Cats are basically very tidy. They are in the habit of grooming themselves by licking every part of their body clean with their tongue.

This habit of tongue bathing has several benefits to your cat it promotes better circulation of the blood, gets rid of dead skin cells, removes excess and dead hair on their coat, tones their muscles and keeps the fur soft and clean

Although your feline friends groom on their own, you should still do your part in keeping your cat clean and well groomed.

Here are several ways to keep your cat groomed:
 

1. Brushing
Depending on the breed, your cat can either have long or short hair. Cats with short hair, use a brush with soft bristles so that the skin will not be scratched or hurt in the grooming process. Use gentle strokes while brushing. This should make them purr and you will have an easier job of grooming them in the future.

Cats with long hair, brush the coat with a comb, use a comb with wide-teeth that is specially designed for cats. This should remove the knots and tangles on their fur. Afterwards, you can use a finer comb to work the smaller knots on the fur and eliminate the more stubborn knots.  long-haired cats would require more brushing time.

Do not forget to brush the hair around the face with a smaller comb or a toothbrush.

Avoid the eye and whisker area when brushing.

Brushing your cats fur on a regular basis will help keep their coat shiny and healthy, and will also give the owner and the pet some bonding time together.

You can finish the job by wiping the fur with a dry, soft and clean piece of cloth. This should maintain the shine on your cat’s coat.

2. Bathing
Cats don't often require bathing because they basically take good care of themselves when it comes to grooming.

However, there are some cases wherein you need to give them a bath no matter how you and your pet dread the chore.

You need to bathe your cat if the coat has excessive dirt.

Sometimes, a substance can possibly stick on the fur and it is vital to give them a bath in this case.

Another instance where you need to bathe your cat is in case of fleas, ticks and lice clinging to their skin.

3. Cleaning the eyes and ears.
For the eyes and ears which are the most sensitive areas in your cat’s body, there are solutions that you may use.

Choose one which is specifically designed to prevent cats with light-colored eyes to develop stains.

For the ears, cats collect a considerable amount or wax so you have to take care of it when grooming.

Removing this would maintain your cat’s health and help prevent infections.

There are also cat wipes that you can use for the ears, eyes and teeth.

4. Keeping the paws clean.
Cats are in the habit of scratching surfaces so it is better to keep them away from the furniture items in the house. It would also help if you keep those paws clean and trim their nails.

You can go to a pet store and buy a nail trimmer specially designed for cats.

Ask your veterinarian for the proper way to trim your cats nails so as not to hurt them in the process.

If you find that your cat exhibits a not-so-healthy clawing habit, you may go for the option of declawing your cat. This is a surgical procedure where the nails are permanently removed so that it will not grow back. However, you should still ask a professionals advice if you want to go for declawing because with this, cats will lose a natural defense mechanism.

A better and kinder option is to regularly trim the cat’s nails, have them use a wooden post for scratching, or crate-training to prevent them from clawing at your most-treasured possessions.

By following these tips and making time in your busy schedule to groom your cat, you would have a healthy and happy cat and be a happy owner as well.