Special News

Christmas is quickly approaching.

Lots of shopping,

Lots of parties and

Lots of friends will come to visit.

Now is the perfect time to get your Birman family member ready for the holidays.

Grooming Your Birman

I know this might sound hard to believe but grooming your Birman can be a fun and rewarding experience for both of you.  Now I know we have all seen those cartoons about giving your cat a bath, but it really isn’t all that difficult; and your Birman can get to really enjoy the attention.  Although, once you have your kitty in the sink and all wet, I would not let go of him or her.

 Most of the kitties that leave me have already had a number of baths, growing up can sometimes be a dirty business and kittens and cats really do like to be clean.

 Let’s start by having all of the things you will need for bath-time.  I suggest a tearless shampoo because cleaning the face is part of the over-all process.  Nail clippers are essential, as are good drying towels and a metal comb.  Also have your hard sided cat carrier; and a glass of wine, either red or white near-by.  A hair dryer with a medium, not hot setting, should be ready for drying time.

 I like to use the kitchen sink, and pick a rather quiet time of day.  Not when everyone is yelling and cheering for their favorite sports team on the television in the middle of Saturday afternoon.  Lay out your towels, criss-cross pattern, so they are ready when the kitten or cat comes out of the sink and have your shampoo ready next to the sink.  Your nail clipper and comb is nearby the towels.  OK, got the picture.  Oh yes, I like to have my carrier there so I can put the kitty inside after bathing and let the kitty start air-drying.

 Place the kitten/cat on top of the dry towels, give him or her nice scratch behind the ears so both of you get relaxed.  Now, let’s gently clip all of the toe nails.  Birmans are suppose to have rounded ear-tips so I, again gently, pinch off any of the long hair that might want to grow past the tip of the ear leather.  This really does not hurt the cat and gives the entire head a more balanced look.  Give your kitty a quick comb all over, and a hug.  The combing will help eliminate some of the hair in the sink drain later.

 Now we are headed for the sink.  Cats have natural oil in their coats and this oil makes the hair difficult to thoroughly wet with water.  I generally take the tearless shampoo and rub the shampoo into the dry coat, especially around the neck and shoulders, back legs and rear end and on the back of the cat; don’t forget the tail.  The shampoo will start dissolving the natural oil and allow you to wet and suds the coat more easily.  Right about now you are beginning to wonder about this whole process, but give it a few times and you and your cat might actually look forward to bath time. 

 After the shampoo has been rubbed into the hair, it is time for the water.  Be sure the water is warm enough to feel good to your hands.  Remember the cat’s body temperature is between 101 and 102 degrees and they really do not like cold water.  Now it is time to “rub a dub dub” and add enough water to get some suds going.  If your kitty has not had a bath for a long time, two shampoo scrubbings certainly are better than one.  Do not forget to wash your kitty’s face.  If you are a bit worried, and until you get used to doing this, you can use a wet wash cloth after you are finished and the kitty is wrapped up in the towel.  Again, do not let go of the cat……..

 This is the most important part of the process, be sure to rinse the cat thoroughly.  When you are finished rinsing, rinse again; do not forget the belly.

 This process will take a while, which is why I like the kitchen sink; it is better for my back as I do not have to bend over so much.

 Two shampoos later, time to get the kitty dry.  Squeeze out as much water as possible from the coat while the kitty is in the sink.  Then put the kitty in the middle of the criss-crossed towels and wrap up your baby.  You should have plenty of towel to completely cover and wrap your baby tight.  Pick up your, kitty, hold him like a baby and hug him or her.  This should relax the kitty and help press the water from the coat.  This will also give you time to catch your breath and wonder why you thought this was going to be easy.  Trust me, after a few times this will get easier for you and your cat.

 After, you have hugged and towel dried your kitty place the kitty in the carrier, with a towel in the bottom of the carrier.  Now is the time for the glass of wine; sit back, settle yourself and enjoy this moment.

 Place the kitty in a warm place until the kitty is about half dry.  They will lick themselves and help the process also.  Did you ever wonder about cats and their licking ability??  It is truly a wonder; when cats are wet, they can lick themselves dry.  On the other hand, when they are dry, they can lick themselves wet.  Cats are a marvelous animal.

 When the kitty is almost dry, it is time for the hair-dryer.  Hair drying is a learned experience for a cat because of the noise.  Low, with low or medium heat is the best way to start.  I would dry my kitty, not in the kitchen.  Some hair will fly into the air and hair in a kitchen would offend the best of friends at meal-time.  I use my garage; you can use your basement or laundry room.  Clean up is so much easier this way.  There are not good instructions about drying a cat’s hair.  Just so slowly and until you both get accustom to the terrifying process.  Some people put the kitty on their lap and do a little at a time to get started.  I like to put the kitty on a flat surface and prop the hair-dryer in a place and hold on to the kitty and move the kitty rather than the hair-dryer.  Work with this and find what works best for you.

 When you are finally finished, the kitty will feel and certainly look better.  You will find that you will have less cat hair on your floor and furniture if you do periodic bathing.  You will also have funny stories to tell your friends and they will wonder about your sanity.

 Good Luck

Karen