Hi everyone, it’s Allegra! Mom has had so much good stuff to share with you lately, it’s been tough to get some time for me to write one of my columns! Today, I want to talk to you about the importance of grooming.
You all know that we kitties are pretty much self-cleaning. Mom says we’re fastidious about keeping ourselves clean. I don’t know what that word means, but I do know that any self-respecting cat will make sure that she’s clean at all times. In fact, if your kitty ever stops grooming himself, it may be a sign that there’s something wrong.
I love grooming myself. Like all cats, I always wash thoroughly after each meal. But I also groom myself before settling in for a nice long nap. After all, she who is clean sleeps well – or something like that.
Sometimes, we might need a little extra help from our humans to deal with all our loose hair. As you can see in the video below, I love it when Mom brushes me. I especially love to rub the sides of my face against the brush. Mom uses an old slicker brush that she’s used on all her cats, ever since she had her first cat Feebee. She says there wasn’t much of a choice in brushes back then, and every cat she’s ever had has liked that old brush, so she never bothered to replace it.
I want to be very clear on one thing: healthy cats don’t need baths! Well, unless we get ourselves into some sort of trouble. Mom says that when Feebee was little, she painted the bedroom walls, and he got into the paint can with his paws, so she had to wash his feet. She says he wasn’t amused. But unless cats have some sort of health condition that requires a bath, bathing just isn’t necessary.
Some cats groom each other. Ruby and I don’t do that. I sometimes get a little lick in when Ruby is sleeping: I sneak up on her and lick her head, but as soon as she wakes up, she gives me that look that I know means “back off,” so I stop. Since Ruby doesn’t like it when I groom her, I sometimes groom Mom instead. I love licking her skin, especially after she’s just put lotion on it. She won’t let me do it for very long, even though she uses cosmetics with no harmful chemicals in them. She says it’s not good for me to ingest too much of that stuff.
What’s that, Ruby? You want to write something, too? Wait your turn, little one – this is my column!
One of my cats is a Devon Rex. Rex breeds do need a gentle bath (I use a Gentle oatmeal shampoo for cats) every week or two and their ears need some special care as well. The Devon’s have only a curly, downy undercoat..feels like petting a baby bunny! However without a top coat of hair their body oils have no place to go but all their favorite rubbing spots around the house. If we get to week three, Miss Lucy-lu is a little stinkpot!!
You’re absolutely right, Rex breeds do need an occasional bath.
Both Binga and Boodie have had baths at one point or another, either because of getting into something (Binga) or having some litter box troubles (Boodie). But they are mostly self-cleaning. Binga doesn’t even like being brushed much, so it is a good thing she needs it the least1
Why am I not surprised Binga needed a bath because she got into something? 🙂
Lovely, Allegra! Thanks for the demonstration!
I have to wonder, while FeeBee had his paws “painted” did he happen to make any works of art by walking on something and leaving paw prints everywhere?
And YES you sure do seem to love your brushings Allegra! I’m happy for the knowledge as well. So, thank you!
He did leave a little artwork behind on the carpet, Jody 🙂
Regarding not needing baths… clearly rescued kittens (and older cats) may need a bath or two for various reasons (fleas, ringworm), but once treated I see no reason to bathe a cat (unless they have an issue, like one I had who sometimes soiled himself on the way to the vet, then just clean the area needed.)
I have known people and read about others who talk about bathing their cats and think why would you do that? They are self-cleaning!!
As for the grooming, if anyone likes it, I will provide this service, but most are fine without it – only one has long hair and needs some assistance (she now gets a Brazilian at the vet’s office and I am slowly working on her belly. The rest of her is okay, she seems to take care of it, but gets a little when I try for the belly (don’t get much done because she wants to attack/play/chew on the brush instead!)
hahahahaha paint… I put the pan and 5gal bucket in a high-sided box missing one side. Everything was going fine, until Eddie decided to jump into this nice box from the back side… he landed IN the rolling pan, jumped out and slipped on the floor (leaving the first BIG imprint), then ran out of the room (follow the foot prints) into the hall, into the next BR, under the bed and onto a chair on the other side before I could catch him!!! Think Penelope Pussycat, Pepe Le Pew’s love interest!!! He is black, paint was white.
Lucky for me he is one of those who doesn’t fight much being handled… we had to get to the sink and rinse it all off – not really a bath, but close enough. The whole time he kept wrapping his front paws around my neck, basically pleading with me to stop.
I learned my lesson there – keep cats out of any room to be painted!!
I groom my mommy every morning and it wakes her up. But I have been sick and stopped cleaning my mommy. She can get out of bed and wash her own face. But, Monday I had to go to the VET because mommy was worried about me. I wasn’t happy at all. Now I am feeling better and back to making sure my mommy has a clean face before she gets out of bed. I don’t like to groom Pele. She growls at me all the time.
…….Miss Kiki
I sure am glad you’re feeling better, Miss Kiki, and I’m glad your Mom is getting her feline facials again!
Love this post.