Cat's Fur

[OilersBaby]

I rescued my Cat from a rescue group thanks to CP about a year ago - thank you to the link for TownCats in Morgan Hill! She's amazing, and I love her.

Her only problem is that she gets very very furry and then throws up. I've found that getting her fur shaved helps, but it costs $100 which is okay if I have to do it, but I was wondering if there's a way to shave her myself? I dont know how I would do it considering I think she'd be terrified. What do groomers use to shave cat fur?

She is declawed (front paws only) - I didnt do it to her, I think thats mean but thats a whole new story and I think it must have been kinda traumatic for her to get the procedure done whenever it happened because she's extremely sensitive about me touching her belly or her back legs (which she still has claws on)- she'll run away because she's scared.

So if anyone knows how to properly shave a cats fur, please let me know....ie what kind of razor and how do I keep her there? She will bolt? I dont want anything inhumane but Im thinking that they must be useing SOMETHING at the groomers to make it work. Thanks.

[peter12]

Hahahahahahahhaha

[DOK]

Well, holy jebus cripes. I am here, on board, and waiting to see where this one is going.....

[Jordan!]

I'm not really sure what's going on here.

[OilersBaby]

Seriously, my long haired grey kitty Molly gets wayy too many hairballs cuz she grooms herself so darn much. Im just trying to keep her more comfortable. Not meant to be funny...just dont want to pay 100 a month to keep her fur from growing out of control. Her belly is the worst..its a different color and grows soooooooo long. She wont let me touch it. HELP

I dont know why y'all think its funny........

[Finner]

I wouldn't shave it myself but it probably can be done. To help prevent throwing up hairballs you can give the cat some margarine/butter on her paws to lick off every few days.

High quality food can really help with hair, mine don't shed much, and very very rarely get hairballs.

Edit: Have you thought about just using scissors and carefully cutting it down a little at a time every few days so it's less traumatic for her and she gets used to it?

[KTrain]

I think we're laughing because an Oiler's fan doesn't know how to shave her kitty.

[Frequitude]

PM me.

[CMPunk]

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...51969&lmdn=Cat

[OilersBaby]

Well I tried shaving Molly but man she ran away really fast and I had my friend holding her down and she wanted to bite (cant claw cuz shes declawed).........so was looking for suggestions.

Thanks for the info regarding margarine/butter. I dont get how that helps her from injesting the fur she licks when she grooms?

I should add that she doesnt like to be brushed at all....she's ok with it on her back but not her belly which is where the crazy long fur is. Its out of control.

[DOK]

Ok, so I'll leave the gong show comments to the guys. We've all been here long enough to know where this is going to go. A. nowhere because it's way to obvious, or B. to grossville at your expense.

Anyhow. They have actual hair ball remedies all the pet store you buy. Smells like molasses, comes in a toothpaste type tube. That along with tons of brushing will do the trick. I wouldn't dare try to do the deed yourself, I'd be more worried about her teeth than claws, not to mention you could really startle her and get her paranoid about the unit. You don't ever want to attach negative feelings to yourself with cats. If she relates you to the buzzer, she may want to avoid you all together in the future.

Honestly, they are born with that much fur, as others would argue against this, but I believe, if that's how they come, then they are well equipped to deal with it, digestively speaking. Or, pay up and go to the professionals. They handle them rough if you ask me, muzzle them and harness them to get control, it's not pretty but it gets the job done. And almost always, done by two people.

Proceed boys!!!!!!

[flylock shox]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

She's amazing, and I love her.

Her only problem is that she gets very very furry and then throws up. I've found that getting her fur shaved helps, but it costs $100 which is okay if I have to do it, but I was wondering if there's a way to shave her myself? I dont know how I would do it considering I think she'd be terrified.

She is declawed - I didnt do it to her, I think thats mean but thats a whole new story and I think it must have been kinda traumatic for her to get the procedure done whenever it happened because she's extremely sensitive about me touching her belly or her legs (which she still has claws on)- she'll run away because she's scared.

So if anyone knows how to properly shave, please let me know....ie what kind of razor and how do I keep her there? She will bolt? I dont want anything inhumane. Thanks.

Fixed.

[OilersBaby]

Okay maybe I wont try doing it myself..seems like a bad idea from the above post....Ive tried the brushes, mitts, remedies, changing her diet..and I know its natural, but on her belly its crazy.

Its the first cat Ive owned. I used to get my doggy a puppycut all the time and he didnt mind at all (he was a chow/lab mix and his fur got really long sometimes). I guess its prolly not that good of an idea for cats unless I take her to the groomers to get the lions cut eh?

Im not doing it for selflish reasons so she sheds..I just thought she'd throw up less (she throws up a lot about every 5-6 days) and not feel so yucky if she took in less fur.

[Finner]

Originally Posted by OilersBaby

Well I tried shaving Molly but man she run away really fast and I had my friend holding her down and she wanted to bite (cant claw cuz shes declawed).........so was looking for suggestions.

Thanks for the info regarding margarine/butter. I dont get how that helps her from injesting the fur she licks when she grooms?

I should add that she doesnt like to be brushed at all....she's ok with it on her back but not her belly which is where the crazy long fur is. Its out of control.

The margarine just helps the hair go through her.

When our long haired cat needs some hair cut we just carefully cut a bit when he's calm for just a few seconds and give him a few treats and then try a little more later.

[devel]

My cat used to get hairballs and throwup quite often. Started feeding him Science Diet Hairball Control dry cat food several years ago and now he never gets hairballs.

[bcb]

tonic-lax medicine
I have the same problem. Get it at your vet's office.

[jolinar of malkshor]

We use whiska's (sp?) hairball control food. Cat went from hairball every other day to one maybe once a month.

[LeftWing]

My wife shaves both of her cats. One of them loves it which makes her difficult to shave (she's purring and trying to bump the clippers). The other one is a grump and doesn't care for the experience so she growls the whole time, but sits there without too many attempts at escape. It only takes about 20 minutes for my wife to shave both cats.

My biggest recommendation is to make sure that you have a vacuum ready when you're done, because if you don't get rid of that hair straight away it will get *everywhere*. Also, when she's done, my wife uses a damp cloth to remove any loose fur before she lets the cats out of the bathroom.

[Boblobla]

Originally Posted by devel

My cat used to get hairballs and throwup quite often. Started feeding him Science Diet Hairball Control dry cat food several years ago and now he never gets hairballs.

This helped with our cat throwing up as well.

Make sure you don't try too many diet changes though as that can upset cats as well and make them puke.

[Resolute 14]

Have you tried simply brushing her regularly? Most cats love being brushed, and with a long hair, if you do it every couple days she should throw up less.

There are, however, three certainties in life: Death, taxes, and cats will routinely throw up.