Is It Ok To Shave A Cat

Cats in particular are very good at regulating body temperature and really get no benefit from being shaved says mark j.

Is it ok to shave a cat. Yes you can shave a cat but you should only shave a cat in very specific situations. Cats often need to be shaved prior to surgery for much the same reasons and if a cats fur becomes hopelessly matted shaving may be the only recourse. When your cats hair is matted shaving him is an option. There could be times when your cat needs to be shaved but those are either medically necessary or due to a.

As a result if a cat is shaved that increases the chances of it getting sunburned as well as other skin related problems which can include skin cancer in the long run. Cats with wounds and certain skin diseases can benefit because shaving aids in cleanliness and makes it easier to access and apply medications to the affected area. Severe matting can cause discoloration and scarring on your cats skin. Second a cats hair serves to protect its skin from excessive exposure to the sun.

I do find that cats look pretty odd when shaved but if it accomplishes the goal of having less fur around the house then this is good. Other reasons for shaving your cat include cat allergies hairballs dirty bottoms and excessive shedding. Yes it is bad because they lose their soft insulating underlayer of fur. However you should ask a professional how long it will take for the fur to grow back because you do not want the cat to be stuck outside in cooler weather with no fur.

Now if they are badly matted though it is better to shave them down to get the mats out versus trying to brush them out. Stickney dvm clinical associate professor and director of general. It can often take a few weeks. If it is really hot you may have to shave the cat so that they do not overheat.

Shaving a cats fur is sometimes a necessity. I used to own a persian cat and we would shave him at least once a year.