Do All Cats Need Brushing?

Different cats have different types of coat. Basically, there are long-haired, short-haired and hairless cats, and specialists distinguish up to three intermediate spices: semi-long-haired, curly-haired and wire-haired cats. Some people mistakenly believe that only long-haired breeds require brushing, while, in fact, you need to brush any cat (excluding the hairless ones) in order to maintain healthy look of its coat and prevent shedding. It’s important to choose the proper tool. Ideally, it must be efficient, easy-to-use and causing no discomfort to a pet.

Types of Cat Brushes

• Bristle brushes are a universal tool for all coat types. If your cat is short-haired and doesn’t tend to shed severely, one good bristle brush will be enough to maintain its fur in a proper condi For a long-haired cat, a bristle brush is just one of the grooming accessories.
• Pin brushes are for cats with long hairs prone to matting and tangling. A pin cat brush for matted hair helps to cope with matting and prevents the formation of new mats.
• Slicker brushes suit cats with different coat types. They effectively stimulate kitties’ skin, improve blood circulation, and help to disperse natural oils along the hairs, making fur glossy and healthy-looking. Beware that a cat slicker brush can hurt skin if it used too aggressively.
• Brushing gloves serve a massaging tool for cats with short and semi-long hairs. They are effective in the shedding period. A cat brush glove can be used to groom cats that hate to be brushed.
• Cat combs are intended primarily for long-haired cats. They effectively remove excess fur and make the hairs smoother, stronger and glossier.
• DeShedders are designed specially for gentle and safe removing of undercoat without touching top hairs. They work like trimmers.

Brushing Your Cat’s Coat: The Basics and Its Benefits

There is a popular misconception: if a cat’s fur looks glossy and healthy, and there are no visible signs of shedding, brushing is unnecessary. But specialists believe that domestic cats need grooming anyway. Regular combing has several benefits both for a pet and its parent.

1. No mats – no problems. Matting is a result of natural shedding, which is an inevitable process. It can grow into a real problem for the owners of long-haired cats – the mats cause a lot of discomfort to kitties, which can’t get rid of them without people’s help. Brushing and deshedding help to prevent matting.
2. No mess and a clean home. Even short-haired cats shed regularly, and if the excessive hairs are not brushed out, they are left around the home: on the floor, on the furniture, and on the people’s clothes. Grooming helps to prevent mess and keep your home clean.
3. A clean and beautiful coat. People love to stroke cats and take them in their arms – when a pet is regularly brushed, its coat is not only beautiful, but clean and pleasant to touch.
4.  Fewer hairballs in the stomach. It is not a secret that wash themselves with their own tongue, spending hours on grooming. Small hairs stick to the tongue and get to the cat’s stomach, forming hairballs inside the pet. Normally, these balls cause no harm and are exerted in a natural way. But if they are too large, it can be difficult to cope with them. The more fur is brushed out, the less is swallowed by a pet.
5. It’s a perfect way to relax and express your love and care. Careful stroking and massaging relieves stress, pain, and anxiety in a cat and has a calming effect on its owner.

How We Picked out the Best Cat Brushes 2018

To choose the best cat brush models we’ve tested a lot of grooming tools of different types. Our goal of testing was to find an ideal price/quality ratio. We used several criteria of estimation, including the following ones:

• overall build quality & design;
• materials of teeth and the handle;
• brand;
• price;
• availability in online stores.

Of course, we’ve read and analyzed a lot of cat brush reviews written by real customers. Using a brush in real-life conditions is the best way to check its durability, sturdiness, and effectiveness. A rule of thumb is that the best selling goods that are highly estimated by customers are really the best ones, though there can be some exceptions.

The Best Goods in the Category of Cat Brushes: Our Choice

This list of top cat grooming brush models includes ten popular items. All of them have been tested in real-life conditions and are available in popular online stores. The ranking includes different types of brushes. In particular, we’ve tried to single out the best long hair cat brush, the best cat brush for shedding and even the best brush glove.

Facts about Cats Fur and Cats Grooming

1. Contrary to the popular belief, shampooing makes cats’ fur less glossy and beautiful because shampoo removes natural oils from hairs. Don’t wash cats without need.

