Question an trimming cat's hair

I have a lovely 2 year old Maine Coon. She has never had her fur trimmed. Actually I never considered it. I was in a Petco and watched their grooming staff "buzz cut" another cat. They said they could not just "trim" a cat, but had to shave off all of their fur. Something about cats skin and grooming clippers.

This does not sound right. If I just want to get my cat a trim, is it possible? Especially her mane.

 

Don't know how helpful this is, but when Lizzy developed an extremely sensitive stomach (just the smallest amount of hair would make her throw up), I shaved her except for her head & tail. I never shaved it really close - always left the hair about 1/4" - 1/2". She never had any problems with her skin.

-Chelle

 

ahh....the lion's cut. Lots of people with long-haired cats do this a couple times a year. My mother has to with her cat...it's those nasty little backside cling-ons :roll:
never heard of trimming their cat's fur.

 

My m-i-l trims one of her cats. Sasha is a beautiful black cat with green eyes (at least part persian, she was a rescue tho so we don't know her background for sure).

I kind of wish m-i-l would just get her the lion cut because she doesn't always give poor Sasha the most even looking hair cut :lol:
but there are no more hair balls and no problems other than looks resulting from the hair cuts. :mrgreen:

 

Yes, its possible. Maybe the groomer only meant that it would be neccessary to shave matted hair becuase its very easy to accidently clip the skin when trying to cut matts out with scissors.
I trim Tiddy's hair myself (using scissors)...just his "bib" and buns. The groomers here trim cats too.

 

Most groomers are actually only trained on dogs. Very few get the necessary training to know how to do more than shave a cat with a 10 blade, which is very short.

It is possible to do longer clips on cats, but it should only be done by a skilled cat groomer. The biggest problem, other than how easily the skin can be cut, is that cat hair doesn't lend itself to a smooth cut. It tends to look choppy and clumpy unless the cat is very cooperative and the groomer has a lot of skill. Cats usually give you a very short window of opportunity when it comes to grooming. When Kitty has had enough, you're done. Cats also don't stand up for grooming, like a dog does. That makes getting a nice, even cut much more difficult. Not impossible, but difficult enough that a lot of groomers don't want to attempt it.

A good cat groomer has highly specialized skills, and will probably cost you a pretty penny. It can also be difficult to find a skilled cat groomer, regardless of price. Even regular pet groomers charge a lot to groom cats, because of the health issues involved; a cat bite usually requires a trip to the doctor and antibiotics. Even a simple scratch can require antibiotic treatment, and sometimes the groomer is off work for a week or more if the wounds become infected. I've known groomers who ended up in the hospital on IV antibiotics after being bitten. I knew one who died from the infection. For that reason alone, a lot of groomers just don't groom cats at all.

Another thing to keep in mind; if you clip a cat, the coat will be a different color unless your cat is a solid colored cat, like black, blue, or white. If the hair is "banded", it will be darker on the tips than at the base. When you cut the tips off, all that's left is the lighter colored base, and the undercoat, so the cat will be light until the hair grows back in.

 

Thanks for all the input. I found a good groomer who has done a number of cats. She charges $75 for a styled clipping, nails and dry bath. I will try it.

 

My sister takes her cat to the vet once a month the "spot shave" the dread locks he gets. She does brush him daily, but he just gets dread locks anyway. He's one big fluff ball.

 

She might concider using a comb instead of a brush. Brushes don't remove as much loose undercoat as a comb, and usually don't get right down to the skin. Brushes also tend to skim over small mats that are forming rather than get them out. Brushes lie, but a comb doesn't. If there's a mat starting, a comb will find it.