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The very first thing that you will want to do is to make sure that
your husband and your children have been watered and fed and that
they have something to entertain themselves with while you are
busy. A better suggestion would be to treat them to a movie.
Also, make sure that you have at least 3-4 hours of uninterrupted
time set aside for this adventure. You will not want to be
interrupted while you are preparing for your Persian's bath.
Let's assume that you have gathered together all the necessary
items for this grooming session. Right!! Check over
your list again. There is nothing like finding out that you
need something when you have a soppy wet Persian in the sink and
no one at home to help you. Get the picture?
I chose to do my grooming on a table
near the sink. Since bathing is sometimes a lengthy process,
especially if you are grooming for show. I find that a sink
the height of my kitchen sink works the best. Saves those
people backs. The one I have is a plastic mop sink - cheap
and it works - set into a cabinet my husband made. I use a
plastic tablecloth - the kind you can get at Wal-Mart's for about
$2.50 - that I use to cover the table.
I put a carrier with the grill inside, in the middle of the table
with a folded towel tucked under the front edge. Placing the cat
in front of the carrier and between the dryers will keep the cat
contained while you do you thing. The towel is placed under the
front of the carrier and this is where I will place the cat while
I am working. The purpose of the carrier is just in case
either one of us gets tired and/or needs a break and also keeps
your cat contained in the area. The grill in the bottom of
the carrier is great for getting the cat off the bottom of the
carrier so that it will dry more easily. You can order these
grills from a pet supply house at the same time you order your
carrier. If you cannot find them, they are easy to make from
a piece of hardware cloth (the kind with the small, square holes
in it). Just cut a piece with wire cutters the dimensions of
the inside of your carrier plus one-half to two extra inches.
Fold down the extra inches so that it will fit into your carrier,
you now have a grill for your cat to stand on.
Next, I will form a semi-circle, by putting my large cat dryer on
the right of the carrier, and on the left another side another
large cat dryer - facing each other. If you do not have a
large, industrial dryer, you can use a people hair dryer and the
one that I have found that works best is the Yellow Bird. It
can be found at most beauty supply houses that sell to the public.
To hold the people hair dryer, I use one of those cheap
baskets from the Dollar Store -
the one with all the square holes in it - like a shopping
cart at Wal-Mart. I
cut out about 4 squares in the middle of the short end of the
basket. Or, cut just
enough squares out to hold the nozzle of your people hair dryer.
Using a basket like this will free up your hands to comb
while your cat is drying.
Then I arrange my combs, nail clippers and the rest of the
grooming supplies (of course, shampoos, other towels, etc. will be
at the sink) where they are within easy reach.
(a) The very first thing that you will want to do is to clip
those claws - front and back.
(b) Now, wipe your cat's eyes with a dry tissue or makeup
pad. Making sure that you wipe from the outside corner in.
Dry eyes are easier to deal with.
(c) Moisten one of your makeup pads with the eye cleaner, I
use Renu to wipe away any stains that you find around the eyes.
Try to find the makeup pads that are quilted.
If you are using Eye Envy, you will not need very much.
This stuff goes a long way. Be sure to use one clean pad per
eye. When you see no stains on the pad that eye is clean.
Move on to the other. Once you have removed the loose stains
around the eyes of your cat, dry the hair around the eye with a
clean pad. www.eyeenvy.com
Note:
There are other eye cleaners out there but beware that they may
contain bleach. You can locate other eye cleaners through
the web, pet supply houses, and even your local pharmacy.
If you have not been diligent about cleaning your Persian's eyes
on a daily basis, you may still notice staining under the eyes.
If so, you will need to resume cleaning the eyes on a daily basis
until all the stains are gone. This is the importance of
daily cleaning.
If you are having trouble with those dark stains on a light
colored cat, you can use Opticlear (which you can purchase from a
reliable supply pet house) or if all else fails - Bausch &
Lomb's Allergy eye drops for sensitive eyes, which can be
purchased from the drug store. These products will keep the
eyes clean because the liquid in the eyes is prevented from
turning brown. Just because your cat may be a dark
color, doesnt mean there are no stains hiding in that dark
hair. Never use a
people eye drop that will get the red out.
