Posts Tagged ‘domestic longhair cat’
The Domestic Long Hair is a Superb Family Cat
Domestic long hair cat is a term used to explain a standard cat with medium or long hair. Domestic longhair come in many shades of colour including, tortoiseshell, tabby, smoke, bi-coloured. Due to the varied heritage they normally have a great temperament. They will have their own individual character that will be moulded in their early days by their surroundings and owners. Frequent interest and fussing is likely to lead to a friendly, home loving cat. The mixed heritage also results they come in a wide variety of body shapes and sizes, ranging from ten to twenty pounds (4 to 8 kilograms) however the males are generally larger.
The long hair comes from a recessive gene, so you can see short hair offspring from long hairs and vice versa from a domestic shorthair.
Cat sitters love domestic longhair for their long hair, but this results in them not being able to groom their own coats, so need to be brushed every day. This is a crucial part of cat care. Frequently experts recommend that the domestic longhair be bathed every week or two. Though many experts state that if they are regularly groomed and they do not venture outside that this is not needed.
Bathing is not straight forward with a cat, though it is easier if introduced as a kitten as part of a regular routine.
The very long haired cats are very prone to matting, particularly if they venture outside. This can become so bad that they sprout “wings”. The most horrible places for matted fur are under the legs and arms. This will infuriate the cat and hinder his movements and on an outside cat, may lead him being caught in trees or bushes. The cats forcing away, could result in bald patches and sometimes injuries. If the cat has matting, the use of a de-matting comb will often detangle it. The domestic long hair may not like grooming, but regular brushing will ease the fur off and will slowly remove the matted areas.
New cat owners will be tempted to cut the mats away using scissors, instead of combing it out. Caution with doing this, as it is difficult to distinguish the hard-matted fur from the skin and flesh of the cat. If inclined to do this, be prudent, advance slowly and take time. An alternative is to use special grooming electric clippers, but be careful with these as well. If in doubt, take the cat to a professional groomer or the vet. Many professional cat sitters such as London pet sitting will tidy up the cat as part of their service.
The mats generally are full of bacteria, so if you do cut the cat here, be sure to clean up the wound thoroughly to avoid infection.