Although cats groom themselves regularly, there are benefits to brushing cats on a regular basis.
Benefits of Brushing Cats
Reduces Dead Hair and Minimizes Shedding
A couple of months ago, Marty was having a lot of allergy trouble and was excessively grooming himself as a result. Every 2-3 days he would cough up hair, due in large part to the grooming.
I started brushing him a couple of times a week and it’s greatly reduced the amount of hair he ingests and cut down his hairball problem. As an added benefit, it’s very relaxing for him. I have a rubber brush with soft massage nubs that gives him a massage while I’m brushing him. Wakes up his purr engine, for sure!
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Reduces Dandruff and Dry Skin
Regularly brushing cats distributes oils throughout their coat, which cuts down on dandruff .
Removes Dirt and Grease
If your cat goes outside, they can get into all kind of messes like mud and grease. This can cause matting.
Brushing Cats Improves Bond With Them
When cats equate brushing with feeling good, it goes a long way toward building the bond you have with your cat. As I mentioned above I’ve been brushing Marty on a regular basis, and he loves it? It feels good to him, and helps remove loose hair that had previously been forming hairballs that made him sick on occasion. Brushing for us is a definite win/win activity!
Grooming Tool Recommendations
Brushes for Short Haired Cats
I have the Catit Senses 2.0 Cat Grooming Kit for Short Haired Cats and the rubber brush in that kit works great for Marty. It grabs a good amount of loose hair during brushing, and the lid works to hold the hair from the brush until you’re done. Marty loves brush sessions, the rubber nubs deliver a massage type feeling, and he always purrs during the entire session.
Another highly recommended brush for short haired cats is actually a glove, the Hands-on Pet Grooming Gloves. These come in various sizes to ensure you have a good fit on your hands and provide a relaxing brush, massage and deshedding effect for long and short haired cats. They’re easy to clean, too, by simply rubbing hands together, rinse off with water and air dry, or they’re also machine washable.
A brush to check out for deshedding and doing overall grooming for your short-haired cat is the DAKPets Grooming Brush. Designed to make the most of grooming time, this brush measures just over 4 inches long, and comes with a stainless steel blade. There’s a blade safety to protect the blade and prolong its life.
Brushes for Long-Haired Cats
For long-haired cats, mats are much more of a problem than they are for cats with short hair. One tool recommended for detangling mats is the JW Pet Company Rotating Comfort Comb. This comb is great for disolving mats without hurting cat’s skin. The comb’s teeth are fine and rotate to make it much gentler in mat removal. Because of its gentle nature, the Comfort Comb is also a good choice for the end of the grooming session.
Another popular brush is the Kong Zoom Groom Brush. This brush is made of rubber with flexible nubs that work well in providing an all over massage effect. This one is good for a relaxing brush session.
The JW Pet Softgrip Sliker Brush for cats definitely worth trying for regular use. This brush has angled combination of long and short pins which aids in brushing both top and undercoat. The handle is contoured to fit easier in your hand while brushing.
The grooming tools mentioned here are a few often and highly recommended ones on the market, but there are many available.
Do you have a favorite grooming that’s worked well for your cat that isn’t mentioned here? Please leave a comment to let us know. we’d love to hear from you!
For more information on benefits of brushing cats, click here
Written by Karen