It is irritating to your cats eyes.
Note:
When the weather changes or the winds blow (hot or cold - it
doesn't matter) dirt, allergens and pollutants will sometimes
cause the cat's eyes to become irritated. When and if that
does happen, the liquid in the eyes often goes from clear to
yellowish brown. It is important to use Gentocin with
Durafilm (ONLY
if the cat does NOT have an eye ulcer). Otherwise, use plain
Gentocin without Durafilm. You can order this from your
veterinarian. The color of the tears from the eyes will go
from brown to clear within a few days after using Gentocin.
DO NOT over medicate. Once the eye liquid goes back to
clear, begin using your regular eye drops again. This way
your cat will not build up immunity to stronger medications.
(d) Now, clean the ears. Moisten one of the makeup pads
with mineral oil and wipe each ear out. Be gentle when
wiping out your cats ears, you can irritate the sensitive
tissue. You can use a
Q-tip to get into the creases, but do not try to any lower into
the ear canal than you can see. If you notice any dark
brownish goo in the ear, you might want to have your cat checked
for ear mites.
(e) Now that you have the claws, eyes and ears taking care
of. The next thing that you will want to do is to make sure
that they are no knots or mats in your cat's hair. Gently
comb deep into the hair to make sure that you do not miss any of
these. Use a Teflon comb (never use a pin brush) to preserve
the coat and prevent tangles and split ends. Do need to do
this every day. You will want to make it part of your
routine. You do not want to cut out these mats or knots with
scissors. You cat's skin is very thin and will pull up with
the hair making it extremely easy to cut. Try to gently pull
a little of your cat's hair, look at the roots and see how the
skin comes with it - see what I mean.
When checking for mats or knots, look behind the ears, between the
toes, under the chin, the tummy, in the pantaloons and especially
under the arms and between the back legs. These are the
places that will mat up rather easily. When you are combing
between the legs, especially on a male, be extra careful - make
short and easy strokes with the comb. The boys are really
sensitive about their "business". Make sure that
when you are combing between the legs, cup your fingers over their
business. If you ever pull the hair between a males legs,
you might never get the chance to comb there again. The same
applies to the females.
If you make it a habit during your daily combing sessions to keep
this area free of knots and mats, it will make your life a whole
lot easier. Combing this area both the males and females
from the time they are kittens until they are adults, even when
there are no visible mats or knots, keeps your cat accustomed to
groomed in this area. Regular daily grooming seasons is
also a good bonding time.
You
DO NOT want to
wet your cat if there are any knots or mats in the hair.
Have you ever wet a cotton ball? If not, try it right now on
a wet cotton ball and then try to tear it apart. Almost
impossible, right! Well, when you wet a Persian that has
knots or mats in its hair; it is just like wetting a cotton ball.
It will tighten up and become extremely painful for your cat and
almost impossible to get out without professional help.
You DO
NOT want your
cat to mat up at all. These mats are very uncomfortable for
your cat, as well as hurt. Combing your cat on a daily or
every other day basis should prevent any from forming.
You are now ready to go on to the BATH.
Okay - you have done all of your pre-bath preparation. Nails
clipped, eyes and ears cleaned. You have combed your cat and
there are no mats or knots in your it's hair. You have
gathered everything together and it is within reach. Check
again!
Prior to sitting your cat in the tub or sink be sure that you have
the temperature of the water just right so that you do not burn
your cat. You will want the water warm - like a people
baby's bath. You have placed the bath mat into the sink -
oops forgot that one. Go get the bath mat. The reason for
the mat is that it gives your cat a sense of stability -
something to grip onto - no slipping and sliding around. I
use a Rubbermaid sink mat.
