Shaving your cat

Given that Jake appears to be an expert over there, what advice can you give about cat grooming? I have a long-haired tabby who's suffering in the heat - can I give him a lion cut just to make him cooler, or will it traumatize more than relieve him? Is it expensive? Can any pet groomer do it, or are there cat specialists? Are there other styles? Does this officially make me a freak pet owner?
-Ryan

Well, the good news is, you're not a freak. More cat owners than you'd think shave their cats in the summer time to keep them from suffering too much in the heat (and to try to minimize how much cat hair winds up all over the apartment).

There is a little bit of debate about whether shaving a cat is really helpful or if it will just make the cat unnecessarily uncomfortable. Ask your vet's opinion first. Lion cuts are pretty standard for Persian cats, like Jake's cat Thompson. Most groomers won't shave the cat entirely: the fur on the cat's feet, head, and tail all serve specific purposes.

If you decide to shave the cat, we recommend going to a professional groomer and not trying to do it yourself (anyone who has ever tried to give a cat a bath can guess why). There are cat specialists in New York, although most dog groomers also groom cats. Call around and ask. Paws in Chelsea was highly recommended to us. You can also check out Citysearch's list of groomers and this directory of groomers. Grooming the cat will likely cost between $50 and $80, depending where you go.

And Jake says:

You should expect the cat to be a little depressed afterwards! Thompson wouldn't touch his duck and green peas for like two days- he just moped around the house. But he seems much happier now that it's hot!

Snopes has an amusing article about lion cuts.

The ASPCA has some good tips for taking care of your pet (dogs in particular, but cats, too) in the hot weather.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Erin O'Brien in Miscellaneous on June 30, 2004 12:03 PM

Comments [rss]

Michelle Vetter

My cat loves being shaved in the summer. She comes home from the groomer acting like she's a royal queen. I think it's because she's much more comfortable without all that hair, and our other 2 cats are short hairs, so she thinks she's supposed to be one, too. But she likes baths, too, so maybe she's just weird....

teacup persian cats

Well taking care of pets might get hard sometimes but if you really love them they won't be any burden to you. But you would be glad to take care of them.

Michelle

We shaved all four of our cats this summer and they actually liked it! They were purring along with the shaver. And now they are softer and we pet them more because we don't get hair all over our hands and clothes. Maybe that's another reason they like being shaved :)

It was interesting that the author of this article correlated shaving and bathing because my cats hate to be bathed but really didn't mind the shaving.

We did it ourselves and it worked out great- not to mention that the house is A LOT cleaner without the 4 cats hair all over the place.

Katy

I have actually been shaving my cat for the past two years at home. I am a poor student who can't afford the $75 every six weeks to keep my Abbey beautiful. I was wondering if anybody else has suggestions for shaving her private areas???

oliveryun

Sorry, I was misled by the title of this thread. This actually IS about shaving your cat.

Jen

You know, when the cuttee (or shavee) is getting shorn without knowing what the end result is going to look like, of course he/she will be unhappy and depressed. I would get the WORST haircuts from my mom and I'd be weeping afterwards.

beeps

Sending my poor kitty in tomorrow morning. She is an indoor city cat and usually quite happy, but when we go out to my parents house in CT she has a tendency to slip out any door that is open and explore her new found freedom. Unfortunately, she then chooses to roll around in the dirt and mulch and stuff...she looks like that sheep who wasn't shorn in 6 years! She is gonna be PISSED tomorrow!

sam

We actually did this to our dogs one summer when it was extraordinarily hot (one of them is a Bernese Mountain Dog and was built for the snow - he got really worn down in the heat). After a while, he was great (like a puppy again), but the depression thing is very true for dogs as well - he didn't want to leave the house for several days, like he was embarassed to be seen. He did look quite silly, but it also reduced his volume by half.