problem grooming long haired cat

[jeanswithatwist]

my cat is just a year old. i had hoped that she would naturally like being groomed as i got her gently used to it from a very young age. Sadly she ain't crazy about it. She doesn't like her underside being groomed so i have had to admit defeat and get a groomer round to clip her underside/armpits as mats are developing. I thought, going by youtube, that all persians were seriously docile when it came to grooming, mine turns into a killer when i attempt to do her underside . To add to the fun, whilst she doesn't mind me grooming her outer back/head etc, she has a habit of always lying down on her right hand side so i find it hard to groom there (hence a few small mats have appeared on the fine undercoat). anyone else with a touchy longhaired cat which has resulted in mats?

[Mincepies76]

My Persian Chinchilla Wilbur is 4 months old so I'm interested to see what replies you get.
So far he likes being groomed...but last night he did just want to bite the brush...then my fingers. He loves his tummy being done

[friendafar]

Mine used to like it but when we moved house he refused to have his belly done. As for docile, that was knocked on the head when I was trying to give him his first bath (at the time we lived somewhere dusty so it was necessary) and he ended up hanging off my back by his claws. Excruciating and certainly not like the cats in sinks on YouTube videos is prepped myself with!

He also has a preference for one side only. What I do is do what he likes and when he's content I continue for a bit longer then try the belly or other side (by moving him) very, very gently. He usually accepts it a little. I try not to make a big deal about it because otherwise I'll have no chance!

[Mincepies76]

I had to bath W after his stay in the cattery just before Christmas (I wasn't impressed!) It went surprisingly well. I'd watched a You Tube video. The technique was to put him in an empty bath and take the shower attachment off so it was a hose. Then hold it to the skin. He didn't love it, but it was ok...long may it last!

[jeanswithatwist]

mince we got mabel when she was three months old, she isn't a chinchilla, she is a plain white persian. i did it by the book, studied A LOT on persians before i got her. from the off she HATED being bathed. i thought all persians liked to be bathed but not a chance. i know a lot of people with persians and it would appear that actually very few bath them, mostly ones that show them. unlike on youtube, she doesn't like me trimming her claws although i get away with wiping her ears.....i try and keep her botty fur short as there is a mess at times (fussy tummy so no gravy based wet food). i have to ask the groomer to trim her 'bib' as it is constantly in her mouth, it looks like it bugs her too, i don't want to try and trim that. i wipe her eyes (with warm water) about 2-4 times a day (she has quite runny ones) which she actually seems to like. the groomer specialises in persians. he said most of them seem to have their tummy /arm pit fur kept short as a lot of them don't like being brushed there. can we see a photo' of Wilbur

[jeanswithatwist]

friend can i see a pic'? i do love a persian! (& all cats tbh, can't beat a cat)

[jeanswithatwist]

this is mabel...spends a lot of time flat out on her back

[RoseDog]

My long haired cat was antisocial evil she used to get a wee trip to the vets for sedation and grooming, it cost us but was worth it to stay alive!

[NeuNewNouveau]

Watching with interest. This is our furgirl who doesn't like being groomed. She also develops matts under her armpits and sometimes in other places but armpits are def the worst. Having once spent 45minutes with two of us helping hold her for the vet nurse and a very upset cat, we have now bought a set of clippers and we battle for a few minutes every few weeks and just clip off the matts as soon as they start developing.

She is 1 and I would like to get her used to the grooming but she will only let us do her back under duress and we can't get near the bits that actually need doing. The clipper solution is not ideal at all but is the best we can get currently.

Any ideas would be great.

[Mincepies76]

I'm worried now that this is just the honeymoon
Love all the pictures, love Persians. Are Chinchillas more docile?

[jeanswithatwist]

neunew love the picture of your cat. that sounds pretty tough, that she doesn't like being groomed at all. my previous cat, also longhaired, also didn't mind being groomed although we never had a problemm with her tummy or undercoat as she wasn't a persian/different type of fur less inclined to mat. i will put up a picture once she has had her tummy etc done, not for a few weeks yet. tbh, i hate the lion cut etc, noway is he going to do that to her.......

[jeanswithatwist]

mince love your little man and the name!! yes, your fun has only just begun although males might be different to females. are you going to let him outside? we do although only the back garden (which we have done our best to make it hard for her to get out) but she loves it and stops me feeling guilty about keeping her in. she isn't the best of jumpers or climbers which from what i have read, is pretty typical for most persians although there are always going to be exceptions...... you may be one of the youtube lucky ones (have a look on there) as there are plenty of soppy persians on there who allow literally without moving at all claw trimming, eye wiping, combing & bathing. sadly ours isn't one of those but it doesn't matter as i love her to bits. she is a mixture of floppy typical persian behaviour to very rough playing (biting etc) but i don't mind (i am the only one she play bites, not sure if that is a compliment or not....