You will want to put a drop Artificial Tears Ointment in
each eye - this is a petrolatum Ophthalmic Ointment sterile ocular
lubricant. It forms a protective film over the ocular
surface, lubricates the eye & protects the eye from drying,
soaps, etc. - this can be found at the pet suppliers or at the
pharmacy.
(a) Heavy Degreaser - Goop If your
cat's hair appears unusually greasy or is separating when combed,
you might want to use Goop first. This will also remove the
oil in your cat's hair helping to eliminate the separating and
also will help prevent matting. You will need a 15 oz. tub
for a large cat and a large towel to sit your cat on. You
will apply the Goop to dry hair. When Gooping be careful not
to get any in the cat's eyes. Do not Goop the face.
You will start with a small amount behind the ears, and on the
hair around the neck (ruff), working this end with your fingers.
Next, apply the Goop on the body, over and under, making sure
that you work the Goop in well. Finally, apply to the base
of the tail and work through to the end. Do not
put Goop on a female or males genitalia.
Once you have Gooped the entire body - let the cat sit a few
minutes - making sure that the cat does not lick itself. Put
the stopper in the sink and work in a little warm water.
Work the Goop completely through the hair. When the sink is
about half full, scoop the warm Goop water over your cat.
When you are sure that you have the cat fully saturated, making
sure that every hair on its body has been coated with the Goop
water, start to rinse out. Continue rinsing the cat with the
warm water until you are satisfied that the hair is squeaky clean.
The key is rinse, rinse, rinse and when you feel that you have all
of the Goop water out, rinse, rinse, rinse, some more.
Warning:
Although I have never had one of my cats to have a reaction to
this product. Some cats or kittens may have an allergic
reaction to Goop. Put a small amount of Goop on the cat and
observe their skin and if the flesh around the ears gets too pink
or the kitten appears to be in distress rinse the Goop off
immediately and soap them to rid of the Goop's residue.
(b) Orvis Paste: This is also a good
degreaser that is used by horse show people. You can find
this at any pet supply house or feed and grain store. This
works great too. I have never had one of my cats to react to
this product. You can find Orvis Paste at any feed and
grain store, Jeffers Pet Supply or Revival Pet Supply.
If you use the Orvis Paste,
www.jefferspet.com/ssc/
or www.revivalanimal.com/
(c) Light Degreaser. You
will now use a surfactant. Depending upon the color of your
cats coat, many people use dishwashing liquid. This is
where the Dawn Original, Joy or Ivory Liquid comes in. Not
only will the dishwashing liquid help remove the remainder of the
oil from your cat's coat and it will help get the hair wet
completely down to the skin. Ivory for whites, Dawn or Joy
for the other colors. A Persians hair is so long, it
is difficult to wet down to the skin that is the reason for the
surfactant.
I mix a tablespoon of the dish washing liquid in a quart of warm
water and gently pour this over the cat rubbing with the other
hand. Or, as an alternative, you can mix the Dawn or Joy in
the sink as if you were going to wash dishes. Do not apply
the dish washing liquid directly on the cat, as they are difficult
to rinse out. You can either pour the mixture over the cat
or dip it from the sink. Whichever, is easiest for you.
(d) Ivory Liquid is what I use on my whites.
This can be poured directly over the cat without diluting.
Gently massage into the hair.
(e) Dawn Original, Joy or Ivory Liquid are not
tearless shampoos - so be careful an avoid getting it in the cat's
eyes. If I am not grooming for show, I will use Johnson's
Baby Shampoo on the face and around the eye area. I use the
one with the detangler in it. Use only a couple of drops on
a wet cloth. If you
are at all hesitate about using Dawn, Joy or Ivory Liquid on your
cat's face for fear of getting it into the eyes, this would be a
good idea until you perfect your bathing skills.
(f) Cover every area, starting with the back of the ears,
going under the chin, throughout the entire back, tummy, legs,
rear (everything!) with the sudsy water. Gently massage into
your cats hair - they will love it.
