As many cat owners are aware, their pets don’t particularly like water, which means that bathing them is a less than straightforward affair. While cats can certainly keep themselves clean, there may be occasions when they are affected by ticks, fleas, or they face certain skin problems. It may also be necessary to clean your cat if she has wandered into something extremely unpleasant or smelly.

For example, if your cat has oil spilled on her, it would be dangerous and irresponsible to allow her to try and groom herself, as she would swallow some of the substance she was cleaning. If you lack the time, patience, or skills to thoroughly clean your cat, contact a professional grooming service for a shampoo and drying session that will make your cat look sensational.

Shampooing

Dry cat shampoo is emerging as a real favorite, since it is the most comfortable way to shampoo pets that don’t like getting wet. There are several ingredients in high quality shampoos that keep the skin beneath the fur in prime condition. There are even ingredients designed to repel fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and other pesky insects and parasites that carry disease and infection.

Professionals know that keeping a cat in a bath is a difficult task and they are aware of how much damage an angry cat can do, so they may begin the shampooing and drying process by trimming your cat’s nails and taking care of any other grooming needs first. Before the bathing and drying process, a professional groomer will use a special brush that gets rid of all fur tangles and matting, while removing the dead hair. It is extremely difficult to remove matting and tangles on wet hair so this step is essential.

A grooming professional will try to calm your cat before placing her into a few inches of lukewarm water and applying the shampoo. Often shampooing starts from the head down to the tail, while avoiding the nose, ears, and mouth of the cat. The groomer will attempt to make the cat feel relaxed with this motion and will be careful not to place too much pressure on the cat’s belly during the whole ordeal. Depending on the type of shampoo used, it may be necessary to rinse two or three times before the shampoo is completely gone and the process will naturally take longer if the cat has longer hair.

Drying

Your cat’s groomer will likely allow the excess water to drip from the cat before using a towel to slowly and gently dry the cat’s fur; continuing to using dry towels until all water is absorbed. Sometimes groomers use warm towels, to help high-stressed cats to calm down. Cats with short hair can finish off the process by themselves, though they do enjoy having a heat source to aid them. In some instances, a groomer may be able to use a blow dryer on their feline customers with longer fur, but only if the cat is not afraid of the noise. The final step is to reward your cat for her good behavior, instilling positive memories of the experience.