Persian cats are not particularly easy to maintain, although the trouble is worth it when one considers their beauty. There is a whole host of merchandise available when it comes to pet grooming these days and you are free to buy as much as you like. Generally though, the bear essentials needed for grooming and bathing your cat include a brush, blunt ended scissors, toothbrush, shampoo, sponge or wash cloth and a few towels.
Before you begin grooming your cat its important to be organized. This will help you to relax and be in control of what you re doing during the whole process. Cats, like all other animals are sensitive to the emotions we give off. If you are nervous it is likely to make your cat feel the same way which in turn will end up making the whole bathing and grooming process a lot more difficult.
If you've just bought a Persian kitten you should aim to have it in the bath tub at the latest by three months of age. This allows your cat to get used to the process as it gets older making things easier for you. Once you've established a routine stick to it, that way your cat knows what to expect and will remain calm throughout the grooming process. You should try to give your cat a complete bath and trim at least once a week although with a Persian if you want to keep its coat in great shape then you really need to set aside a few minutes each day to comb out any matts in the hair.
Perhaps the hardest part of the grooming process, especially at the beginning is getting your cat in the bath. The sound of water gushing out of the tap in combination with the feel of being plunged into water can be enough to your cat into a nervous mood. The key is to do everything gently and slowly giving your cat ample time to become familiar with its surroundings. When you turn the tap on let it trickle out slowly so as not to make a loud sound.
Let your cat see the water before putting it in the bath tub and also make sure the water temperature is right. Ideally it should be lukewarm. Once in, you need to make sure that the water really gets worked into the hair so it becomes soaked. This can be done with your hands or with a sponge or wash cloth. The next stage involves applying the shampoo and working up sufficient lather to clean ant dirt from the hair of the Persian. Again this can be done with a sponge but be careful not to be too forceful in washing the cat. Finally the rinsing process is best done with a hose on low setting and you should start rinsing the cat's hair out from the head and work your way down to the tail end of the cat.
An ordinary hair dryer is sufficient to use when drying the hair of your Persian cat, although you should make sure that the setting is on low as otherwise you could cause unnecessary discomfort to your cat or even burning. Those willing ot spend the money will find that most pet stores sell dryers especially for cats which are generally lower in power.
Once thoroughly dry you are ready to place your cat on the grooming area and begin cutting away excess hair. The face, ears and back side of the Persian tend to be the three places where the most excess hair appears and consequently where the bulk of your concentration needs to be focused. Be especially careful when doing the ears however as it is easy to accidentally cut into the ear leather of your cat if you aren't careful. One way around this is to slightly wet the ears making the leather more easily distinguishable from the hair.
The next step in the grooming process is to trim the nails of the cat. This not only helps the cat look good but is also important for hygienic reasons. This part of the process needs to be done on a specially designated grooming space that is comfortable for both you and your cat. You have to be particularly careful when trimming the nails as in general Persian cats are very sensitive about having their feet touched especially for any prolonged period of time.
In general it is easier to clip the nails of a Persian cat while they are still wet, so you may want to run a damp wash cloth over their feet before you begin to clipping. The same is also true for trimming excess hair of the ears as when the hair is wet you can more easily distinguish between where the hair ends and the leather begins.