2. Never use people’s cosmetics for cats grooming as it can be harmful to pets. There are special powders and sprays for cats that make brushing easier.

3. Some craftsmen use cats’ hairs for knitting warm belts. However, these belts are not as warming-up as items made of dogs’ hairs.

4. Cats of the Turkish Van breed have waterproof fur and like swimming.

5. Historically, most cats, except for rare Persians, used to be short-haired. Long-haired cat breeds became popular only about 100 years ago.

How to Care of a Cat Brush: General Tips

Now, after you’ve chosen the best cat brush, you may ask a reasonable question: how to care for it properly to increase its lifespan? Well, though a pet brush doesn’t require much special maintenance, there are basic rules that can help you to preserve your grooming tool in a good condition:

• remove hairs from the teeth after each use;
• wash it on an as-needed basis in a warm soapy water;
• after washing, let it dry naturally, or soak with a dry cloth;
• don’t put a plastic cover on the teeth of a wet brush.

Finally, observe general safety precautions: try not to drop or throw grooming tools, keep them away from small kids and don’t overheat the brush in order not to damage the plastic handle.

How to Care for a Cat’s Fur and Make its Coat Healthy and Glossy

Those who get a long-haired cat for the first time in their life, usually have a lot of questions regarding brushing. The most frequent of them are the following:

• How to brush a cat?
• How often should I brush my cat?
• How to brush a cat that doesn’t want to be brushed?

Specialists believe that there are some things to be done apart from brushing. For example, if the cat is not fed properly, or doesn’t get enough vitamins, brushing alone won’t make its fur healthy and beautiful. Here are the main aspects that you need to focus on if you want your cat to have a perfect coat.

Balanced Nutrition is Essential for Your Kitty’s Fur

Any cat should get proteins from meat products, enough healthy fats, including those containing Omega-3, and carbs. If your cat is on the commercial dry food, choose only premium sorts intended specially for cats of particular breeds and control the pet’s drinking regime. Keep in mind that overeating is even more dangerous than malnutrition. Overweight cats often have a poor quality of fur.

Wash but don’t Overwash

Cats are very cleanly animals. They spend a lot of time on self-cleaning, and they simply don’t need to be bathed too often. Moreover, an excessive washing can yield a reverse effect: you’ll wash out essential oils from the cat’s skin and its hairs turn dull and fragile.

Regular Brushing is the Best Solution

To achieve the best result, you need to buy the proper brush and to learn what the best way to brush a cat is. If you are an owner of a short hair cat brush it at least once a week or two with a slicker or a bristle brush. For a long-haired cat, you’ll need a wider range of grooming accessories. For example, the best brush for Himalayan cat is a deshedding tool – these beautiful creatures tend to shed more intensively than short hair cats. All long hair cats require regular brushing at least twice a week with a deshedder plus a slicker. The most demanding breeds need to be brushed every day.

If Your Cat Hates to Be Brushed…

Suppose, you’ve bought the best Persian cat brush, but your furry friend hates it. Don’t try to force it to the procedure. Instead, start with very gentle stroking movements. You can even buy a glove brush for a starter. Give your cat time to get used to brushing, and then switch to a more serious tool. If the kitty still hates it, try to change the tool or consult a vet. It can turn out that you cause pain to it.

Verdict and Recommendations

No matter whether you are looking for a safari cat brush or a tool for an alley cat, always choose high-quality grooming tools. We’ve reviewed top-10 cat brushes from well-established brands. All of them do their job really well.

Our top choice is the FURminator Long Hair deShedding Tool. It uses the original FURminator technology for mega-effective removing of loose hair. At the same time, it is extremely well-made, durable, and affordable.

If you are looking for the best long-haired cats grooming tool, try GoPets Dematting Comb. Its double-sided construction allows to cope with mats and tangles most gently and effectively. It is slightly more expensive than similar products, but it is worthy of it.

Our pick for general brushing and massaging is Safari Soft Bristle Brush – affordable, durable, and comfortable for a pet. It is a must-have in any cat owner grooming arsenal.

Sources:

https://www.hartz.com/how-to-brush-your-cats-coat/

https://consciouscat.net/2011/11/07/brushing-your-cats-teeth/.com/best-cat-brushes/

Attention!

Alisa Mendoza

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