Tools for Your Kitten’s Beauty Parlor

Grooming Your New Kitten

Susan Cook Henry

You have brought a new little one into your home, a kitten you have been eagerly awaiting, with much anticipation. Perhaps this is a long-thought-out plan with a breeder, or maybe you visited a shelter and discovered love at first sight. No matter the case, your new bundle of joy will count on you for many things—likely for many years—from nutrition to regular veterinary care, from playtime to bedtime. You will have decisions to make. In addition to those requirements, your kitten will need your help in keeping it looking its best every day.

“But I adopted a shorthair kitten because I don’t want to be bothered with grooming!” Well, you do have an advantage there, as many shorthaired domestic and pedigreed cats keep themselves quite clean and require little maintenance. It is all a matter of coat type and density.

Let us start with the basics:

Clipping claws: If you value your clothing, your rugs, and your furniture, keeping claws trimmed is essential and should be done at least every two weeks. Having a variety of scratching options (both vertical and horizontal) will not only help distract attention to surfaces that do not tolerate claws, but will help keep the nails in good condition. There are options for trimming tools, and the scissor-type or human clippers work best and offer good visibility to avoid clipping into the pink “quick” of the nail, which will cause bleeding. Clipping off the sharp tips close to the quick will leave a blunt end, which better protects furniture and clothing. If your kitten is already used to having its claws trimmed, all the better … and if not, having assistance is a good idea. Training your kitten to be on its back on your lap is helpful, with the scruff of its neck held between your knees or by your assistant, if necessary.

Cleaning ears: Examine your kitten’s ears each week to see if wax or other debris has accumulated. It is not unusual for healthy ears to show some wax between cleanings; however, if any crusty black debris or sores appear, this should be checked by a veterinarian. A commercial ear cleaning solution or mild isopropyl alcohol are best for applying to a small gauze pad and gently swabbing the inside of your kitten’s ears. A cotton swab may be used to reach visible crevices, but it should never be forced into the ear canal.

Cleaning eyes: Most cats’ eyes stay clean with their own grooming habits, although it is normal to find small crusty deposits on the inside corners, which are easily removed with a damp cloth. Some kittens and cats (particularly those with shorter noses) may require extra attention with their more active tear ducts. Normally, gently cleaning with a warm washcloth, a fine gauze, or thin silken cotton pad will remove brown/black debris created by dried tears. Cotton balls or pads are not advised, as they may leave cotton fibers on the corneal surface of the eye, which could lead to irritation. Cleaning at least once or twice daily is essential and will help prevent staining. If stains do appear (particularly below the inside corners of the eye), there are many eye-cleaning/stain-removing products on the market which will help keep your kitten’s eyes sparkling. If you see your kitten winking or you notice the tissues inside the eyelids (the conjunctiva) are swollen or inflamed and tears more evident, it is time to visit your veterinarian.

Caring for the coat: This is where options for grooming tools are many, but are largely dependent on coat length and texture.

• Shorthair: Is your kitten a domestic, with a normal-length fur and no heavy undercoat? Or is it an Oriental-type breed, with a very fine and close-lying coat? Perhaps you have an Exotic, with very dense fur and a heavy undercoat?
• Longhair: A domestic with a semi-long to long coat? Maybe a breed with semi-long but thick and silky coat, such as a Birman? A Maine Coon Cat, with a shaggy coat and a long plume for a tail? Or a Persian with a very long and thick coat, with a huge ruff, standing away from the body – a “high-maintenance” breed indeed!

Other than Oriental breeds (close-lying, silky fur) and Sphynx (close to hairless), nearly all cats have some degree of undercoat, and some thicker than others. That can prove to be a challenge when the hours of daylight lengthen as spring approaches, then summer comes. You may notice small tumbleweeds of soft fur rolling along your uncarpeted floors, or a patina of fur accumulating on rugs, and you will see more on your clothes and furniture, not to mention the cat’s bedding. Kittens may hold onto their kitten coats a little longer, but when they are ready to change into their adult clothes, it can be very noticeable. This is the time to make use of proper combs and brushes for the coat type you will be working with.

 

Combs: Invest in a quality comb of good stainless steel. There are many sources online for grooming products. You will need a wide-toothed comb for a kitten with a long or very dense coat. Be sure the teeth are long enough to get all the way through the coat and down to the skin. Just skimming the surface will allow mats to form closer to the skin, especially in problem areas: the armpits, on the stomach, and between the hind legs. For example, a comb 10-12 inches in length with a combination of wide and narrow teeth at least 1-1.5 inches long is most useful. There is also a smaller version of this type of comb, which is great for legs and fuzzy heads. Some groomers use “flea combs” around the head and ears.

