A lot of people think that cats don’t need any help with grooming and maintaining their personal hygiene at a high level. It’s a logical conclusion after all because cats lick themselves all over quite often. While it’s true that they love to keep themselves clean, it’s also true that sometimes, they don’t really do a good enough job, meaning they need a bit of help with it.
Cats that are overweight, as well as cats that are old, definitely need to be groomed regularly because they can’t reach all areas of their body when they are cleaning themselves, which leads to accumulation of bacteria on those untreated areas. But perfectly healthy cats also require proper grooming from time to time. Brushing, washing, or clipping their hair certainly makes them prettier, as well as healthy and comfortable.
Most cats don’t mind being groomed and won’t fiddle around much while you’re trying to do groom them which means that the entire process shouldn’t be a difficult task to complete by yourself. You can take them to a professional as well, it’s your choice.
If you wish to save a bit of money in the long run and have a bonding activity with your favorite pet, then you should go with home grooming. You will need adequate tools for it though because you wouldn’t want to harm your cat accidentally just because the equipment malfunctioned at the wrong time. That’s precisely why you must have the best possible cat grooming tools at your disposal.
And that’s exactly why we’re here, to help you make the right choice. and buy the best tools and complete your cat grooming kit. So sit back, relax, and check out what we have prepared for you.
Cat coat types
Before we start talking about grooming tools and listing out the best models for you, let’s just take a second to mention the subject of the grooming process. Cat coats. Obviously, cats have different kinds of coats which means they all have different grooming needs as well. Having said that, let’s see the three main types of cat coat.
Hairless coat type
People who have a very refined sense of beauty like these cats the most. A lot of people consider them ugly but that’s just too harsh. They aren’t ugly, they’re just peculiar and uncommon, that’s all.
Cats with this kind of coat actually aren’t hairless. Their hair is just very thin and short, making it seem like they don’t exist. Brushing and clipping is obviously out of the question but regular baths are extremely necessary. Since these cats practically don’t have a coat, the oil which is naturally produced by the skin can’t gather on the hair so it stays on the skin, making it greasy and demanding a bath relatively quickly. These cats don’t like hot or cold temperatures so they shouldn’t be kept in very cold or very hot environments. Staying out in the sun for a longer time period is also a bad idea because they easily get sunburns due to the fact that they have no protection in the form of a coat.
Short haired coat type
This is the most common type cat coat and it’s also the one which is the easiest to take care of, as far as grooming goes. Occasional brushing and washing is required with healthy cats while the older or a bit fatter individuals require such grooming more often.
Long haired coat type
These cats have an absolutely beautiful, stunning coats that make all who see them praise them, including people who don’t really like cats that much. But that beauty doesn’t come cheap. Keeping such a coat in top condition requires a lot of grooming work, from brushing and washing, to trimming and nourishing. If you aren’t ready for a responsibility of that caliber, it’s best to avoid getting yourself a long haired cat.
The grooming tools
With all that in mind, it’s time we start talking about the actual grooming tools and show you the top picks we have prepared for you.
The deshedding tool
We’ll start our list with the most important tool in the cat grooming category. Since almost all cats shed their hair, it’s important to try and keep those loose strands on a leash by removing them and disposing of them properly. If you let them sit inside the coat for a long time, they will probably get entangled with the hair strands that aren’t loose, which will make their removal far more difficult. Such mats can also cause some health issues because they represent an ideal environment for bacteria accumulation. However, your can isn’t the only one who’ll benefit from using a deshedding tool. If you take care of excess cat hair with it, you won’t have to deal with them sticking onto your furniture, floor, and clothes as much.
They come in a lot of shapes, sizes, and price ranges so choosing a proper model might be tad annoying and time-consuming. Lucky for you, we’re here to help you out and recommend a suitable product. This deshedding tool is one of the best you can find so do check it out.
However, in a few rare cases, you might need to trim the cat’s fur – if, for example, the cat’s fur is badly matted. We would highly recommend you to use professional grooming service as these people have the right tools and lots of experience. If this is not possible, you can try using cat grooming clippers or scissors. Just be extra careful and always make sure to have a clear visual of the area or you can badly cut your cat.
The brush – glove model
Brushing your cat’s coat is basically as important as ridding it of loose hair strands is so it must not be overlooked or neglected. Whether they have a long haired coat or a short haired coat, the reason for brushing remains the same. Hair strands tend to stick to each other over time but also get a bit curly as well. By using a brush, you can separate them neatly and straighten them out as much as possible. This will make it look a lot more beautiful and healthier. Also, you’ll gently massage the very skin underneath the coat which doesn’t only feel nice for your cat but also allows you to remove all of the dead skin cells that sit on top of it.
All cats love it when you pet them but not all of them like being brushed, or more precisely, being brushed with an ordinary brush. Since it’s for their own good, outsmarting them by using a glove brush is a perfectly fine solution for this problem. They won’t object because you’ll be petting them, and you’ll be able to perform the necessary grooming process just as well as you would with a regular brush.
This massage glove does a great job and it looks nothing like a plain brush so your cat won’t distrust it for sure.
The mat removing tool
Sometimes mats occur, no matter how much you tried to prevent them from appearing. But worry not, there’s an easy way for you to get rid of them, without having to take your cat to a professional groomer. First, try using a mat removing tool and gently try to remove the mats. In case this is not possible, you can try using clippers or scissors, but definitely make sure the skin underneath is flat or else you can badly cut your cat.
Be extremely careful, especially if your purring friend has an extra-long fur though as you could easily end up cutting your cat’s skin and causing a serious injury.
Instead, try using this mat removing comb we have picked out for you. Be gentle and patient with it and you’ll untangle those mats in no time.
The self grooming post
We know that cats prefer to do things by themselves, as far as taking care of their personal hygiene goes, so it’s not a bad idea to let them do exactly that. Because of this, some wise person somewhere invented self-grooming posts. These posts look a lot like your regular scratching post but it has brush-like protrusions all over it. All you have to do is to just put it in next to your cat’s usual resting place and leave it be. Your cat will come up to it every now and then and rub itself against it, thus brushing its own coat.
Here’s our recommendation, go ahead and see if you like it.
The nail clippers
Just because you have a cat doesn’t mean you should have ruined furniture as well. If you don’t cut their nails regularly, your cat will try to take care of them on its own by scratching whatever seems adequate.
If you clip them, however, your furniture will survive. Take a look at this pair of clippers, they’re one of the best around.
The waterless bath
Most cats hate water, that’s a well known fact, but even so, they must be washed when they get dirty of start giving off a funky scent. Forcing them into a bathtub in these situations is a recipe for disaster. And leaving them be isn’t a smart thing to do either. So, what can you do?
You can use this handy little product called a waterless bath. You just take the bottle, spray your cat with it, maybe brush its coat a bit in order to let the bath penetrate deeper into the coat and that’s it. Your cat will be clean and smell nice, without starting a war first.
This waterless bath is a great choice so we strongly recommend it.
With this, we’ve shown you everything we had prepared for you. Now you know which tools you need and where to get them. All that’s left is for you to enjoy having a cat and keeping it beautiful and healthy.