[jeanswithatwist]

ps mince the groomer asked me if she was a plain persian or a chinchilla, i said plain persian. he said that chinchillas are a little more twitchy although from what i have seen on youtube and heard, i thought it was the otherway round. i wouldn't worry about it, chinchillas are perfect. if you are on facebook there is a chinchilla appreciation group which is really helpful if you have any queries down the line as there are hundreds of people on there with one. i am a member although mabel isn't a chinchilla but there isn't much difference; from what i can tell, chinchillas have a thicker coat

[Mincepies76]

Jeans so far Wilbur is very soppy. He lets m do his eyes and claws. Only thing he doesn't like is a bum and paw clean if we have a poo issue! He follows us around and like to give nose licks (I tell myself it's a kiss!)
We will probably let him in our garden if we are in it when he's bigger. The reason we found out about his breed was because we found one in our garden...it sat under a bush all day, knowing cats I knew that was odd so tempted it out and luckily he had a name tag so I was able to phone his Mum and she collected him, he was a golden Chinchilla and beautiful...but he couldn't work out how to get out my garden!!
Your girl is beautiful . Thanks for the Facebook tip, I'll check that out. I think the difference with Chinchilla's is their colouring...Wilbur is silver tipped and their faces, Wilbur has more of a doll face than the typical flatter Persian face. Also they Chinchillas have particular eye colours. They are all lush though

[jeanswithatwist]

i love chinchillas and will probably get one one day. mabel can't eat wet food with gravy as she gets a tummy upset which is a nightmare as hard to wipe dirt off persian fur as it seems to absorb it. i have towelling mits so i get dd to hold her (try to...) while i wipe/wash botty with cat shampoo, pretty vile really but like having another baby. i do trim the fur near her bum. she struggles cleaning herself because of her fur 'bib' so the groomer will trim it to help her as her front fur is constantly in her mouth when she grooms herself. i am allergic to cats apart from longhaired females (there is a scientific reason). when our last cat (she was a rescue) died a year ago, i tried to replace her with a longhaired rescue but couldn't find one. i had always wanted a persian so voila!! they are very floppy soppy cats. mine follows me around too. i do worry about her getting out of our garden, not all people are as honest as you (re your returning the cat in yr garden). i will always have a cat. our house felt so empty when our other cat had to be pts, broke our hearts

[Mincepies76]

We lasted 24 hours after our beautiful moggy Jasper was pts before I contacted the breeder about Wilbur, it just felt wrong without a cat. We knew we wanted a Persian and I am delighted with his personality and affection he gives. When we found the cat in our garden I had no idea how valuable he was (not that it made a difference, I'd have still contacted the owner) I would worry about W being stolen...don't know if that is really a real concern.
Know what you mean about gravy food! The vet said he should only have dried food because the breed has a small mouth and biscuits will keep it healthier...but he will not eat them. I mix them in with wet food, but he tries to avoid them...I'm on the 4th brand so far!

[Toomanycats99]

Our cat is very old and went through a phase of not washing. My sister picked us up a comb with built in blade. You brush as normal but the blade cuts through the matts. Alternatively you can just target the matted area. It was about £11 so not cheap but it's fantastic.

[BibiBlocksberg]

Loving Mabel & her camera poses OP, especially the one where she's flat out on her back :)

My Jake is long haired, all be it a normal moggy not pedigree (genuinly not sure if there's a difference in the coat texture)

Had to have him shaved down by a groomer when i first got him (traumatised both of us due to noisy clippers & horrible attitude of groomer)

Anyway, he likes having his back, sides, chin & bib combed now but to get to the belly i have to wait until he's sleeping flat out on his back, even then it's touch & go as to when i'll get my hand mangled, that's to say nothing about the err, derriere area - it's a two man 'pin him to the floor' job in diarrhoea emergencies.

No easy answers, my local pets at home groomers are very good so take him there for any baked in 'dangle berries' & he doesn't seem to mind too much.

I also keep almond base oil on hand - spread on hands lightly (very little goes a long way) & stroke cat wherever you can reach without losing a limb :)

Makes the coat very easy to brush & untangle - word of warning though - mine adores the taste of the oil, licks my hands & himself to get as much as possible.....still, while he's busy licking i can get a few belly & underarm comb strokes in unnoticed :)

[RoseDog]

The orthodontist my dd has been referred to charges £400 for an out of school appointment so she will be going to appointments in school hours me thinks!

[RoseDog]

FFS why did that post on this thread and not the school attendance thread I was reading??

[BibiBlocksberg]

Thought £400 for cat braces was a bit steep RoseDog :) Not to mention the fact a tiny part of my brain went 'OMG, you can get braces for cat teeth? & checking his lordships gnashers before sanity prevailed again :)

[Mincepies76]

The orthodontist sounds greedy!

[jeanswithatwist]

rosedog i enjoyed that, i thought you may have lost your marbles.
bibi can you post a pic of Jake? i love looking at other peoples cat pictures. i am one of those sad types who watches the cat daft video clips on youtube.....here's another one of mabeous.
toomany thanks for that, oddly enough i bought one on ebay recently but didn't realise that it was in China so i have to wait about a month for it to arrive.....i am hoping it will help.
mince i give mabeous mostly dry and have been trying her out on the royal canin persian adult which she seems to like and when she was younger, the RC for kittens. wet wise, she is a fussy sod, i have tried pretty much EVERYTHING from whiskers to real fancy. the only thing she will eat is fish based encore or applaws but not jelly/gravy, has to be wet/near natural. she does like a bit of cooked chicken and of course, tuna & dreamies.....what cat doesn't!!