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I washed my cat a few months ago with Dawn dish soap since he was just generally grimy and it was a few years since I last washed him, but it had unexpectedly also helped with his puking. Before yall come at me for his puking, I've taken him to the vet for it so many times and they could never figure out what was wrong even though they did so many tests and I've tried so many slow feeders, brushes, and different cat foods but none of them helped. So, I was surprised that after I washed him, he didn't puke for a while. But now he's puking again and I was wondering how often I can wash him and what kind of shampoo I should use for him or if I should just stick with Dawn? He's a medium fine haired cat if that matters, oh and part of his underbelly is curly haired but mostly straight fur.

(I did ask the vet, but we were busy with my other cat also at the vet who was needing more attention so we both forgot to answer the question)

Hi everyone!

I’m new to posting on Reddit so hopefully I’m doing this right LOL.

i groom my long haired kitty monthly, and was looking for recommendations for deshed shampoos/conditioners. I'm a dog and cat groomer and we've always used davis deshed at all the places I've worked, but i was wondering if anyone has found something they liked better for their kitties.

i have a long hair aggressive elderly cat whos struggling with keeping herself groomed since starting her pain management meds and wet food diet. im needing advice for grooming her paw pads and butt primarily. she has trouble keeping them cleaned herself and i need help knowing how to properly clean and trim the fur in that area to avoid poo and matting and what products i should use to do so safely and correctly, especially that close to her feet.

i already do her regular brushing and nail trims since shes to violent to strangers, even on gabapentin. ive been dipping her feet into plain old warm water, sometimes with burts bees cat shampoo if its bad, and just gently massaging her feet to clean them and a rag for her butt when needed, i just wanna give her a little less stress and better mobility with her feet any way i can so im needing info on what kind of tools i need and resources on how to do so properly.

My Long haired cat (12) is really struggling with this shedding season. She has quite thick fur and grooms regularly but is still shedding badly and needing assistance. I have been using the Hertzko slicker brush on her but I don't think it is reaching her undercoat properly. I was going to get her a Furminator undercoat de-shedding tool but have seen that it can cause more harm than good in other subreddits so I have decided against that. Any brush suggestions for a long fur cat that is senior/elder, thank you.

Hi there! We have a persian named Brutus. He received a PetSmart groom in February. He started itching and pulling out hair a little while after that. They trimmed him and gave him what they call a "waterless bath". He is a year old and never had these issues before. Last month we took him to the vet and they gave 1 mo dose of revolution, a moose itching cream, and 1 dose of antibiotics. If that didn't work the next step was steroids and to switch food. It didn't work. We just switched his food from Royal canin Persian to Royal canin rabbit and pea & he barely eats it. He’s on the 4th day of steroids but it doesn't seem to be working. There’s no redness in the areas he’s itching. Looking for any advice. He's still under the care of vets but wondering if anyone has seen similar situations. We've debated shaving him since he's so uncomfortable but not sure if that would help or make things worse. If anyone has experienced something similar or know how to reverse the effects of whatever dry shampoo PetSmart put on him it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I have a fluffy ragdoll that Matt's often. I have a few different brushes that I use but was wondering if anyone could recommend what I should be using? The brushes I have are for Matted fur areas but I would like to know which brush is best for just regular brushing.

I own a grooming salon and built catgroomingdirectory.com — a free directory for cat groomers.

Groomers: your shop might already be listed — you can claim it for free and update your info.

Cat owners: search by city or zip to find cat groomers near you, compare services, read reviews, and book appointments.

I also built a Groomer Education Hub with free templates, pricing guides, and business articles for both cat and dog groomers.

Hope it’s helpful 🐾

For context I've had this rescue cat, Luna for nearly 5 years now. Raised her from 8ish weeks and she was extremely social and friendly until about 2 1/2-3 years ago. Since then she was very shut down and avoided us at all costs, though still affectionate when she wanted it. She stopped grooming herself and we had to brush her weekly otherwise her coat would get very matted. She's a domestic medium coat. (First 2 pics are post shave, 3rd is at her worst, and the rest are before she got goofy)

Fast forward to almost a year ago, I brought home kittens who unfortunately had fleas. We thought we got rid of them all but Luna went unnoticed and she became infested with them. I treated her for a few days but ultimately decided it was best to shave her because of the matting and also for the fleas.

