Kitty hair cut?

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-03-2003
Kitty hair cut?
6
Fri, 06-03-2005 - 7:59pm

Hi all,
I have a question- and please don't think this is a joke, because although it might sound that way, I assure you it isn't.
I have an indoor cat who is part Maine Coon. As a result, he sheds like mad during the summer and I have to vaccum every other day to keep up with the hair.
I was thinking about getting him a little haircut- not shaving him, or anything drastic like that, just giving him a good healthy haircut. Would this affect him negatively at all? I know you can shave dogs with no problem, but I wasn't sure if cats took as kindly to haircuts?

Thanks in advance.
Isabele

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2000
Fri, 06-03-2005 - 11:45pm

A couple of things and no I don't think this is a joke as I have two long haired kitties so know the problem with too much hair.

About 3 summers ago or so the boys were misdiagnosed with giardia and as part of the treatment plan they were both shaved. Don't ask long story, but apparently many longhaired cats get shaved yearly and given what is called "the lion cut". Ok, they pretty much look like a lion. I'm not joking now either and no it didn't damage their psyche.

I don't know that I would normally go that drastic though unless they were severely matted but I have found a wonderful grooming tool thanks to my veterinary acupuncturist. It's for cats and dogs and it's called The Furminator. I used it myself at home without the special shampoo. You do need to bathe them first and then wait until they are completely dry before using this tool. I was shocked at the amount of hair I got out of my boys! The whole time I kept telling them "do you see all of this hair that would otherwise end up in your tummy tum tum!" It was amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone as it's not just the longhaired pets that shed. Here's the link and there's a tab for you to locate a place near you that carries it.

http://www.furminator.com/

Happy De-furring!

Lynn, Gabriel and Zachary(we're happy all that hair won't end up in our tummies)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 06-04-2005 - 7:25am

I used to have to shave my long haired kitty (you can see him on my website both shaved and unshaved) when he got older and sickly because he wouldn't groom himself and once when we went away, he got terribly matted because I didn't instruct the pet sitter to comb him out regularly.

Cat =^..^=
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-01-2003
Sat, 06-04-2005 - 8:44am
I agree as I always am so afraid of cutting them


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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-26-2000
Sat, 06-04-2005 - 9:31am

Absolutely agree with Cat that if you end up having him shaved down you really need to let a good groomer do it. Get a recommendation from your vet on who to go to for that as not all groomers like or are good at grooming cats. Cat's can be very challenging to groom and I've known some that simply prefer not to groom cats.

Even with the Furminator, you have to read the directions carefully and use care around their genitals and take care not to remove too much hair from one spot and cause an irritation. I've been doing this kind of stuff to my own pets for years so this much I can do, but I wouldn't shave them myself. That's what the groomer at my vet is for as she specializes in cats. Simple baths, brushing, furminator, nail clipping those I can do.

Take care, Lynn

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2004
Sat, 06-04-2005 - 10:08am
We have a white Maine coon and recently got her shaved for the first time. It has dramatically cut back on the amount of hair around the house. She did not seem to be bothered by it. She did look like a little lion. Now that it has grown out some, it looks better. I would recommend it, if only once a year.
Avatar for cl_lcni
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 06-04-2005 - 11:29am

I think that's a great thing to do to


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