How to Care for Your Cat's Coat - Brushing Your Cat

A cat’s coat is his crowning glory – and it can tell you a lot about his overall health, too. While cats are very tidy animals and do their best to keep clean, sometimes they need a little extra help. Periodically brushing, bathing, and checking your cat for fleas will reduce fur balls and keep his skin healthy and his coat full, shiny, and free from tangles.

1. Check your cat’s coat often. A cat’s fur coat is a gauge of his overall health and should have a natural gloss and “spring.” However, dirt, oils, and other things can cause its condition to deteriorate.
- Give your cat a once-over one or two times a week. You shouldn’t find any bald patches, bumps, wounds, or signs of flea infestation.[1]
- Take note of any signs of an unhealthy coat. These include dryness, greasiness, dandruff, thinning hair, or a dull appearance.[2]
- Long-haired cats need extra attention because their coats tend to mat. Look for tangles when checking them.

2. Make grooming a good experience. Since your cat needs occasional care, make sure that he is used to and enjoys being handled. Start slowly, be patient, and ensure that the experience is pleasant.[3]
- Only do grooming when your cat is in a good mood and relaxed. Try after exercise or feeding for the best results.
- Make sure that you are at ease, too! Try not to handle your kitty when you are stressed or in a bad mood, or he will associate grooming with aggression or fear.
- Keep your first sessions to 10 to 15 minutes until you get into a routine. Pet your cat all over so that he gets used to the attention – pet his head, ears, tail, feet, and belly.
- Be patient. Try again later if he is difficult and give him a treat after successful sessions.

3. Brush a short-haired cat once per week. Short-haired varieties like Bengals, American Shorthairs, and Abyssinians have less hair and don’t need as much attention. You can brush their coat once every week or perhaps even less.[4]
- First, take a metal comb and work through your cat’s fur from head to tail. This will dislodge dirt and other debris.
- Brush along the lie of a short-haired cat’s fur. In other words, go with the grain of the fur rather than against it. Brush all part of the cat’s body, focusing on one area at a time to loosen any tangles.
- Cats tend to be sensitive on the belly and chest. Be gentle when brushing there.
- Use a bristle or rubber brush next to remove loose or dead hair.

4. Brush a long-haired cat more often. Long-haired breeds like Persians, Himalayans, and Balinese will need to be brushed more often than shorthairs. This is because their coats are more likely to mat and because they are more likely to get fur balls.[5][6]
- Long-haired breeds need to be brushed every day or every other day, loosening tangles and removing dead hair. The more loose hair you remove, the fewer fur balls your cat will develop.[7]
- Start by brushing the cat’s belly and legs. Tangles tend to form in these areas especially, so be sure to untangle any knots there.
- Next, brush the whole cat’s body against lie of the fur with a bristle or rubber brush. Push the hair upward toward his head and, when you are finished, back down.
- To get the tail, make a part down the middle and brush the fur out on either side.
- Shake some talcum powder over difficult tangles and try to loosen them with your hands. Or, consider using a mat-splitter.[8]Severe mats should be removed by a professional groomer or your vet.[9]

5. Feel and look for irregularities. During each grooming session, keep your eyes open and run your hands along the cat’s body to feel for things that shouldn’t be there. This is both for good grooming and for health.
Feel for hidden tangles, but also for bumps or signs of ticks or fleas. Specks of blood can be a giveaway.
Lift the cat’s tail and check its behind. You can cut away any fur that is matted with feces with scissors.
Look particularly for tan, rice-sized objects near the anus. These are tapeworm segments and indicate that your cat has a tapeworm infection.[10]