How Often Should I Groom My Cat?

Cats are highly sophisticated creatures when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene. Cats spend significant time daily getting rid of broken hairs, dirt, and debris using their tongue. Seeing their feline creatures cleaning their bodies so attentively and regularly, many cat parents (especially novice ones) may wonder: do they need cat grooming? Or how often should they groom their cat? Let’s dive into details to find the answers. 

Do I Need To Groom My Cats / Why Should I Groom My Cat? 

Though cats are naturally neat creatures and good at cleaning their bodies, they still need some grooming attention from their parents. This is so because, in addition to cleaning their fur, grooming also includes nail trimming, hair trimming, ear cleaning, eye cleaning, and bathing (when necessary). These are the things that cats can’t do on their own. Furthermore, grooming your feline allows you to examine his body and identify the presence of ectoparasites, skin issues, wounds, or other signs of different potential health issues that can seriously harm your pet’s health, if not detected timely.

Above all, grooming is a great way to strengthen your bond with your feline friend, physically and mentally. Spending quality time together also helps you and your cat feel relaxed and can even be therapeutic. 

How Often Should I Groom my Cat?

The answer to this question depends on factors like your cat's coat type, breed, age, season, outdoor activity, overall health status, and the ability of the cat to groom itself. Generally, the cats who spend more time outside, obese cats (who are less active), cats with long fur, and senior and sick cats (who can’t groom themselves efficiently) need to be groomed more often. On the other hand, cats that don’t go outside, have enough physical activity, have short fur, and can groom themselves actively require less frequent grooming. 

However, feline experts have given the following recommendations for different grooming practices. 

• Brushing: Cats with short hairs should be brushed once a week, while medium or long-haired cats should be brushed daily (or three times a week at least). 
• Nail trimming: The frequency of nail trimming depends on the growth rate of nails which is different in each cat. Experts recommend checking their nails twice a month to monitor nail growth and avoid overgrowth (which can lead to a change in gait or joint issues). 
• Ear cleaning: Once in two months is enough. However, you must check your cat's ears now and then for any abnormalities such as redness, swelling, discharge, etc. If you observe any of such things, contact your vet immediately.
• Eye cleaning: once or twice a week, sometimes more often depending on the circumstances. 
• Bath: Since cats are good at cleaning their coats, and if you brush them at the recommended frequency, they don't require frequent baths. Bathing your cat once a month is enough. However, you can bathe your cat earlier, if he/she gets dirty or too smelly, or suffers from some skin issues. 

Some Essential Cat Grooming Tips

• The first and most crucial aspect of grooming is to make your feline enjoy the procedure. For this, it's crucial to start grooming them from kittenhood.
• Grooming is a time-consuming task, so do it when you have plenty of free time. Hurrying the grooming process can make your cat anxious so take your time.  
• Groom your feline when he is in a good mood and ready to spend time with you. Forcing your cat for grooming can lead to non-cooperative behavior and make him stressed. 
• Always choose cat-specific and high-quality grooming accessories like combs, brushes, nail clippers, shampoos, etc. 
• Let your cat examine and play with the accessories for a few minutes to familiarize himself with the tools. 
• Start brushing from the head and move toward the back slowly. Never brush against the direction of the fur. 
• Make sure that you have enough knowledge and practice to perform different grooming procedures properly like nail trimming, ear cleaning, eye cleaning, etc… 
• If you feel that your cat is not enjoying the process, resisting, trying to bite the brush, or trying to escape, stop immediately, let him go, and try again later. 
• For the next time, start with shorter sessions and increase the time gradually. 

Take Home Message

Despite their amazing ability to keep their fur clean, cats need attention from their owners. So as a responsible cat parent, you must spare some time regularly to groom your cat. Furthermore, you must know the specific needs of your cat to choose the right grooming tools and enable yourself to perform the different grooming procedures correctly.