Why does your cat’s coat need care? How do you brush a cat, and which grooming tools should you use at home? You’ll find answers to all these questions in this article.
Why Brush Your Cat?
Regular brushing cleans dirt and dandruff from your cat’s coat, removes dead hair, prevents tangles and mats and reduces hairballs. Brushing also massages your cat’s skin, which stimulates the skin and spreads natural oils that keep the coat healthy and shiny. In hot weather, removing the dense dead undercoat helps your cat stay cooler.
Brushing also keeps your home cleaner during shedding season. If you don’t brush a shedding cat, the loose hairs will float around the house and end up on the floor, carpets, furniture and your clothes. And regular grooming sessions are a great chance to check your cat for lumps, wounds, fleas and skin problems.
What to Use to Brush Your Cat
You’ll need a few grooming tools. The basic tool is a comb, which is used at the start of a grooming session for most cats. The second is a brush, chosen according to your cat’s coat and your own preferences.
Combs and Brushes
Wide-toothed comb
Suitable for cats with all coat types and lengths, except very short coats. Best for gently working through tangles and loosening small mats.
- Pros: it can be used during bathing.
- Cons: not useful for very short coats.
Price: about $5–12 / £4–10.
Medium-toothed comb
A versatile grooming tool for most cats. Choose one with smooth, rounded stainless steel teeth, such as a “greyhound” comb.
- Pros: easy to keep clean.
- Cons: some combs can build up static.
Price: about $8–20 / £6–15.
Fine-toothed comb (flea comb)
Available with or without a handle. Used for short-haired cats with fine coats, for small areas such as the face, and for removing dried dirt.
- Pros: helps you find and remove fleas and flea dirt.
- Cons: only practical for small areas.
Price: about $3–10 / £3–8.
Comb with teeth of different lengths
A tool for long-haired cats with a thick undercoat.
- Pros: smooths and styles the coat well.
- Cons: not suitable for short-haired cats.
Price: about $10–15 / £8–12.
Natural bristle brush with a rubber cushion
Used for short-haired and long-haired cats, especially for the “britches,” ruff and belly fringe of long-haired cats. It can also fluff up a bushy tail: brush against the grain, from the base to the tip.
- Pros: doesn’t cause static and gives the coat a shine.
- Cons: high-quality brushes can be expensive.
Price: about $15–40 / £12–30.
Pin brush
Used for brushing and massaging long-haired breeds, especially the “britches” and belly fringe. Choose one with blunt pins or protective balls on the tips.
- Pros: massages the skin and smooths the coat.
- Cons: pins can bend and break, so it needs replacing more often.
Price: about $10–20 / £8–15.
Slicker brush
A tool for long-haired cats, used to tidy and “lift” the fur on the tail, ruff and britches. Many owners use slicker brushes the wrong way, on short-haired cats or over the whole body with too much pressure. The fine, bent wire pins can scratch the skin (“brush burn”), so brush gently. A slicker won’t remove mats on its own.
- Pros: inexpensive; self-cleaning versions are easy to use.
- Cons: not ideal for everyday use on the whole body; can pull out healthy undercoat; not for short-haired cats.
Price: about $5–15 / £4–12.
Bristle brush with nylon bristles
Nylon bristles add stiffness to natural bristles, so the brush reaches deeper into the coat and gives a natural shine. Show exhibitors use these brushes to brush out grooming powder before shows.
- Pros: gives a natural shine.
- Cons: may cause some static.
Price: about $10–25 / £8–20.
Comb with rotating teeth
Available with different tooth spacing, for cats with long, fluffy coats. The teeth rotate as you comb, which helps detangle gently.
- Pros: doesn’t pull out hair.
- Cons: not always easy to find.
Price: about $8–15 / £6–12.
Massage Tools
Rubber curry brush
A rubber pad on a handle with rubber nubs of different lengths and shapes. Great for short-haired cats.
- Pros: stimulates the skin, lifts loose hair and most cats enjoy it.
- Cons: many are “universal” for cats and dogs, so look for a cat-sized one.
Price: about $5–12 / £4–10.
Grooming glove
A rubber glove with nubs on its surface. It doesn’t comb the fur, but massages the skin and pulls out dead hair as you pet your cat. It’s also a great tool for getting nervous cats used to grooming.
- Pros: removes loose hair, feels like petting.
- Cons: works best with other tools.
Price: about $8–15 / £6–12.
Specialty Tools
Deshedding tool (FURminator and similar)
This tool, borrowed from professional groomers, looks like a small rake with a fine-toothed steel edge. It comes in different widths and with short or long teeth for different coat lengths. It removes dead undercoat very effectively and is indispensable during seasonal shedding. Use it gently and not too often (once or twice a week during shedding season), because overuse can damage the coat and irritate the skin. Don’t use it on matted fur or on irritated or damaged skin.
- Pros: durable and very effective.
- Cons: takes some practice; read the instructions first; relatively expensive.
Price: about $20–40 / £15–30.
Mat splitter (dematting tool)
A tool with curved stainless steel blades for breaking up mats. It cuts through the mat so you can gently comb it out. Spraying the mat with a detangling spray first makes the job easier. Hold the skin below the mat and work from the outside in, slowly, so you don’t pull or cut the skin. Large, tight mats close to the skin should be clipped out by a groomer or vet.
