The importance of grooming your kitten

Cats are very clean animals, and can often be observed grooming themselves or each other. This is both a necessity for them to maintain good hygiene and a healthy coat, but can also be a bonding exercise between you and your cat.

It is best to start brushing and grooming your kitten from a young age, so that they are conditioned to it by the time they mature into an adult. This will generally become a necessary exercise as almost all cat breeds will shed fur once their adult coat comes in.

Kittens love attention and even if grooming starts as playful, the more you do it the more it builds a bond between you both and they will learn to trust you and your handling.

Start slowly and try to stop before your kitten has had enough, after a while tolerance levels will start to build and you should be able to reach all areas of the body including their tummy.

Some cats, particularly long hairs, can suffer from intestinal hairballs due to swallowing excessive amounts of dead coat while grooming.

Grooming is also important for the overall health and wellbeing of your kitten. Brushing not only removes knots, but also gives your kitten a shiny coat by stimulating oil glands in the skin. It will also give you the opportunity to spot any skin conditions early, along with any nasty fleas that might choose your kitten’s coat as their home.

 
There are lots of different brushes and combs to use that will depend on the hair length of your kitten. Here at Kellyville Pets we have a variety available for you to choose from as well as cat food formulas that can be given to assist with aiding the cat in passing hairballs naturally.

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