Search Results for: blog cats who wont groom

Summer Grooming Tips

Today I saw this picture of a fake cat made out of the fur of the real cat it sat beside. The picture really drove it home, as if the hardwood floors I have all over my house hadn’t already: summer is here, and that means so is grooming season. I hate grooming. It’s always just such a trial in my house. But I’m cheap so I hate paying for it more, and because none of my animals do much more try to walk away a little and guilt me a lot for brushing them, I don’t have a great … Continue reading →

Grooming: Sanitary Clip

For long haired pets, a sanitary clip may be a good grooming option. What is a sanitary clip? A vet or groomer will remove hair from areas that can get stinky and dirty from urine and feces. The area may be entirely shaved or simply trimmed to make cleaning easier and prevent cling-ons. Who might benefit from a sanitary clip? Very young animals. Kittens, for example, learn how to groom themselves between the ages of one and four months. A sanitary clip can help keep them clean until they learn how to handle things themselves. Pregnant animals. That round belly … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for May 26 – June 1

I goofed and missed last week’s Week in Review. Rather than catching you up on two week’s worth of articles, I’ll just start anew with what Aimee and I wrote last week. Enjoy! Monday, May 26 Aimee educated us about the Bichon Frise breed. Tuesday, May 27 In a Diary of a Cat Care B&B entry, Aimee mused about smelly cats. (It was very educational. Who knew there were so many kinds of bad cat odors? And causes of them too!) Wednesday, May 28 I wrote about the incredible video of a baby water buffalo surviving a lion and crocodile … Continue reading →

Grooming an Older Cat

Posted on by

Older cats may groom themselves less than younger cats for a variety of reasons. Perhaps pain makes it difficult to reach certain areas. Perhaps an illness is impacting skin and coat, making it harder to keep up with grooming. As your cat ages, you may need to take a more active part in grooming! Helping your older cat with grooming is a good way to monitor changes in health. Look for changes in your pet’s skin as they age. Some pets develop dry skin and dandruff as they age; others tend to get oily skin that leaves the coat feeling … Continue reading →

Why Pets Do Weird Things: Licking

Why do our pets lick us? We think we know some of the reasons: affection, we have something tasty on our skin. But there are additional reasons why they might lick us. Let’s look at them. One of the first things a mother dog does for her puppies is to lick them: it helps stimulate their senses. Doing so means comfort for dogs, so when they lick you they might be trying to pass those feelings onto you. It’s basically social bonding. Licking can also symbolize submission. In the wild subordinate dogs lick their alphas, so if a dog is … Continue reading →

Your Cat’s Tongue

Posted on by

What does your cat’s tongue feel like? Sandpaper? Little pins? Unlike a dog’s tongue, a cat’s tongue has some very special features. A cat’s tongue has a special area in the center. In the center of your cat’s tongue are papillae — little hooked, hair-like growths that face towards the back of the mouth. These strong hooks are made from keratin (the same stuff found in human fingernails). What are papillae used for? Self-grooming. The hooks help clean and separate the cat’s fur. This doesn’t mean your cat won’t appreciate some help with grooming sometimes! Brushing your cat can help … Continue reading →