(g) When you come to the head, I will put a small amount
on a wash cloth creating a little suds. Carefully wipe the
surfactant shampoo across the back of the cat's head (but do not
put onto the facial area - remember to use the baby shampoo on the
top of the head, around the eyes and face.
(h) To rinse the side of the head by the ears, hold the ear
down with your fingers and rinse over the back of the ear and the
side of the head, holding your sprayer close so as to not spray
the water in the cat's face. Dry the cat's face with a small
hand towel, making sure that the nose and eyes remain dry.
This will keep your cat calm in the sink. Persians do not
like their faces wet - they have a fear of drowning because of
their flat faces.
(i) To rinse the top of the head, hold the head up and back
to rinse the forehead. You can cup your right hand over the
eye area in front of the ears by placing your thumb on one side in
front of one ear and the rest of your fingers on the other side in
front of that ear. You will be able to push the water away
with your hand to protect the eyes and nose.
(j) You will need to continue to rinse the entire body until
the all the soap is removed.
Remember to rinse, rinse and rinse again.
(k) Now, you are ready for the shampoo. What shampoo
you will use, will depend upon the color of your cat.
(l) Blue Shampoo for the Whites. Blue
shampoos are used for whitening on a white cats. Use a
blue based (not yellow, orange or green) shampoo. Make sure
to look at the color of the shampoo; it should be blue not purple
or green/blue. Purple will make your cat gray and dull
and green/blue will make your cat appear to look yellow and dingy.
A good one is Clairol Shimmering Lights.
You will want to use 1/2 shampoo and 1/2 warm water. If your
Persian has dry ends, I have known of this type shampoo will turn
your cat lavender if the shampoo is used full strength. Its
pretty, but you cat is suppose to be white. Apply this
shampoo to your wet cat adding more water and gently massage into
the hair. You will want to get a good lather going.
Leave the shampoo on long enough to get the suds up the whole cat.
Make sure that you have entire cat covered (except the face).
Begin at the back of the ears and under the chin, covering the
entire back and tail, tummy, legs, rear (all parts of the rear)
with this blue shampoo. You can follow up with Infusium
23 Shampoo and the Infusium Leave-In Conditioner. This
shampoo and conditioner will help hydrate your cat's hair and
eliminate split ends.
(l) Other Colors. You can use most any
type of cat shampoo for the other colors (unless you are showing).
It is just a matter of preference. Try a few different ones
and continue to use whatever works best for your cat's hair.
For show cats, depending on the cat's needs we use Eqyss Premier
Pet Shampoo for a nice coat, Eqyss Micro-Tek Shampoo for irritated
skin, or Hydrosurge Spearmint Fresh Shampoo for brilliant color
and shine. You can also use Clairol Herbal Essences - Natural
Volume Texturizing Shampoo with Chrysanthemum, Orange Blossom and
Caraway. Or, any
gentle people shampoo. It is
said that you are not a show person if you don't have at least 50
shampoos on hand. Experiment with the shampoos on your cat
until you find just the right one that makes the cat's coat a
perfect show coat.
Again we mix the shampoo with water and lather it into the coat as
we pour it on. Work the shampoo deep into the coat and rinse
thoroughly. Remember, that you cannot rinse too much. You
will want the water to run clear with no evidence of soap bubbles.
As a final rinse to remove the soap residue, I will mix 1/4 cup of
white vinegar with a quart of warm water. If you use
anything other than Infusium Leave-In Conditioner, follow up with
a small amount of conditioner or cream rinse. I will mix
about 1/8th of a teaspoon to a quart of warm water and pour over
the cat, working the conditioner in. You dont need
much conditioner. If
you use too much, your Persian will have a heavy look to its hair.
You want it to float and move with them when they are dry.
On our show cats, we use Eqyss Cloud Nine Cream Rinse or
Eqyss Avocado Mist (which by the way is great for people too!).
Again rinse, and rinse some more thoroughly. Remember,
that your cat will almost immediately begin to lick its hair and
so rinsing the coat free of as much residual shampoo and
conditioner as possible is very important.
