Features of the fur of Persian cats, accessories for grooming hair, advice on bathing, advice on proper grooming of Persians before the show. A beautifully groomed fur coat of a Persian cat is a matter of legitimate pride not only for the animal itself, but also for its owner. After all, the long fur of a Persian requires special and regular care, and this is a lot of work. Let's see what your favorite peach needs to be completely happy.
Features of the coat of Persian cats
At cat shows, we come to admire the energetic, with shiny fur, beautiful baleen-striped. At the same time, it never occurs to us how much effort, employment and finances the breeder takes to make their pets look so cheerful and presentable.
The beautiful fur of a cat is an indicator of the state of its body and the responsibility of its owner. Only energetic and well-groomed animals have a flawless, sparkling, and smooth hairline. A bad indicator of health is a tarnished fur coat piled into lumps. Each fur coat of the murk varieties has its own specific care. Bald cats need to be subjected to water treatments often, because they sweat the most, with short or medium length fur, wash and comb the least. Most of all the care and hassle with the long-haired type of hair.
The breed with the longest wool up to 13 cm is Persian. The splendor of its fur has won and gained popularity. When the animal moves, it shimmers and flickers, captivating the eye. It is most often shown at exhibitions. The distribution of prizes depends on the grooming of the animal. Serving long-haired cats for demonstration performances is a whole scheme of various procedures. Some people devote their entire lives to this profession. This art is "haute couture" for animals. Persian cats have a very long, dense and light coat - a good field for the activity of a breeder or groomer (barber for animals).
Since the coat is very airy, it is prone to rolling and tangling. If you do not follow the correct care, then the animal will be very difficult to put in order, sometimes you even have to completely cut off the hair. Each owner has his own opinion and practice regarding pet hygiene. Some breeders believe that it is not necessary to bathe Persian cats often - once every six months, but to comb them out almost every day. Some people prefer to wash and brush their friends frequently.
Fur cosmetics and tools
To care for your pet's coat you will need:
- combs made of metal materials, with blunt teeth (rare, medium and different lengths);
- brush with natural bristles;
- scissors for a haircut;
- a conditioner spray with proteins and for distilling out the remnants of the undercoat during the period of seasonal molting;
- spray antistatic;
- cotton towels (2-3 pcs.);
- shampoo for long-haired cats;
- grooming powder for cats or talcum powder;
- hair dryer (with warm air function).
Daily grooming of Persian hair
In this breed, the hairs of the undercoat and tail hair are very slowly restored after procedures with a slicker. Professionals prefer to use various combs for combing out, with thicker or less often spaced, necessarily blunt teeth, so as not to scratch the skin of the Persian. There are also special combs, with different lengths of teeth, for combing out tangles. Only the paws and the muzzle are combed out with a slicker. Tools should be made of metal materials, electrifying from plastic hair.
They begin to comb from the head, then the back, chest, tummy, paws, but we practically do not touch the tail. We use a brush with thick, natural bristles to smooth and collect missing hairs. Finish the procedure by spraying an antistatic spray on the "hairdo" at a distance of 15–20 cm. The spray conditioner is used once every seven or ten days.
It is advisable to spray a little citric acid solution on the coat every day - this gives an extraordinary shine. Some wearers also apply talcum powder to keep the hair from tangling.
When Persians molt, even more attention is paid to the care of the coat. This way your pet will swallow less hairballs that clog the intestines, and you will prevent unnecessary contamination of your furniture and carpets.
Brushing sequence:
- Head - cheeks, collar (movement to the muzzle);
- Chest - paws towards the chin;
- Back - from tail to withers;
- Paws - start from the hind legs, holding the paw, comb the "pants" from the heels to the tail, comb out the armpits under the front legs;
- Belly and sides - towards the tail;
- Do not comb the tail unnecessarily.
In order for a Persian cat to allow manipulations with his fur coat without any problems, this must be done gradually, from an early age of the kitten. In order not to scare the little one, give him the opportunity to learn the care tools, play with them. You can try to lightly comb some parts of the body during the game. Gradually increase the time of such communication. When the animal grows up, teach obedience and patience. In the go-play procedure, you must be a leader and a leader. The process stops only at your request, but not your family friend. Over time, the student will get used to hairdressing procedures, and subsequently throughout his life will do it with pleasure. Always feel your skin. If there is any damage, you can detect it in time, identify the problem in a timely manner and, if necessary, start treatment.
Cats love to sit by the water and watch, but it is rare to swim, which of them dares himself. They are very neat and tidy animals. Ordinary cats are rarely subjected to water procedures, but artificially bred ones, due to the peculiarities of a longer fur, are quite often. How can you solve this problem without stress for your pet and help him get used to the water?
It is better to develop the habit of "wet" activities for Persian cats from childhood, during the game. Hair care will be an urgent need for them. Submerge your kitten's favorite toys in a small container of water. Sitting by the impromptu "pool" the cub will start to amuse himself - he will definitely wet his paws. You can unscrew the faucet in the bathroom, the sounds of a running stream of water will attract his attention. Some play with running water with their paws, sometimes they drink, even while playing, they wet their heads.
