Care of Persian cats

In this article I want to share with some 'secrets', knowing of which will help all admirers of longhaired cats to get rid of false fears and to allow themselves to meet their wishes - to be happy owners of beauiful and healthy Persian cats. These advices, which you will find on this page of my site, are assignedto the owners of Persian cats. Don't be afraid of seeming big information content. In fact, it is very easy to follow all my advices. And, believe, the results of your efforts will not disappoint you.

What to comd with? How to comb?

The deepest mistake (which is intensively supported by salespeople of pet-goods) is to comb Persians with sleekers. No way! Sleekers are very selectively and boundedly used by professoinal groomers only for exhibition preparing of hair on the face and leggs. The main instrument of Persian's owner is steel comb with long, not sharp toothing. If you can't find the comb by Jimpet, toothiong on which is situated in two variants of frequency (or professional comb by '#1 All System'), buy two combs: with long and thick + with long and widely spaced toothing. It is not worth to economize too much and look for such combs on the flea market. It is better to purchase them in the good pet-shop, after all this buying is on the whole life of your cat. To the comb described above you can add another one - with toothing of different length (for the struggle with accidental plicas).

The necessary implements for care

1. metallic comb with rare cogs, which do not scratch skin;

2.metallic comb with average length and frequency rounded cogs ( in sale there are combs, combining both of these characteristics);

3. metallic comb with short, close, rounded cogs;

4.combined brush from natural bristle and metallic toothing with antistatic covering

Desirable means for care

1.talc powder for the care of hair;

2.conditioner for hair;

3.conditioner for distillationof hair after moult (spray);

4.liquid, conducive for removing of plicas (spray);

5.moistening, medicinal, repairing, deoiling, indicating color, increasing the volume shampoos, balsams, conditioners, antistatic agents. All this, in a broad assortment, is present on the market of pet-shops. Consult in the club.

It is necessary to teach the cat to the procedure of combing as possibly earlier, gradually, softly, but emphatically. It is very useful to combine the teaching with play for theis procedure to be taken a kitten as the part of pleasant work. Lay the cat on your knees on the back. Comb out thoroughly carefully and gently the hair at first on the neck, then between the front pads, in the armpits, on the stomach and back pads. The hair must be combed at fierst against and then in the direction of its growth. Then, put the cat on her leggs, comb her hair on the back and tail. Such procedure needs frequent (everyday) repetition only in the period of the teaching of kitten. Try not to overload your nursling with a 'science', but don't connive his wish to stop the procedure. If you don't finish the combing, give your cat to understand that she can leave only when you want it.

Consistency anp patience on the initial stage will let you to transfer the combing into quite pleasant process for you and your cat. And, besides, you are always will know in which condition the skin of your nursling and can react in time on the possible illnesses or to find accidental wound. And if you do my next advice, you need to comb your Persian not often than once in 2-3 days and this procedure will take not more than 5 minutes. So, come to the 'water procedures'.

Washing

Frankly speaking, the keeping of the hair in the cleanness is a corner-stone of 'science' about the grooming of Persian cats. An experienced owner knows that, washing the Persian once 2-3 weeks, he can not worry about caombing. Washing is especially useful during the seasonal moult. This is the only way to save the cat from died off hairs and stimulate the growth of new beautiful and healthy hair.

Optimal frequency of washings is once in 3-4 weeks. If you are the owner of adult non-cut cat, you will have to wash him, probably, more often, because the charges of oil-bag, situated in the basis of the tail, not only dirty the tail, but don't smell very good.

Before the washing you need to comb the hair thouroughly. If the plicas formed, you need to strip them by hands or with the help of the comb with cogs of different length.

The choice of the shampoo for the washing, undoubtly, is very important and not very difficult. You can use usual 'human' shampoos for normal hair with neutral PH (don't use '2 in 1' or '3 in 1') or good baby shampoo. But it is better to use special shampoos for animal (not anti-flea! For the struggle with skin vermins there is nothing better than 'Advantage' by Bayer or 'Frontlaine' by Merial). Here is also a choice: expensive professional cosmetics of famous american firms ('Ring 5', 'Biogroom', '#1 All System', 'Cardinal') or domestic ( shampoos by 'Lux' for longhaired cats recommended themselves better than all). Comparative high cost of professional cosmetics is compensated by its high quality and economy in use (as arule, these are concentrated means in the proportion of 1:4; one 400-gram bottle of such shampoo is enough on the year for 1-2 cats).

The biggest secret in the washing is thorough rinsing after every soaping (which can be 2-3 against the degree of cat's dirty). Usual rinsing under the shower is not enough - for the washing it is very comfortable to use deep haunch or baby bath. Having soaked the hair with water, drift a little quantity of shampoo on the back and stomach of the cat, rub it into the hair. Drift a little quantity of shampoo on the little sponge, whip it into the foam and wipe the hair in the direction to the growth carefully with this foam sponge (wash face especially carefully to avoid the hit of the water in the ears). Cat must stand in the haunch. Added the water (not very hot, but not cold, because the temperature of the cat's body is 38 degree of C), wash out the part of shampoo from the body of cat and work up her hair with a soap water once again. You need to rinse a cat till ful ablation of the shampoo after every soaping. Standinf her in the haunch, washed out the shampoo with a douche, at the same time filling the haunch with a water. Wash out the cat's hair with waves, with this water. Such risings must be not less than 3 between every soaping. It is useful to acidify the last water a little, added some vinegar or lemon juice.

