result, use a vet recommended conditioner. This will help later during your brushing routine to prevent knots and provide the smoothest texture of fur.
Follow the same steps as the shampoo process until your cat is totally rid of the conditioner. Empty your sink or tub.
To reward your cat, before drying his coat, you can give him a healthy treat.
Dry Your Persian cat
Then with a towel big enough to wrap the entire body of your furry baby, remove as much water as possible by running your hands up and down his fur. Avoid rubbing strokes as this would get his coat tangled up. Set your blow dryer on a low or medium set. To make this step more comfortable for you and your cat, you can sit either on the floor or on a couch with your cat laying on a thin towel on your lap. This will provide you control of his moves as most cats do not like loud noises.
Use the blow dryer the same way you would for your own hair. Position the blow dryer about 4 to 5 inches away from his fur to avoid burning his skin. Begin by their tail and work your way up to his head. Use your fingers to speed up the drying process. Always keep in mind to move your hands as if you were giving him a massage. It is the ideal way to keep your cat calm and safe in your care. To finalize these bathing steps, use a large comb to even out his now shiny and soft fur.
Congratulations on a job well done!
3. How do I clean my Persian cat’s ears?
Get from your veterinarian an ear cleaner solution. Never ever use any cotton swabs. Persian cats’ ears are extremely fragile. Pour only a few drops at the entry of his ear. Let it sit for a few minutes and use a cotton ball to gently remove the wax. Do not get too deep, just clean out the entrance. If you see any wounds, redness or feel your Persian cat is in need of a deeper cleaning, make an appointment with his veterinarian.
Always check your cat’s ears once a month and clean if it is necessary.
4. How do I clip my Persian cat’s claws?
Persian cats have large and round paws, carrying five claws in front and four in their back paws. Just clip the white part of the nail as the pink area contains blood vessels and nerves.
By clipping this pink part, your cat will experience pain and could develop an infection. Always use an appropriate cat nail clipper with a curved edge. Do not use scissors nor a pocket knife with a straight blade. Always have some styptic powder handy. In case you accidentally cut the pink area, the powder will immediately stop the bleeding. Hold it against the wound for about 10 to 15 seconds.
Before you begin clipping his claws, rehearse with your cat by massaging every single paw and gently put a little pressure on it to witness the claw emerging. Doing this every other day will get your cat used to this practice.
Establish a routine to clip your Persian cat’s claws every 3 weeks. Pick a time when you feel your baby is relaxed such as after a meal or a nap. Massage each paw before clipping the white part of your Persian cat’s claw.
If you feel your cat being nervous, either ask someone to hold him or do the 5 front claws one day and the 4 back ones the next day. Again, you can reward your cat for his cooperation with a healthy treat.
NEVER EVER declaw your cat! Your cat will be crippled and defenseless as declawing is cutting off a finger at the last knuckle.
5. How do I clean my Persian cat’s eyes?
The Persian breed is known as Brachycephalic breed, which literally means “short head” and a flat face compared to other domestic cats. Their morphology causes issues with crusty stains resembling dark reddish-brown discoloration and may cause eye irritation and affect their field of vision. Tear stains are hard to get rid of.
We highly recommend you buy a tear stain remover solution from your veterinarian as other ones bought from stores are not always safe or appropriate for the Persian cat breed.
To eliminate those stains, pour the veterinarian recommended solution over a cotton pad and gently wipe away from the outside rim of their eyes. Avoid getting any solution inside their eyes as doing so will irritate and cause more stains in the future. You may also use either a tiny plastic comb or a child’s toothbrush with soft bristles to sweep away the dry crust before using the solution. Do not pull on their eyelids.
We know by experience every Persian cat is different. Some just get little stains and others are prone to develop those daily crusty stains, almost looking as if they forgot to remove their mascara. So depending on your own Persian cat, adjust the eye cleaning routine accordingly. It could be daily or just once a week.
6. How do I trim my Persian cat’s backside area?
Persian cats’ long hair can become problematic when it comes to the topic of the litter box. To avoid a mess around your home and for sanitation and hygiene for your cat, it is necessary to trim their fur around their anuses. Persians sometimes get feces stuck on their backside. As this area is highly sensitive for your furry baby, ask someone to hold your cat while you trim this area with scissors. Do not forget to remove hair at the base of their tail as well.
If you do not feel comfortable doing it or are afraid to hurt your cat, our best advice is to have a professional groomer shave your Persian cat’s fur.
By doing it once a month, you will keep your Persian cat comfortable and happy.