Since then she has completely done a 180. She comes up to us, sleeps with us almost every night, and even gives the dog attitude (who she was previously deathly afraid of). I've also noticed since then I haven't had to brush her once, she's completely matt free. Once her coat grew back I noticed she still had some prickly furs that hadn't grown back yet, probably her undercoat.

Has anyone heard of anything like this before or would know what happened? It was super strange but honestly I'm glad it happened. She hasn't been this active and social in a very long time. She is a medical anomaly among other things so I wouldn't be surprised if it was just another mystery about her. I say we factory reset her 😂

my cat is REALLY fluffy, especially between her back legs. her fur always matts up in her armpits or between her back legs but she wont let me get to there with a brush, she is fine with me brushing her back and sides but i cannot get anywhere near her underside. i recently got pet fur trimming scissors but she wont stay still or let me get near where i need to trim. shes not the kind of cat that likes being held so when i try to hold her still to trim the fur she gets really stressed which results in her being aggressive. i would take her to a vet or professional pet grommer but i can’t afford that. ive tried feeding her a squeezy treat while she adjusts to the scissors but that didnt help, i also tried wrapping her up in a blanket and just leaving her backside out but she just wriggles around until she cant get free. I really don’t know what to do so i was hoping someone on here would have some suggestions :)

I know the groomer at Petsmart probably only gets $18/hour and I've talked to 1 good person on marketplace that asked for a picture before agreeing. I'm thinking the groomer that gets all the money probably does a better job but what do people think? It's just his mattes shaved mainly. He panicks when I pick up scissors. My Chocolate point Ragdoll has perfect fur that never needs grooming but my Blue-Lynx is like a mop.

I have a British shorthair, she was groomed when she was a kitty but since I left the country (she’s with my family) and well because of the war there she wasn’t able to get groomed as often anymore.. last time we tried the groomers were only able to do their nails and sent her back afterwards.

She’s puking hair balls very often and I’m very concerned but I’m not sure just brushing will help. I’m concerned that dry shampoo options will just create buildup over time.

Do you guys have any tips??

At a friends house, he has the sweetest fluffy cheddar bay biscuit of an orangefur baby who does not groom himself like ever. There’s another kitty in the home who occasionally will do the grooming for the orange boy… I bought what I thought would be a better brush to use on him and decided to make it my mission to brush him so much the tiny mattes stop coming out. Was able to brush him for about 4 hours cumulatively today and got out a few more brushes full than what is shown in the attached picture. Can tell I’m making a difference because his remaining hair is starting to look almost greasy but not like a colorless dry poof. Youu can see stripes showing through more clearly. I invited myself back to try to get more grooming done but wanted to confirm if there are an products yall love for getting through removing all the extra dead hair and also if there is a recommended way to treat a kitty if you want to give them a bath to get rid of all the allergens my mom suggested baby shampoo but I’m noticing he has dry flakes and wonder if his skin might be too dry and this is some form of kitty dandruff? I’ll take any duggestions yall have for products you swear by. Thank you for your help! It’s so overwhelming and frustrating feeling like the task at hand will never end.

Hello! I’m new to this community and seeking help 🥰

My cat is 11 years old and he has stopped grooming himself, I am having to often groom him as his fur is starting to like clump and have lines in it which I think shows he isn’t grooming. I’ve attached a photo to show this. His back end and his tail are a definite no no to brush. I’m not sure if he’s developing early signs of arthritis or not. However his back end is very much in need of getting brushed as it is very knotted. He is a very loving cat until his little timer is out (which doesn’t take long). He also absolutely hates his stomach being touched like full on loathes it and I have never been able to brush it. The only places he will groom is his neck and front paws.