REMEMBER! You risk to find cat's hair greatly more untidy after the washing, than before 'water procedures', if you wash out the hair of the cat badly! Wrap your cat with a towel after the washing and dry the hair carefully, try to remove as more moisture as possible.

It is not so difficult to teach the cat to the washing as it seems. The main is not to scare her in the beginning. Talk to the cat with low, calm voice, help her to relieve the stress, to feel your care. The next stage can cause some difficulties - it is the dry with hair-drier. You can need 'four hands' and more patience on the stage of teaching. If you turn on the hair drier in the presence of the kitten before his first washing, the sound of this 'terrible' thing will stop to make him nervous gradually and the first Rubicon will be crossed. With time the washing will be taken if as not a pleasure, then at least as quite endurable duty.

Before the drying you need to comb the moist hair ofthe cat, OBLIGATORY in t he direction of the hair's growth. It is also desirable to comb the hair during the drying, gaining the full drying. Taking into consideration that even after carefully drying the certain percent of moisture is kept in the thick undercoat of Persian cat, try the cat to be in the warm room without draught during 8-10 hours after the washing.

I want to give another advice. If you follow it, the hair of your Persian will be always shining, fluffy and healthy. There are special antistatic agents for longhaired animals on sale now ( the best are by 'Biogroom', and '#1 All System'). These means help to relieve static stress from the cat's hair. It is no need to say how many statics is in your flat (especially when it is heating season). Women with long, thin hair for sure feel negatively from electrified coiffure. The same is with thick, thin and easy hair of Persians, which under the influence of statics not only stick to the body, but get rolled up into plicas intensively. Antistatic agents help to overcome these hardship. Sprayed this means with light cloud from the distance of 15-20 cm on the cat's hair, you will lighten this procedure for you and your cat and will never see plicas (even if you don't comb her very often).

We, I hope, gained an understanding of the 'problem' of care of Persian cats' hair. But don't forget that eyes and ears of cat also need a care.

Ears

As for the care of ears the common recommendation for owners of all cats (not only Persians) will be an advice to wear through the inner part of the ear and helix with soft cotton tampon, wetted with warm boiled water (hydrogen peroxide or special means for the cosmetic care of animals' ears) every week. Watch fro the tampon to be squeezed thouroughly and excessive moisture not to delve into ear canal. Such procedure doesn't differ from the care of our own ears.

Eyes

Short-cut facial part and deep stop of Persians call additional pressure on the lachrymal canals and definite sterngthening of watering. In the absence thereof infectious diseases such 'tears' are clear with light brownish tint. You can get rid of excessive moisture in the Persian's eyes, getting wet them with usual soft cosmetic napkin. Do it everyday, repeat the procedure several times a day (if you have a time) - and you will need no additional means. If in the corners of eyes there is dried out secretion, wet a napkin with a boiled water with addition of several drops of eucalyptus tincture (on the basis of 3-4 drops on the half a glass of water). And, of course, if you want you can purchase special means for cosmetic care of cats' eyes in the pet-shops.

I can give another advice. If you cut periodically cut a long hair along the edge of upper eyelid with good scissors with rounded tips (only not manicure!), the procedure of care of eyes will be much easier. Do it carefully and you will do it successfully. And if you are afraid of it - it doesn't matter, it is able to go without such haircut.

But there is another type of 'haircut', which I want to recommend to the owners of all cats. This cutting is a usual procedure for the participants of cats' shows, but in 'usual' life it is taken very skeptic by people. And it is wrongly! It is a question of claws' cutting.

Claws

Believe, if you cut the claws of your cat regularly( on the front pads - once in 2 weeks, on the back pads - once a month), you will save not only the skin of hands and leggs, but soft furniture, carpets, tights and so on, and so forth. For such procedure you will need special 'clawcutter' of small size, which it is easy to purchase in any pet-shop. Lay your cat on your knees, on the back. Softly push on the pad for cat to 'spread apart' the fingers and to show her claws. Holding the finger of the cat with one hand, cut the sharp tip of the claw, not going several millimetres to the blood vessel, situated inside the claw (it is seen on the light even in cats of dark colors). All this is not difficult and doesn't require for resort of veterinary.

For the achievement of optimal results you need to teach your nursling to all procedures of care of his appearance right away after he appeared in your house. Of course, if you were lucky and you bought grown up kitten (after 3-4 months) from the good nursery, you would have greatly less troubles, because all basic habbits of Persian were brought up by his breeder. Though you will have to spend some time for the establishment of 'personal contact'.

I told you about elementary methods of care of Persian cat. I would want to pay again your attention on that plenty of words, spent on the description of all procedures, is not identical to the volume of time, which is necessary for their doing:

1. washing with drying takes not more than 1,5 hours (once 3-4 weeks);

2.combing takes 5-10 minutes (once 2-3 days);

3.care of ears - 5 minutes (once a week);

4.care of eyes - very quick, but everyday;

5.cutting of claws - 5-10 minutes.

Tell, is it that 'terrible' time, what all, who wants but are afraid of keeping a Persian, referring to being busy, think about? Well, about apprehension to 'drown' in the hair you, I hope, don't remember after the reading of this article.

And, in the end, one more advice. Probably, this is the most important from all above-listed: the most important condirion of the beauty, health and longevity of Persian cat is the right feeding. If you stop your choice on the ready fodders of professional category (Royal Canin, Hill's, Eagle Pack, Jams, 1st Choice, Acana) , you will provide your nursling with the only right, full value and balanced ration. And the beauty of cat's hair, good health and long happy life in the company of her favourite owner depend exactly on common condition of cat's health.