Shaving my cat

JoesLove · 06-09-2008, 09:48 PM

Okay does anyone have any advice on how to easily shave a cat? I am moving and want her long coat gone, so she will have less hairballs and make less of a mess. Yes I should have brought her to a pro. but didnt have all the extra money. So I was wondering whats the easiest way to hold the cat down while shaving? She was being good for some of it but then sometimes she puts up a fight so I do a little bit at a time and give her breaks.

Shiloveshorses · 06-09-2008, 09:55 PM

What no pics?

Shaving a cat is new for me so sorry no advice. I tried to bathe one once and needed iron gloves for that.
Hopefully someone can give you some good tips.

scrapchick · 06-09-2008, 09:56 PM

oooh brave, you are. no way would Hobbes allow shaving without shredding me and anyone else in the vicinity.

APHANutmeg · 06-09-2008, 10:01 PM

It sounds like you are doing a pretty good job. I have no real advice as I've never tried to shave a cat with out it being sedated

Mine, even when you try brushing them you think they were Jaws--all those teeth!

lovemydusty · 06-09-2008, 10:03 PM

Maybe a muzzle and duct tape for the paws?

I'm just kidding about the duct tape part. I shaved my kitten when he was about 4 months old. I gave him a lot of breaks and just took my time. When he got fed up I'd let him go and come back to it later. Took me all day, but only ended up with a few minor flesh wounds.

JoesLove · 06-09-2008, 10:13 PM

haha those are all funny comments! When I tried giving my kitten a bath a few months ago I had battle scars to show! Here is a picture of my long haired calico.

Thats my longer haired cat "kitty" on the right and then Lilly my 1 year old calico, the runt of the litter! Shes tinier then she looks! They are both great though.

Iwasbornonahorse · 06-09-2008, 10:21 PM

What I do when I shave my 2 long haired felines is put a clean sock over their head. They lay there like they are dead the whole time.

When I'm done I pull the sock off and they look at me like WOW the world came back! No trauma for them that way they just wait it out. Just make sure the sock isn't too tight.

Fancy's Mom · 06-09-2008, 10:22 PM

i have no experience shaving cats either but i just love calico cats..

All my cats you can bath them with no problem.I did it as soon as they was able to be bathed with flea shampoo so they got used to as they got older.I had one who loved the water, she never fought me or try to run outta the tub but my others would howl and try to make a run for it but would never claw me but just try to run.

Fancy's Mom · 06-09-2008, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iwasbornonahorse

What I do when I shave my 2 long haired felines is put a clean sock over their head. They lay there like they are dead the whole time.

When I'm done I pull the sock off and they look at me like WOW the world came back! No trauma for them that way they just wait it out. Just make sure the sock isn't too tight.

great idea.my aunt had to do that to her calico cat who would try to kill you if you clipped its claws

lawcat · 06-09-2008, 10:23 PM

I shave my old lady Persian every summer - and she is a really grumpy gal. I hold her by the scruff and lift her up to get the underside parts, and also hold the scruff while she is sitting/lying belly down on the table. Giving breaks is good - mine has the oh so pleasant defense mechanism of peeing during this process, so I generally either try to shave her outside or in the kitchen sink

She looks awful, but feels much better when I get done!

Edited to add: the sock idea is great! I'll have to give that a try!

Akita it Girl · 06-09-2008, 10:26 PM

Just a word of warning, if you shave her how, you will have to shave her for the rest of her life. The hair grows back wirey and uncontrolable. They can not groom it and it becomes very messing/painful to them. A clean sock over the head works, and a Cat muzzle if she is really bad. FYI- PetSmart charges 40 for a bath/shave/groom.

eschelon · 06-09-2008, 10:27 PM

As a groomer I can give you some pointers. First thing is to be careful and always keep the skin pulled tight, you can caught a cat very easily. Lay the cat on a towel or something she can grab a hold of. Some cats a more comfortable hiding their heads under a towel. Use your free arm to lay gently across the cat you can hold her and pull her skin tight. Vet wrap works well for wrapping claws. You can always ask a brave person to help hold. Good Luck.

