By Kim Raisanen
June 1, 2017
When I have a feline on my table, the very first thing I do is evaluate the skin as well as coat. I inspect for tangles as well as mats. as well as by utilizing my hands very first to feel for troublesome areas, I am likewise preventing a unpleasant tug of a comb. when I have a much better concept of the condition of the cat, I understand whether to utilize a clipper or a comb.
Brushing a feline isn’t the very best method in eliminating shedding hair as well as undercoat, as well as a great deal of the time it just adds static. Brushes do not reach down to the skin where the issue may be. however if you choose to clean the feline anyway, I suggest utilizing a soft bristle clean versus a metal slicker brush. The slicker can scrape the cat’s skin so I don’t utilize them.
Our objective in combing the entire feline is to eliminate shedding hair, find hidden tangles as well as assess the general coat. It’s important when doing so not to pull the hair however rather carefully comb the feline as well as stop when you come upon a mat.
Depending on the severity of the matting, it may be more humane to either clip the mat out or eliminate the pelt. If the coat has a great deal of matting, I would perform a Lion Cut. Clipping a feline is a much better choice than trying to de–mat the coat with a comb. If you are just clipping a few mats, you can camouflage the area where the mat was eliminated by back combing the hair above it, so when the mat is eliminated you can comb the hair over the hole in the coat.
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If you are going to be utilizing the clipper anyways, there is no requirement to traumatize the feline by trying to comb out the tangles. However, if the mat isn’t tight against the skin, you can carefully try to break up the mat utilizing your blending shears. This method can be done safely if you work the comb under the mat while you scissor the mat with blending shears. Do not utilize chunkers, they are as well big of a blender to work on cats. You may extremely well take off as well much hair if you’re not cautious so I suggest utilizing a much smaller blender shear.
If you choose that the coat isn’t beyond the requirement of a great combing, there are a few combs that I would recommend. however exactly how do you understand what comb to utilize as well as in what manner? before you begin, I suggest that you try to scratch yourself with the comb you want to utilize on the feline. If it scrapes your skin or leaves marks, it will injure the skin of the feline you’re working on so make sure your combs have rounded tines.
There are 3 different combs that I have in my arsenal of equipment. (Fig 1) The very first is the flea comb or a similar type of comb that is graduated, meaning the tines are spaced similarly on half of the comb as well as the other half the tines are spaced a bit further apart. A flea comb can be a groomer’s essential tool.
(Fig 2) I utilize this type of comb on the head, between the ears, face, chin as well as cheeks. On a short hair feline I likewise utilize the comb on the front legs. You may be pleasantly surprised just exactly how much shedding hair you can eliminate from the top of the cat’s head as well as around the ears with the correct comb.
The second type of comb I utilize is a medium width greyhound comb (Fig 3). The tines are 1” long. depending upon the length of hair, this comb can be utilized on the feline’s back, sides as well as beneath the belly. I prefer the black combs that are anti–static. When combing in the armpit area, be cautious not to snag any type of skin folds.
If the feline is a longhaired breed, depending upon the density as well as length of the hair on the body as well as tail, you can utilize a medium greyhound comb. This comb is my “go to” comb when grooming medium as well as longhair breeds. begin by combing with the wider pinned side very first as well as then go over the coat when more by utilizing the finer end.
The third type of comb I like to utilize is the 10” long, 1 ½ inch tined greyhound comb. This comb is finest utilized on the breeds as well as mix–breeds of the Maine Coon, Persian as well as Siberians. Their hair has a tendency to be thicker or denser than the other breeds.
When I begin grooming a longhair feline I begin with this type of comb. If the comb isn’t eliminating the undercoat as well as shedding hair adequately, I move down to the medium greyhound comb. Comb when with the wider side then comply with up by utilizing the other side of the comb. This will assist loosen shedding hair and, complying with up with the finer tined side, will eliminate the hair from the coat.
In summary, the type of comb utilized truly depends upon many factors. The length of the hair, density as well as severity of the matting should all be thought about in your decision. When you have a few different comb choices, it makes the grooming continue smoothly. When you take anull