Svanelundens Persian Breeders!!
Your cat’s care:
One doesn’t need a lot of equipment, when you have a Persian, a good comb with 2-3 different types of teeth, a pair of nail scissors, shampoo and grooming powder is all you need.
1. The persians coat consists of a soft woolly undercoat and the outer long hair, the kitten’s coat is often more woolly that the adult cat’s. If one were patient one could gently pluck the outer long hairs, so that the woolly undercoat gets thicker, but this is not necessary on a daily basis. Comb your cat frequently, not because it has tangles in it’s coat, but so that it becomes used to your handling it’s coat. Clip it’s nails every fortnight if it is a indoors cat, as it won’t naturally keep them short, as with an outdoors cat. Be sure to always groom or work with your cat in a particular place and using a particular groundsheet, in this way it’ll become routine to your cat and not upset it in any way.
2. We have ensured that your kitten has received one or more baths, so continue to bath your cat frequently, i.e. about once a month. But if you want your cat to be a show cat it will have to be bathed fortnightly.
Make sure to have everything you’ll need ready before the bath; towel, shampoo, sulfo(dishwashing liquid), conditioner, nail scissors, comb, earbuds (as your cat can’t clean it’s own ears). They say the ears are self-cleaning, but some cats produce more ear wax than others, and this is an ideal environment for dirt and bacteria which may cause the cat to get an irritation and scratch. You may also want to get a small toothbrush, as it is always a good idea to give your cat a thorough cleaning from top to tail.
You start by clipping the nails, thereafter give the coat a thorough brushing, first with the wide teeth and then the fine. Now look in your cats mouth to see if the gums are a good healthy colour and to make sure there is no plaque or tartar on the teeth. It is entirely up to you how much importance you place on keeping you cats mouth clean, but it is quite easy to do if you start when the cat is little, as it very quickly will get used to the procedure. The kitten will lose it’s milk teeth at around 4-6 months of age.
3. Now you cat is ready to be bathed. A cats body temperature is between 38.5°-39.2°C, so the water should be quite warm. Make sure the coat is wet through, first wash using dishwashing liquid to remove all oils and grease from the coat and rinse well. Now wash using shampoo & rinse, wash once more with shampoo and rinse well so that all the shampoo comes out. Be aware of which areas might need an extra wash, your cat could be extra oily behind the ears, the neck, inner thighs, stomach and chest. Once you have finished washing the cat you can use a conditioner according to the instructions on the bottle. Conditioner prevents static electricity and your cat will soil less easily. Rinse all the conditioner from the coat, then squeeze out excess water (wrap the cat in a towel for 10-15 min.), now (rub) towel-dry the cat thoroughly.
4. Now your cat is ready to be blow dried. Start by drying the underside first, most cats do not like to lie on their backs, but you could hold the cat up by the front legs with one hand while you dry it’s stomach, or you could lie it on it’s back in your lap while drying it. Next dry the back, starting at the back to lift the coat, lastly dry the collar/neck forwards to frame the face. When it’s all over, your cat will realise what a nice feeling it is to be clean. Remember to praise your cat when you’re finished and possibly give it a titbit. Frequent washing prevents skin problems, bad smells and makes your animal more beautifull and happy. It is an absolute delight to see a well looked after Persian cat.
Best of luck!!