Exploring what factors impact the decision whether or not to groom a cat
Content submitted by Basepaws, a dvm360® Strategic Alliance Partner
Cats are promoted by the internet as the easy-to-care-for companion that fills the void for wanting a pet, without the responsibility that is put into owning a pet such as a dog. However, this type of thinking could not be more wrong.1 Having a cat as a companion comes with many responsibilities that we tend to take for granted, including grooming. After all, they are supposed to be mostly self-sufficient, and that includes them having a built-in shower. This is a constant and heated debate in the animal industry.
This brings up the question: “Do cats actually do a decent job of grooming themselves, or should cats routinely be bathed and brushed by either the owner or a trained professional groomer?”
In veterinary medicine we can break it down scientifically2 and justify the statement that yes, a cat “grooming” itself achieves many important factors in their health. Grooming after all is defined as an act of brushing and cleaning a coat. Their 12 tiny incisors have a function for assisting in grooming such as picking up ectoparasites from their fur or chewing on their toenails to remove old husks.
What about the tongue’s 4 unique types of backward-facing barbs3 that essentially act as a comb of sorts? Those papillae stimulate circulation, help provide a feeling of comfort when caring for kittens and other cats when allogrooming occurs, distribute oils4 and saliva5 into the fur, and helps release pheromones from certain areas of the body on the cat. This proves the fact that cats don’t “just lick themselves;” they are purposefully caring for themselves or another cat. However, in medicine, we know that obsessive licking or self-grooming can indicate underlying problems in the cat.
However, some feline professional groomers may passionately inform you that cats only lick themselves and simply distribute saliva all over their fur, thus needing regular bathing and brushing by a human. As cat lovers, we have all witnessed at one time the long-haired cat struggle with grooming its coat’s length. Their tiny tongue struggles to sweep up the length of the coat only to stop mid-lick, stuck in a section of fur that will never be cleaned properly on its own.
While we see this cat physically attempting to clean itself, it cannot get the job done properly thanks to its genetics of being blessed with fur far longer and denser than its tongue can handle. While this can be amusing to humans, it can be a genuine struggle for the cat to take care of itself.
Like most answers for our feline friends, it depends on the cat’s personality, and demographics of its living conditions (indoor only, indoor/outdoor or outdoors only) and is absolutely coat-dependent on what is possible for caring for the cat’s fur. Every cat is going to be different and should be evaluated on an individual basis.
Your business model can be affected by this, especially when your livelihood is grooming on a professional scale. Many veterinarians, internet feline experts,6 professional groomers, “feline influencers,” and even pet owners agree to disagree on this topic. They either think cats do fine on their own and there is no need for intervention, or there is no question that intervention is absolutely necessary for all cats regardless of how clean they appear.
In other situations, however, many experts and cat owners feel you only need to take care of the coat when a problem arises, which is when a cat tends to see the groomer the most. As a feline-centric veterinary technician for twenty-plus years and one who performs professional grooming at my clinic workplace, I can see both sides of the argument. Ultimately, it comes down to the cat and their human companion’s decision for care.
In veterinary medicine, coat health is one of the important factors that we tend to overlook beyond the obvious: dandruff, parasites, skin diseases and matting. We tend not to focus on coat health prevention but instead on the problem presented with the coat. After all, the cat should be cleaning itself, right? When was the last time you asked a client, “Do you regularly groom or brush your cat at home, if so, what are you using to groom them and how often?”
Many veterinary clinics see the value in routine pet grooming and offer the service as part of their business model beyond a “mercy groom’ when the cat is essentially shaved, as the coat cannot be salvaged. It's part of their medical care we can provide to enhance their quality of life. While grooming takes time, it is worth it for cats that need the additional assistance.
Normally a cat’s coat should smell, “neutrally pleasant” and odor-free. However, their coat will pick up the odors of the environment in which they reside. In particular, they will absorb cigarette/cannabis smoke, potpourri scents from plug in room devices or sprays, essential oils from lotions and perfumes, and the mouth odors from a partner cat’s saliva from allogrooming. Not only does this cause the coat to smell unpleasant and changes the texture, but the cat is also ingesting microscopic particles from their coat that may lead to many of the diseases they present with today in the veterinary office.
There are cats that can have gorgeous, well-maintained coats their entire life and these coats may not need anything beyond buffing or combing out several times per week let alone bathing. Then there are cats that will need some assistance grooming regardless of coat length to keep them clean and comfortable. This is when educating the client on their cat’s coat health and maintenance is important, gathering additional information such as:
Cats come in 3 basic flavors for grooming and each cat will respond differently. Many times, you won’t know what type you are working with until you start physically handling them. However, the language and better handling techniques do need to be changed on how cats are perceived in the animal industry as a whole, not just in veterinary medicine. Fear Free and Feline Friendly Handling certifications are available for anyone in the animal industry to learn how to modify their handling techniques, reducing stress for the cat. Here are the 3 types of behavior responses to grooming:
It is okay for a cat to be given either an anxiolytic or full sedation for grooming, if necessary, regardless of what the latest internet groomer sensation tells you. Cats are a species of prey and predation. They are a reactionary species and have a limit on what they will tolerate, and that limit needs to be respected. If not, the cat can either hurt the person(s) grooming the animal or themselves, some cases even resulting in death due to stress, a comorbidity or accidental harm with grooming restraints and equipment.
This is where understanding their body language and stress levels are important for success. The language for describing the reactionary cat negatively as “aggressive” in the animal industry as a whole needs to be changed as well as seeing it being normal to force an animal into a situation that can cause not only physical but emotional distress to both parties. It's okay to set boundaries when working with these cats.
As feline professionals, we aren’t here to break their spirit to simply get a task performed because we are paid for the service, we are here to enhance their quality of life. What we need to do better in practice is speak up for the cat’s mental well-being equally as their physical self.
As I said earlier, each cat is case dependent, however, there are some case examples that need more assistance than others:
Regardless, at the end of the day the debate will continue to be differences of opinion regardless of the known facts. However, we can agree many cats need help due to comorbidities, age, and coat condition due to the inability for home care as well as breed specifics.
Grooming can be an incredibly intimate bonding experience for the cat and owner enhancing their human-animal relationship. At the clinic, it's up to us to start educating early at the first kitten exam, which should include the importance of regular grooming supporting this bond beyond the basics of care.
References
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