- Pros: the blunt outer edges protect the skin.
- Cons: must be used very carefully.
Price: about $10–25 / £8–20.
Tip: for extra shine on short coats, finish your grooming session by smoothing the coat with a piece of silk or a chamois cloth.
How to Brush a Cat Properly
General Rules
Each coat type is brushed a little differently, with the most suitable tools. But some rules apply to all cat owners:
- Start when your cat is completely relaxed.
- Be patient. Not all cats enjoy grooming. A kitten can be distracted with a toy, while an adult cat should be rewarded often for good behavior.
- Use slow, gentle strokes along the whole length of the body.
- Brush in the direction of hair growth first. With some coats, you can then gently brush against the grain to collect more loose hair, if your cat tolerates it.
- Clean the comb, brush or glove of hair often as you work.
- Pay special attention to areas your cat can’t easily reach: behind the ears, the back of the neck and down the spine to the tail.
- Start with wider-toothed tools and move to finer-toothed ones.
- To remove the last loose hairs, finish by stroking the coat with a soft chamois or a damp hand. This also adds shine.
If you have more than one cat, give each its own grooming tools. This helps prevent the spread of skin infections and parasites.
How to Brush a Short-Haired Cat
For short-haired breeds, you’ll need a fine or medium comb and a rubber brush or grooming glove.
- Brush in the direction of hair growth, from the back of the neck to the tail. Do the tail last.
- Then carefully comb your cat’s sides, slowly moving toward the belly. If your cat allows it, comb the fur on its belly.
- Pay attention to your cat: if it’s happy, you can gently brush against the grain.
- Finish with the rubber brush or grooming glove. Dampen it slightly first to pick up all the loose hair.
- Finally, you can polish the coat with a chamois cloth or a damp hand to remove the last stray hairs.
How to Brush a Long-Haired Cat
Long-haired beauties need more tools: a wide-toothed comb, a pin brush or a comb with rotating teeth, a slicker brush, a mat splitter, a deshedding tool and a rubber brush or glove.
- Start with the wide-toothed comb to straighten the fur and find any tangles.
- Then brush from head to tail with the pin brush or rotating-tooth comb. Use gentle but firm strokes in the direction of hair growth. For a thick coat, work in sections, lifting the top layer of fur and brushing the layer underneath.
- Next, move on to the armpits, belly and britches, where the fur is longer and tangles easily. Carefully work out tangles and mats. Hold the fur at the base, so you don’t pull on the skin. Use a mat splitter for stubborn mats.
- Finish by stroking your cat in the direction of hair growth with a damp rubber brush or glove. This removes all the loose hairs and adds shine.
Remember to clean your brush and comb of hair often while grooming.
How to Get Your Cat Used to Grooming
Follow a few simple rules:
- Start as early as possible, from the first days your kitten or adult cat is in your home.
- Choose the right moment: your cat should be relaxed, calm and in a good mood.
- Don’t approach your cat with a brush right after it has eaten or just woken up. It’s better to groom before a meal, so you can offer a treat afterward.
- Settle your cat in a comfortable spot, such as a windowsill, a table covered with a towel or your lap. A raised spot with good light makes it easier for you.
- Pet your cat and talk to it softly, so it knows you mean no harm.
- Let your cat sniff and inspect the grooming tool, so it learns that it’s not dangerous.
- Be gentle but consistent. While your cat is learning, groom at the same time every day, so it becomes routine.
- Never force your cat or hold it down. That will frighten it and make it resist grooming even more.
- Start with areas cats like to have touched: the neck, behind the ears, the cheeks and the chin. Only then gently move on to other areas.
- Keep sessions short, just a few minutes at first, and stop before your cat gets fed up.
- A grooming glove is a great tool to start with, because most cats accept it easily. Once your cat is used to it, move on to other tools.
- Each time, praise your cat warmly and give it a favorite treat at the end, so it associates grooming with good things.
Important: never scold or shout at your cat if it resists or avoids the brush. Never groom a cat by force!
When Should You Start?
Start getting your kitten used to brushing in its first weeks at home, through play and short, gentle sessions. This is especially important for long-haired breeds. The coat change from kitten fur to adult coat, at around 5 to 12 months, is often when grooming becomes most important.
How Often Should You Brush Your Cat?
Brush short-haired cats about once a week. Long-haired cats need brushing at least three or four times a week, and ideally every day. During heavy shedding, brush short-haired cats two or three times a week, and long-haired cats every day. Senior and overweight cats, which have trouble grooming themselves, may need extra help.
What If Your Cat Throws Up Hairballs?
One reason for brushing is to reduce the amount of hair your cat swallows while grooming, so it doesn’t form hairballs in the stomach and bring them up. Too much hair in the digestive tract can make a cat lethargic and reduce its appetite. To help, brush your cat more often, and ask your vet about hairball-control food, hairball treats or a malt-flavored hairball paste. Some cats also like nibbling cat grass.
An occasional hairball is normal, but if your cat brings up hairballs often (more than once or twice a month), vomits frequently, tries to vomit without bringing anything up, stops eating or seems constipated, see your vet. Frequent hairballs can be a sign of overgrooming or a digestive problem, and a hairball blockage is an emergency.
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