Most pet owners think that a cat will clean itself with its little pink rough tongue. This is a myth. While some of the shorthaired breeds can keep their coats clean and shiny; some of the longhaired breeds need a little help to be knot free. Being both fastidious and independent, cats may not always appreciate that necessary assistance when it comes to grooming. Unlike dog hair that grows continuously, a cat's hair grows in cycles and sheds due to the amount of light, not the temperature.

Begin when your cat is young and introduce regular routines to make the task less daunting. It is best to start combing, not brushing your cat. A comb reaches the cat's skin better than a brush, especially with longhaired breeds. Wide- and fine-tooth combs used together provide the best results.

Regular combing and brushing stimulates a cat's skin and keeps the coat clean and healthy. Comb shorthaired and longhaired cats every other day. Cats have a double coat, the guard hair is a single hair and the undercoat is actually very fine hairs that will have a tendency to tangle together. As the cat starts to shed out, those tangles can become matted.  Some cats are wonderful about letting you comb out a mat, some aren't and you should call a cat groomer before the mats get worse. Never use scissors on a cat to get the mat out, never take a chance on cutting the cat.

Most of the cats that go to the salon to be groomed are there because of a coat problem. Most cats are not going to enjoy a bath, bathing the cat in a quick efficient manner will reduce stress, as will drying the kitty with a warm towel.
Your cat will greatly benefit from regular grooming and bathing. Cat dander will also be reduced, while the health of you cats skin and coat will improve. Herbal shampoos and conditioners should be used, so as not to cause toxic effects on the cat's skin or system. Cats can be highly sensitive to certain chemicals and surfactants.

 Dematting a cat can be painful and cause unnecessary stress to the cat, thus a clip known as a "Lion Cut" is performed. "Lion Cuts" are sometimes performed for practical reasons, particularly when the cat's fur has become too matted  to comb through and has to be cut very short. Typically, the cat is shaved on the body with a small ruff left around its head and either the tail clipped with a poof on the end or left natural. A discrete tummy trim can be done to reduce the amount of hair or a sanitary trim to keep certain areas clean.

A lot of owners prefer these clips to help reduce the hair in the house, hairballs and like the look for aesthetic reasons. An imaginative, creative and experienced cat groomer will be able to do several variations of this clip.

 After many years of show ring experience bathing and grooming Norwegian Forest cats, I found many tips and tricks to help the cats grooming sessions become safer for the cat and groomer. Many groomers will not groom cats due to the liability involved. A cat bite is more serious then dog bites, due to the bacteria in a cat's mouth. Many bites get infected and will place a groomer in the hospital or out of work. This is why it is more costly to get a cat groomed then a dog. It is hard to find a groomer who solely grooms cats, therefore, if you cat is afraid of dogs inform your groomer so they can set up a quiet appointments for your cat.

"Cats are the ultimate narcissists. You can tell this by all the time they spend on personal grooming."- James Gorman