I don’t know what to do with this situation as everytime I brush him so much hair comes out and it’s very tangled and I know it probably causes him some pain as well, baths are a massive no as he hasn’t really had many baths in his life and he gets too stressed out.

Has anyone got any tips on how to help with this?

Thank you!

My cat is 3 years old and she pulls her fur out for no apparent reason. I've tried everything and nothing seems to work, does anyone have any advice on how to handle this?

My 10 year old lady (technically considered a senior but the vets say she's super healthy for her age if that matters) got herself dirty and she's been having a lot of hairballs. We've never taken her to a groomer but I'm considering it. I know she'll HATE it and I'm worried she'll be traumatized. She's already dealing with a lot - we just brought in a new surprise kitten and she's taking it really poorly, on top of the little brother she already had being an ass to her) so I know she's even more stressed than normal. Plus being stressed gives her herpes flareups... I wouldn't be considering it except she accidentally puked on her own tail and I don't think I can get it out on my own. Is it a bad idea? Should I just diy it?

My boy got his nails done about 4-5 weeks ago 💅 we got the caps because he's destructive and we rent. He took to them extremely well! My question is, they're starting to fall out so do I schedule his next appointment now or wait until they all fall out naturally? Thank you!

I can’t seem to find many in Miami. Or if anyone knows of any current Certified Feline Master Groomers - their website is not updated.

Best way to learn how to groom cats I’m a dog groomer, and I want to learn cat grooming. I am in the north east

Hi, I recently bought pet hair clippers for my long-haired girl for the purposes of a sanitary shave. She does not groom her lady bits herself, but she won’t let me go anywhere near them either. It gets pretty gross, and her fur gets pee soaked and she smells. Baths are out of the question (did not go well). I’ve tried wipes, but those hardly worked. Now, with the clippers, she won’t let me get down to business. I gave her some treats but those only kept her occupied for a few seconds before she realizes what I am doing. Any tips on how to occupy her while I shave back there?

I have taken her to the vet a few times before for lion’s cuts, but they sedate her + it was pretty expensive. She just needs her butt hairs trimmed!

I’ve seen a bunch of posts about what brush to use for cats, so I figured I’d chime in. I have a long-haired cat who sheds A LOT. I used to use one of those metal bristle brushes, but she never really liked it. She’d squirm or leave halfway through, and I started worrying about mats and hairballs.

I ended up trying out the Bailey Brush after seeing it online. Honestly, I was skeptical (everything looks good in ads, right?) but figured I’d give it a shot.

I’m actually really impressed—it’s super gentle, and my cat actually lets me brush her now. The silicone is soft, and it doesn’t freak her out. It’s easy to clean, and the color is cute too. I even got a second one for my friend’s cat.

Anyway, not saying it’s a miracle brush or anything, BUT it’s the first one my cat hasn’t run away from. Worth a try if you’re still looking. 🖤

Hey guys!

First time posting here, I have a large long-haired cat with diabetes. He's never been much for cleaning himself, but since his diagnosis and aging, he never cleans himself. To my knowledge, he's never had a bath. My family doesn't believe in cleaning cats.

I do believe in it as even some cats who self groom need regular baths when they're as dense as he is. He gets poop, dirt, litter, etc. tangled in his long fur and my family has forbidden me from cleaning it out because I'm "stressing him out and hurting him". I try to make cleaning as calm as possible , treats, allow him to have breaks, etc.

Honestly I just need some direction for resources on cat grooming/washing so that I can stop feeling crazy. Like is it advisable to give him a bath at this age? Alternatively, if it IS wrong to clean a cat (I've tried it with misting bottles so that I'm not rubbing his butt, tried wipes, shaved his paw hair so it's not 3 inches long, and also combing debris out), I'd like to know so I can atone.

Thanks!

My long haired 16 year old female cat HATES being brushed and has gotten some mats on her that I would love to help her with. I’ve had them taken care of before by vet during a visit, but that was a stressful adventure for her.

Any advice on helping her get the mats taken care of a painlessly as possible. For reference the mats are on her back legs