JoesLove · 06-09-2008, 10:27 PM

Im making my poor beautiful girl look horrible! Haha I made her face look kind of cute but the rest of her is all choppy and uneven and Im trying to get her tail so then I decided to leave a little fluff at the end of the tail like a lion haha

JoesLove · 06-09-2008, 10:29 PM

Well my sister shaved part of her once before, and I thought her hair would grow back bad, but it grew back just the same as it has always been. I layed down a sheet on the floor, I dont really have a good table. Shes been decent acting so far. I thought about petsmart but I wasnt sure if they would ask for shot records, because I dont have any. I know some places ask that if they groom your animals..at least around here they do. But like I said its cheaper for me to shave, trying to save money because Im moving next week.

SACREDWINDWALKER · 06-09-2008, 10:32 PM

I groom a lot at the vet's office.....however, most are sedated....there are very few and far between on cats allowing such noise and positioning without it...

Cats have very thin skin (almost like rabbits) and will rip in a heartbeat! Be careful around the flanks, back tendons and especially the ear edges...when and if you do the ears always start by folding the ear at the lowest point (base) and working your way out from the middle part of the ear toward the edge, NEVER go down the edge with a blade. it will slice and dice the thin ear in a heartbeat....ask me I know, lots of experience here with grooming all sorts of cats and dogs but cats will worry you to death on grooming them because of the delicate cartilage and skin. So, be very careful...

If you are grooming a cat, Oster blades do not work well, they hang up and leave gaps, Andis blades does better with cat fur but always use #10 blades on main body and #40 inside pads of feet and inside ears....it's best to take them to a vet for sedation....less chance of cosmetically damaging your cat. The blades also get hot real quick (has to be on high speed to cut good) so you need a can of Kool Spray and about 4 blades on hand to do the job at one sitting....you also have to pull the skin tight in areas to get a clean cut and also so that the skin won't wrinkle and slide up into the #10 blade....if you try to use a #7, you are more likely going to cut the cat

Sedation isn't as bad as some people may think....if you think about it, there is less stress on YOU and the animal....when they wake up (after or during the bath) put them under a dryer for 50 minutes on LOW in the kennel....can't really think of much else to tell you....other than stay with the flow of the hair when cutting (except for inside the legs, I go opposite to get a clean under carriage cut....

kshnooks · 06-09-2008, 10:37 PM

My mom would shave her cat in the summer because he would get all matted. He was always taken to the vet, just so there was less stress on the cat. It was actually pretty hilarious, he is a black cat and the vet wouldn't shave his head, tail or legs. So he looked like he was wearing a little white undershirt!!

breburtch · 06-10-2008, 02:00 PM

Crush up a about 1/3 of gravol and give that to her(mix it with some tuna or melted cheese or something she likes to eat that it will stick to) then when she gets groggy scruff her and shave away. Thats what we do with our dog when we shave her.And what we did with a few of the long haired cats we'd get in at the shelter that were so matted they need to be shaved

WhisperStables · 06-10-2008, 02:05 PM

Get some acepromozine from your vets to mildly sadate your kitty. Makes them nice and "drunk" and much easyer to trim. That's what we used to do for our Maincoon (rip Charly)

joustinggirl · 06-10-2008, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by breburtch

Crush up a about 1/3 of gravol and give that to her(mix it with some tuna or melted cheese or something she likes to eat that it will stick to) then when she gets groggy scruff her and shave away. Thats what we do with our dog when we shave her.And what we did with a few of the long haired cats we'd get in at the shelter that were so matted they need to be shaved

What is gravol? Be very careful about giving and taking medical advice over the internet. Cats respond very differently to medications than other species. Not to mention whether or not we know anything about this cats medical history, overall health or even weight.

breburtch · 06-10-2008, 03:04 PM

I don't know what it would be called where you are?
It's kinda like tylonol in some ways I guess like it helps with nausea etc.
You buy it at the pharmacy
but we use it to sadate animals rather then paying the big bucks at the vets to buy stuff and the vets are the ones that said to use it so its safe.
We also use it when its storming for our one dog that freaks out in storms keeps her mellow and calm and makes her sleepy.
The groomers in my area often use it aswell

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06-09-2008, 09:48 PM
JoesLove Weanling Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 357	Shaving my cat Okay does anyone have any advice on how to easily shave a cat? I am moving and want her long coat gone, so she will have less hairballs and make less of a mess. Yes I should have brought her to a pro. but didnt have all the extra money. So I was wondering whats the easiest way to hold the cat down while shaving? She was being good for some of it but then sometimes she puts up a fight so I do a little bit at a time and give her breaks.