 

Brushes: In general, feline coats do not respond well to natural- or synthetic-bristle brushes, though a boar-bristle brush or “baby brush” can help fluff the leg fur when drying a sensitive kitty with substantial coat. A slicker brush is ideal for many short- and semi-longhaired cats, especially when the tips are rubber-coated. This type of brush can be gently “raked” over a kitten or cat’s back, sides, tummy, and chest, and is very helpful in removing the fur that is ready to come out. Slicker brushes come in different shapes and sizes, and some “self-clean” by ejecting the thick pad of loose fur accumulated during shedding season. Pin brushes also come in different shapes and lengths of pins, which are more useful for longer coats. Use caution with slicker brushes to avoid contacting the skin. The pins are normally short enough to prevent this, and rubber tips are helpful.

 

Grooming gloves may be a better alternative for closer-lying coats. The silicone nubs on the palm side of the gloves will easily slide over the surface of your kitten’s coat, gently removing the loose fur. Like a slicker, a pad of fur accumulates and can be peeled from the silicone side of the gloves. The upside here is “comfort grooming,” where you are stroking/petting your kitten or cat instead of pulling a comb or brush through the coat. Again, coat type and texture will determine whether a grooming glove is the best solution for your kitten.

 

Bathing: It can safely be said that cats who need bathing the most are show cats (and Sphynx)! Presentation is a big part of preparing your kitten or cat for the judging ring, and it generally does not begin the day before a show. However, the vast majority of domestic housecats and some pedigreed pets do not get baths, and if so, rarely. Other Cat Talk articles will discuss nutrition for your kitten, and that is a very important piece of the coat-maintenance puzzle: the better the diet, the better the quality and appearance of a kitten’s or cat’s skin and fur.

Longhaired breeds will benefit from bathing at least once a month, if not more often. If your kitten has been prepared for this from an early age, you are light-years ahead in the process. The easiest way to bathe a kitten or cat is in a deep sink equipped with a hose sprayer faucet/attachment so that YOU are able to stand up. Bathtubs are more problematic in that respect, but are sometimes the only option – and workarounds are common. Getting the fur completely wet is the first step, then lathering once with a diluted, mild detergent or cleansing shampoo is recommended to remove any oils clear down to the skin, which can make the coat separate. After rinsing, a second wash with a moisturizing shampoo should leave the fur feeling squeaky-clean after a thorough rinse. It is very important to rinse completely so no soapy residue remains in the coat. (Draw a few strands of fur out between your fingers. If it “squeaks,” you have done an excellent rinse job.) Squeeze the bulk of the water out of the coat, and have one or two thick towels standing by to start the drying process. Many shorthaired cats will air-dry easily in comfortable indoor temperatures, as will some longer-coated cats. In the latter case, helping the drying process with the aid of proper drying and grooming tools will make the end result much better.  Relatively new on the scene are commercial drying boxes, which allow a kitten or cat to sit comfortably in preset temperatures, with airflow coming from all directions. This is perfect for short-coated cats, but those with longer fur will need some fluffing occasionally during this process and should be combed out completely to separate fur that has dried and clumped together. Otherwise, a handheld dryer will do. Experienced exhibitors will often use forced-air dryers, which force moisture out of the coat while separating the strands of fur, or stand dryers, which allow use of two hands for holding your cat and brushing or combing to separate the fur.

The bathing routine can be as simple or as complicated as you need it to be for your particular kitten, and there are many videos online demonstrating different bathing and drying options. If you have a pedigreed kitten, the breeder is your best resource for how to make your kitten shine its brightest. The ultimate goal is always keeping your kitten or cat free of clumps of loose fur before mats form. Left unchecked, a thick-coated cat with long or short fur can develop mats, and removing them can be time-consuming and uncomfortable. A professional pet groomer and clippers are sometimes the last resort, which allows you a “do-over” as the coat grows out again. Clipping longhaired cats in the warm summer months has become a very popular option, and “lion cuts” are often maintained year-round. It is a personal choice … but choosing to keep your kitten/cat in its very best condition is a personal responsibility.

More information on grooming various CFA pedigreed cats can be found here.