Grooming Secrets
We struggled with this for years before we figured out the trick; and it takes some learning, and sharing tips and tricks. More and more persian owners have been asking us on the proper way to groom their persians in order to grow out a nice, healthy coat on their kitty. There are many key components to keeping your persians hair fluffy and shiny, first off:
No over-brushing. I know this sounds contradictory, but typically, their knots form from dead hair falling out from their undercoat, not their upper coat. Never, and I cannot stress this enough, never use a furminator. This will break the top layer of hair off, which is generally their shiny, long coat. This top layer doesn’t shed as much, and doesn’t need as much combing maintenance as their undercoat. To prevent knots, brush your persian daily. If this is not possible, brush them as often as possible. Instead of cutting out their knots, try pulling them apart using your fingers or a metal wire comb, such as this one:
Whew, that was quite the link. This was one of the cheaper combs on amazon I could find, which we have and it works great. There are obviously much nicer versions on chewy or at pet stores. These combs will carefully break apart knots and pull out dead hair without pulling out attached hair. This is really the only comb we use, besides an occasional wire brush to maintain their top coats.
Next, and one of the most important steps: regular bathing. I would recommend at least once a a month, but each cat cleans themselves differently (and some are more messy than others) so adjust this accordingly. This will prevent dirt, oil, and hair build-up under their thick coats of hair. There are a few different methods we have used for bathing, both work great!
Dawn dish detergent bath. Dawn works great at getting rid of all of the dirt and oil that accumulate over time. And we know it’s safe to use on animals, so it can help us rest a little easier. Make sure to lather with lots of water, and when you’re done with a rinse or two, make sure you wash completely, and I mean completely. Every drop of soap has to be gone or it will create unwanted oil and dandruff.
If you want a more specialized shampoo session for your kitties, we also use Pinkpawpal products. They have whitening shampoo, hypoallergenic shampoo, kitten shampoo, skincare shampoo, and other great random grooming products. Everyone asks why our kittens ask so great when they pick them up, and this is the secret! These products smell great and the whitening shampoo actually whitens, and the kitten shampoo is safe to use on faces and around eyes. Here’s a link to their products if you want to check them out, and again: make sure to completely rinse all product out of your kitty’s hair before drying. It will cause product buildup and unwanted oil and dandruff if any residual product is left.
https://pinkpawpalusa.com/shop-2/
Lastly, the drying. Sometimes the most complicated of the process, because your cat is likely fed up at this point. It is important your cat knows you are in control, and you will both sit there until your cat is completely dry. After a while your cat will understand this part of the process, and it’s important because you’re helping them in the long run. Try to get your cat completely dry before finishing. To ease the process, we use the dyson hair dryer because it is much quieter than regular hair dryers, doesn’t attach to hair, and the heat and flow settings can easily be adjusted. I’ll also link that below.
https://www.dyson.com/hair-care/hair-dryers/supersonic/fuchsia-iron
This dryer is great because you can aim it directly at their hair and tell when the roots are dry. I’d be cautious when using a regular dryer because you can burn their skin if it sits on one area for too long. When their hair is completely dry down to the roots, and under the neck and armpits, you are finished with the grooming process.
I promise over time this process gets much easier and quicker for both you and your kitty. Hope this helps!!
Love and Light,
Keely
Granite City Persians