When the baby is a little familiar with water, you can gradually start bathing him. Put a rubber mat in the bathroom or basin, pour some water. The first swim should be introductory. Wet the peach's paws a little, stroke the fur with wet hands. If during the first bath, the animal is scared, do not be too persistent. In the process, talk, praise your pet. This will help your animal get used to the water.
There are different opinions about the frequency of washing. It is considered optimal once every 15–20 days. During the change of coat more often - 7-15 days. This will help your pet to quickly change the old coat for a spectacular new one.
The working male Persian will have to be "cleaned" more often, due to the presence of odor glands under the tail, which emit an unpleasant odor and stain the wool. Before the procedure, I expose the mustachioed ones to combing out and unraveling the tangles.
The choice of care products is carried out in specialized pet stores. Shampoos and conditioners should be for long-haired felines. You cannot wash with chemicals, shampoos and soap for people - so as not to wash off the special lubricant from the hair.
The water temperature should be optimal - not warm or too hot, otherwise you will either scald or catch a cold cat.
Apply the shampoo to the damp coat, lather well, starting from the back. They wash gently around the head to prevent moisture from pouring into the auricles. The ears can be neatly tied or covered with something soft. Be careful not to get the product in the eyes and nose of the Persian cat.
It is imperative that after each soaping from the fluffy, you need to thoroughly rinse the detergents, preferably under running water, otherwise you risk the health and beauty of the pet. The end of the procedure is rinsing with an acidic citric acid solution. Next, wrap the wet animal in a cotton towel and blot well. You can change the towel to a drier one and repeat the wipe. Do not do this in ventilated areas - catch a cold cat. You can dry it with an electric hair dryer. Dried in the direction of hair growth, after combing. So that the animal is not afraid, it is taught gradually, from childhood. Some Persians tolerate these manipulations very calmly. Finally, apply an antistatic spray.
Since the feline family is very clean, and constantly licks itself, the intestines are clogged with hair. To prevent this, they give drugs that remove hair clumps from the body. It can be a variety of pastes, gels, tablets, pillow-shaped treats. You can plant a special herb, which is very fond of representatives of any breed of feline.
Carry out washing after medical procedures:
- deworming - a day before taking the drug and immediately after;
- vaccinations - 14 days after vaccination.
The nuances of grooming Persian cats before the show
In order for the Persian beauties to look like show cats, you need to take care of them every day. The variety includes a wide variety of colors - each has its own approach.
Dark colors fade unevenly in the sun, and light colors turn yellow. Prevent negative effects by dusting the coat with talcum powder, starch or grooming powder. These colors get dirty faster, and therefore wash them more often.
Some breeders completely cut their pets for 4–5 months before the show, except for the head, paws and the end of the tail. After such a manipulation, the fur coat grows just a feast for the eyes.
On the exterior of the Persian breed, it is beautiful so that the ears look less than a rounded head. To do this, remove the upper excessively protruding hairs that grow at the ends of the auricles using various special techniques. Holding the end of the ear between the fingers, the excess hair brushes are cut or trimmed.
Before the show, the fur coat of a Persian cat must first be prepared for washing. The Persians have hairs that are denser and longer in structure than the main ones - the outer ones. To make the coat look good, they must be removed. This is done by trimming - pulling out protruding hairs. Before the procedure, we slightly moisturize the coat and pull out excess hair in a certain way.
For Persians of light colors, it is preferable to cut the guard hairs. On dark colors, light hairs spoil the appearance - then they are pulled out with tweezers.
A day or two before the show, the pet must be redeemed with special shampoos for light or dark wool - depending on the color. Nowadays, there are a great variety of cosmetics for the care of cats, by contacting a pet store, experts will help you in choosing products.
A few hours before the show, the hair of the Persian cat is well and often combed with special preparations so that it lies well and shines, the excess is removed. Cunning methods are used to hide unnecessary color defects. Light Persians (blue, cream) are treated with liquid or ordinary powders to hide problem areas, red or red - colored. Remove excess powder particles with a hair dryer or a large brush with hard natural bristles. The unevenness of dark monotonous colored, or darkened spots of tricolor animals is painted over with colored sprays, tonal powders. Finish off with a protein spray or antistatic spray.
Persian kittens are also prepared for shows, but in preparation, there is a different specificity, since their fur coat is soft. For young animals, up to eight months, antistatic agents are used only in extreme cases. Spray your hands and smooth your coat. A small amount of dry shampoo is applied to the back and tummy - the remains are combed out.
When the "ball" is over, be sure to bathe your Persian handsome man, so that while licking himself, he does not gorge on what you "decorated" with.
If you master these lessons, your pet will look irresistible and win prizes. And more information on how to care for cats' fur can be found in this video:
