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Linky on the Imortance of Fur

Fur is one of the top things that drives us to get a cat. Its what sets them apart from the rest of the kitties in the world and coat color may be a determining factor in which cat you get. smile

There are many type of coat colors, types, lengths etc out there. I could spend months covering each type of fur, so well cover the basics.

Cats have fur for a specific reason. To stay warm, to stay cool, and to survive in its enviroment.

And as a referance: A guide to Cat brushes

*Please keep in mind that a lot of brushes could be used either or (like the slicker) And not every cat is going to like the same brush so find one that works for both of you and make the whole process more enjoyable.*

Also known as LHD. Some of the well known long haired/medium haired cats are the Maine Coon, the Siberian, Norwedgian Forest Cat, the Himilayan and the Persian. (theres alot of them out there).

These types of cats generally need more grooming done than their short haired cousins. To avoid matting (which is common in long haired cats) it is recomended weekly to daily depending on the type of coat/cat. Some cats generally arent shedders but its good to get in there when you can to help remove loose hairs and to bond with your cat, and to also check for parasites, etc. If you do come across a mat, wet it down and work it out with a comb and your fingers. If this fails to do the job, you can always gently snip the mat out. For those cats that are severly prone to matting (such as Persians) shaving is sometimes nessesary to keep your kitty healthy.

Types of Brushes for a Long Haired Cat

Combo Pin and Bristle Brush

Cat Comb

Slicker Brush

Sometimes it is nessesary to shave your cat. I wouldnt recomend doing it yourself. Take her to the vet or a groomer. Sometimes the cat has to be put under to get shaved. When shaving, they generally leave the fur on the head, feet, and tip of the tail. Thus calling it the "Lion Cut". Please keep in mind that the fur of the cat does serve a purpose and though it will not harm the cat, you need to make sure your cat is warm enough, and that its able to stay clean.

Reasons to Shave your Cat
~Excessive Matting
~ Excruciatingly hot weather
~Coat has foreign substance on it (fly paper, tar, paint, etc)
~Medical Reason

Any opinions on using those glove-brushes (the type that fully cover the hand, like an oven mitt, not the 'just attached with a strap' sort) with a medium/long-haired cat? Moreso for maintenance between good brushes with a slicker/comb/pin/whatever because obviously the shortness of the bristles, such as they are, won't get all the way through so well.

I'm kind of thinking about trying to find one to use with Saphi -for her stomach, to avoid death-clawing of my hand, and just for our nighttime cuddletime.

That's kind of what I'm thinking - and I mean, Saphi absolutely loves a good petting when scratches are involved (she adores when I just hold the brush and let her rub against it, especially around her ears... the angles don't always work so well, though) - and it gives you protection from teeth/claws when cat gets overstimulated/doesn't overly like the tummy pets, because of the coverage.
I just can't imagine them getting a whole lot out (they look more suited to short-haired animals), but yeah...

Now to find one that suits... I've only ever glanced at the ones at Walmart, and they just look way too huge for me/Saphi... it may take awhile to find one, I can be rather picky...

I have one for Saphi and three (counting the comb, not counting that one's a dual-sided) for Bella; and of course the one that I just use on the house.
If/when I get one, I'll let you know how it works out for us (if I remember)

I got about that much out of Zoe last night and she's a gazillion times bigger than he is.

Saphi's either not bad with the stimulation thing or we've just learned to read each other well enough that it's not really an issue (most of our petting-time is at night while I'm reading in bed, she'll walk back and forth across my stomach - free to come and go as she pleases - and she only really gets partial attention from me).

Mum's kind of started brushing Zoe more, but I don't know how well she's actually keeping up with it; she's also still really nervous about the handling so I didn't give her a really good brushing or anything (I probably could have got out a lot more than I did).
Softness - I've yet to find a cat around me as soft as Saphi yet... Saw one tonight, a short-medium hair (fluffier than a short-hair, but not as fluffy as our coonies), maybe indoor-outdoor (not sure if he gets to go in or not); everybody was saying how soft he was... yeah, not really and he had that slightly greasy feeling to him (mind you these are all people with primarily-outdoor cats, and I highly doubt any of them are fed good food)

Bought a glove-brush, the Groom'n Mitt -it looked like it'd be decent, better than the bulky things at places like Walmart. Obviously being mesh isn't ideal, as it gives no protection, but I'm working on that.
So far, Saphi seems to really enjoy it on her back, sides and tail. I haven't risked trying her stomach yet, because it's mesh, aka absolutely no protection, so I need to find a liner (aka: a winter mitt or I'll make something)
It gets almost no hair off of her (though I brushed her with the slicker yesterday and didn't get hardly anything anyhow, so maybe she just doesn't have much to shed right now), just enough so that I'm fighting with cat-hair in my face all night