06-09-2008, 09:55 PM
Shiloveshorses Yearling Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Indiana Posts: 608	What no pics? Shaving a cat is new for me so sorry no advice. I tried to bathe one once and needed iron gloves for that. Hopefully someone can give you some good tips. __________________ Life is full of ups and downs.....twists and turns......stay on the path.......hang on tight....remember who your friends are.....remember where the shoulders are.

06-09-2008, 09:56 PM
scrapchick Seasoned Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Festus, Missouri Posts: 4,740	oooh brave, you are. no way would Hobbes allow shaving without shredding me and anyone else in the vicinity. __________________ Better living through chemistry.

06-09-2008, 10:01 PM
APHANutmeg Yearling Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Eastern PA Posts: 641	It sounds like you are doing a pretty good job. I have no real advice as I've never tried to shave a cat with out it being sedated Mine, even when you try brushing them you think they were Jaws--all those teeth! __________________ Staff to: Sunshine's Bar B Ritz "Nutmeg" Buckskin APHA, and her 4 mini friends: "Mocha, Ginger, Gunther, and Kodi"

06-09-2008, 10:03 PM
lovemydusty Weanling Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Pensacola, Fl Posts: 412	Maybe a muzzle and duct tape for the paws? I'm just kidding about the duct tape part. I shaved my kitten when he was about 4 months old. I gave him a lot of breaks and just took my time. When he got fed up I'd let him go and come back to it later. Took me all day, but only ended up with a few minor flesh wounds.

06-09-2008, 10:13 PM
JoesLove Weanling Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 357	haha those are all funny comments! When I tried giving my kitten a bath a few months ago I had battle scars to show! Here is a picture of my long haired calico. Thats my longer haired cat "kitty" on the right and then Lilly my 1 year old calico, the runt of the litter! Shes tinier then she looks! They are both great though.

06-09-2008, 10:21 PM
Iwasbornonahorse Started Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: GB, WI Posts: 2,220	What I do when I shave my 2 long haired felines is put a clean sock over their head. They lay there like they are dead the whole time. When I'm done I pull the sock off and they look at me like WOW the world came back! No trauma for them that way they just wait it out. Just make sure the sock isn't too tight. __________________ The Midwest horse welfare foundation needs help! http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Ba...BadgeId=112727

06-09-2008, 10:22 PM
Fancy's Mom Long Yearling Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Somewhere, TN Posts: 1,351	i have no experience shaving cats either but i just love calico cats.. All my cats you can bath them with no problem.I did it as soon as they was able to be bathed with flea shampoo so they got used to as they got older.I had one who loved the water, she never fought me or try to run outta the tub but my others would howl and try to make a run for it but would never claw me but just try to run. __________________ My horse is a reflection of me, wanna know me, talk to my horse!

06-09-2008, 10:23 PM
lawcat Halter broke Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Southern California Posts: 144	I shave my old lady Persian every summer - and she is a really grumpy gal. I hold her by the scruff and lift her up to get the underside parts, and also hold the scruff while she is sitting/lying belly down on the table. Giving breaks is good - mine has the oh so pleasant defense mechanism of peeing during this process, so I generally either try to shave her outside or in the kitchen sink She looks awful, but feels much better when I get done! Edited to add: the sock idea is great! I'll have to give that a try!

06-09-2008, 10:26 PM
Akita it Girl Weanling Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Md Posts: 344	Just a word of warning, if you shave her how, you will have to shave her for the rest of her life. The hair grows back wirey and uncontrolable. They can not groom it and it becomes very messing/painful to them. A clean sock over the head works, and a Cat muzzle if she is really bad. FYI- PetSmart charges 40 for a bath/shave/groom.

06-09-2008, 10:27 PM
eschelon Newborn Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: East Petersburg, Pennsylvania Posts: 24	As a groomer I can give you some pointers. First thing is to be careful and always keep the skin pulled tight, you can caught a cat very easily. Lay the cat on a towel or something she can grab a hold of. Some cats a more comfortable hiding their heads under a towel. Use your free arm to lay gently across the cat you can hold her and pull her skin tight. Vet wrap works well for wrapping claws. You can always ask a brave person to help hold. Good Luck.

