I have 3 cats... Floyd is my orange fluffy Maine **** (thats what we think he is.. 1/2 anyway bc his mom was just a calico and we dont know who his dad is
). He looks like a Maine **** through and through. His fur is about medium length and he is a big cat.. He has some tiger markings, white "boots" on his feet, a fluffy tail, white lions mane and a white nose... and the personality to boot!! He is quite temperamental and always has been, as a kitten he would always attack the brush when i would groom him and that has continued to be a problem. While Im not afraid to groom him and I do, he tries to scratch and get away the whole time.. he gets mattes on his bottom, around his rear and in his armpits....... the armpits i can get, and his belly and the top of his bottom, but around his tail.... he has a fit!!! I hate to take him groomed bc they charge extra bc he is temperamental and i feel bad!!! the lady i used to have was wonderful and we had a system but she stopped grooming (I would hold him for her and she would shave out the mattes) and she didnt charge me much bc it wasnt a normal grooming.. it was just a nail clip and quick shave.
anyhow.. any suggestions??
also i have just a black and white cat and she has terrible drippy eyes.... are there any natural things i can do to help her?
I would try getting some acepromazine from your vet. Often that is enough to "take the edge off" and help kitty to relax and be easily groomed. I would suggest that they just shave his tummy/rear area to keep it short enough so it won't get matted. At least start out with it shaved. Likely having matts removed on the butt is VERY painful if you're trying to comb them out, tease them out. So, kitty automatically remembers it as a painful feeling and complains/tries to get out of it. If you were to have the area shaved, then get something "softer" to groom it with (like a pin brush that has the ends coated so it won't scratch the skin) kitty will eventually lose the association he has with having his rear groomed with pain. KWIM? Then he may let you groom his rear without protest. Then you can spend 10 minutes or so a day making sure his whole coat has been groomed/brushed. Consider giving kitty a treat/nutrical after a grooming session as well. Try to make it "positive" for kitty.
As for the drippy eyes, is the kitty a persian or have shortened nasal passages at all? Otherwise it could be something like an allergy/etc.
Well, if you are going to attempt to do the shaving yourself, on a cat that isn't used to it, it can be very frightening. I would DEFINITELY suggest getting the acepromazine and waiting after the dose for it to take affect
. I have a razor here which I used to clip down my Sammy with, a nice quality one will cut the hair very efficiently, it's better to spend the extra $$$ and get something that works really well. In the past I tried the cheapie ones and they seemed to only work well the first cut or two. Plus, a good quality razor will do better if the fur is matted close to the skin. Something about cat hair, it's just so fine...to me it seems like dog hair is thicker.
Some groomers will also use a sock over the head (like a muzzle) and wrap the cat in a towel to protect themselves from being scratched. Though, that too can really upseting though depending on kitty's temperment.
I'd ask your vet about the runny eyes, that can be caused by a whole host of things...upper respiratory infections, viruses, eye infection, allergies...did this come on suddenly?
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