Also, leaving any shampoo residue on your cats hair will
cause the skin to flake, and it will look as though it has
dandruff.
Finally, you'll want to squeeze out excess water from the coat. It
will most likely surprise you how much water you'll squeeze out!
Run your hands down the back and belly firmly and down the legs
and tail to remove any left over water. Wrap your cat up in a
towel to carry them to a drying surface. I
use one of those car chammy's to finish drying with - it will suck
most of the water off your cat and it wont take them long to
dry.
Drying Your Cat.
Prior to drying, comb through your cat's hair. It will aid
in drying your cat faster. I stay right with my cats during
this whole project but there will come a time when you need a
potty break, coffee break or a back break. This where the carrier
in the middle comes in.
There
are some amazing professional dryers and drying cages out there,
but they are very costly. You
can purchase a small to medium dog crate - the size will depend
upon how big your cat is - it works great for a drying cage.
Make sure that the dryer you choose to use has a warm, or
cold setting and adjustable hair flow.
Never put your cat in a carrier to dry unless you are going
stay right there to make sure that the temperature is staying on
the slightly warm or cool side.
Please be aware that a dryer can malfunction and toast your
cat.
We
suggest putting your cat in a wire cage if they are difficult to
handle at this point attaching the blow dryer to the small end
opening. The hair can
flow through the cage and you can brush after your cat is dry.
If you are using a drying cage with wire all the way
around, you can wrap the cage with a sheet making sure to tuck the
sheet under the bottom to hold the air in.
Your cat will dry faster this way and contain all the hair
floaties.
I
hand-comb and dry all my cats.
When drying your cat, start in one area and dry that one
first, lifting the hair with a comb and blow drying the roots
first. Your cat will
dry faster this way. I
start with the head first and work my way to the back and tummy.
You lift the hair and comb against the grain (combing the
hair backward). This
will lift the hair and make your cat a fluff ball.
If your cat is tired and slightly disagrees with you about
the whole process, just move to another area and begin drying
there. You will be
able to tell if your cat is becoming tired because they will get
fussy and want down. Do
not let them go at this point.
They are like small children at times and can bluff you
into getting what they want.
You are in command of this project not them.
Be firm, but gentle and place your hand on your cat's back
and gently press down make them sit so that you can continue.
Just tell them NO in a firm voice while pressing on their
back. When they do
sit back down, brag on what a good kitty they are.
Just be consistent with you requests and they will
eventually get the point and you will never have a problem with
them again. If your cat continues to fuss, then put them in
the carrier for a few minutes and then come back.
NEVER
leave you cat unattended (potty breaks, coffee breaks are okay)
while they are being dried in a carrier.
The ventilation holes in the carrier are not enough to
allow the air to escape if you were to place your cat in the
carrier (like the one you use to take to the vet) and use an air
flow that is too warm or hot.
Always err on the side of caution and NEVER use warm, or
hot air to dry your cat in a carrier.
As I mentioned before, the wire bottom you constructed for
you carrier will allow the air to flow under the cats tummy
enabling it to dry faster.
Teaching
your cat to be cooperative takes a little time and having your
hands free makes the process go much quicker.
If your cat is calm and cooperative, you can blow dry and
brush at the same time. By lifting the hair with the comb and
drying the roots first you will find that the drying process will
be a lot shorter. Remember, to dry the coat thoroughly,
especially for kittens. Kittens can lose body heat rapidly
and get very sick. Do not hold the dryer too close or in one spot
for too long when drying your cat. Their skin can get too hot and
burn easily. Make sure that your cat is "dry to the
bone". Cats chill easily and can get the sniffles if
they are not kept warm while bathing.
You
are done - take a bath, get dressed, get a cup of coffee and relax
until your gang comes back from their outing.
Don't
forget to give your cat a smooch and a treat when you are done, you
want him to look forward to the next bath.
Tooliebouce
Persians
Brenda
J. Caudle
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