06-09-2008, 10:29 PM
JoesLove Weanling Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Jacksonville, NC Posts: 357	Well my sister shaved part of her once before, and I thought her hair would grow back bad, but it grew back just the same as it has always been. I layed down a sheet on the floor, I dont really have a good table. Shes been decent acting so far. I thought about petsmart but I wasnt sure if they would ask for shot records, because I dont have any. I know some places ask that if they groom your animals..at least around here they do. But like I said its cheaper for me to shave, trying to save money because Im moving next week.

06-09-2008, 10:32 PM
SACREDWINDWALKER Started Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Western Kentucky Posts: 2,067	I groom a lot at the vet's office.....however, most are sedated....there are very few and far between on cats allowing such noise and positioning without it... Cats have very thin skin (almost like rabbits) and will rip in a heartbeat! Be careful around the flanks, back tendons and especially the ear edges...when and if you do the ears always start by folding the ear at the lowest point (base) and working your way out from the middle part of the ear toward the edge, NEVER go down the edge with a blade. it will slice and dice the thin ear in a heartbeat....ask me I know, lots of experience here with grooming all sorts of cats and dogs but cats will worry you to death on grooming them because of the delicate cartilage and skin. So, be very careful... If you are grooming a cat, Oster blades do not work well, they hang up and leave gaps, Andis blades does better with cat fur but always use #10 blades on main body and #40 inside pads of feet and inside ears....it's best to take them to a vet for sedation....less chance of cosmetically damaging your cat. The blades also get hot real quick (has to be on high speed to cut good) so you need a can of Kool Spray and about 4 blades on hand to do the job at one sitting....you also have to pull the skin tight in areas to get a clean cut and also so that the skin won't wrinkle and slide up into the #10 blade....if you try to use a #7, you are more likely going to cut the cat Sedation isn't as bad as some people may think....if you think about it, there is less stress on YOU and the animal....when they wake up (after or during the bath) put them under a dryer for 50 minutes on LOW in the kennel....can't really think of much else to tell you....other than stay with the flow of the hair when cutting (except for inside the legs, I go opposite to get a clean under carriage cut.... __________________ *"By living in Kentucky,* *I think it's time to migrate or hibernate!" CK* http://www.sacredwindwalker.com

06-09-2008, 10:37 PM
kshnooks Coming two Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: California Posts: 1,828	My mom would shave her cat in the summer because he would get all matted. He was always taken to the vet, just so there was less stress on the cat. It was actually pretty hilarious, he is a black cat and the vet wouldn't shave his head, tail or legs. So he looked like he was wearing a little white undershirt!!

06-10-2008, 02:00 PM
breburtch Coming two Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ennismore, Ontario Posts: 1,863	Crush up a about 1/3 of gravol and give that to her(mix it with some tuna or melted cheese or something she likes to eat that it will stick to) then when she gets groggy scruff her and shave away. Thats what we do with our dog when we shave her.And what we did with a few of the long haired cats we'd get in at the shelter that were so matted they need to be shaved

06-10-2008, 02:05 PM
WhisperStables Long Yearling Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hanna City, IL Posts: 1,145	Get some acepromozine from your vets to mildly sadate your kitty. Makes them nice and "drunk" and much easyer to trim. That's what we used to do for our Maincoon (rip Charly) __________________ I can not save every horse, just as a preacher can not save every soul. But just as the preacher keeps on preaching, So must I do all I can for as long as I can, as often as I can.

06-10-2008, 03:04 PM
breburtch Coming two Join Date: May 2008 Location: Ennismore, Ontario Posts: 1,863	I don't know what it would be called where you are? It's kinda like tylonol in some ways I guess like it helps with nausea etc. You buy it at the pharmacy but we use it to sadate animals rather then paying the big bucks at the vets to buy stuff and the vets are the ones that said to use it so its safe. We also use it when its storming for our one dog that freaks out in storms keeps her mellow and calm and makes her sleepy. The groomers in my area often use it aswell Last edited by breburtch : 06-10-2008 at 03:11 PM.