When It’s OK and Not OK to Shave Your Cat

There are a number of reasons why cat owners might start wondering whether a cat can be shaved or not. For example, their cat might be shedding too much, meaning that they are willing to look into potential solutions to this particular problem. Likewise, it might be summer, meaning that they might be looking into shaving their cats as a way of sparing them from heat-induced misery. However, interested individuals need to know that while it is perfectly possible for them to shave their cat, making that choice isn’t something that should be done without serious consideration on their part.

After all, a cat’s hair serves a number of important functions that are critical for its continuing well-being. First, a cat’s hair serves as insulators, meaning that they can remain cool in summer and warm in winter. Combined with the fact that cats will seek out the shade when they feel over-heated, this means that overheating in summer conditions shouldn’t be a problem for most cats so long as they remain well-hydrated. Second, a cat’s hair serves to protect its skin from excessive exposure to the sun. As a result, if a cat is shaved, that increases the chances of it getting sunburned as well as other skin-related problems, which can include skin cancer in the long run.

On top of this, it should be mentioned that being shaved is a very unpleasant process for the cat. Even assuming that no harm comes to the cat because of it, it will nonetheless result in a great deal of stress, which in turn, will have a negative impact on their continuing well-being. Based on this, it is clear that cat owners shouldn’t shave their cats unless they have a very, very good reason for it.

How Should You Go About Shaving a Cat?

Generally speaking, interested individuals shouldn’t shave their cats until they have consulted their veterinarians about it. In part, this is because veterinarians are a valuable source of expertise and experience, meaning that seeing them can provide interested individuals with a solution for whatever problem it is that they are seeking to solve. However, it should also be noted that cats tend to be rather unenthusiastic about being shaved for obvious reasons, meaning that it is best to entrust such a task to professionals who have had the right training.

There are a number of problems that might be helped by shaving a cat. For example, a cat might be having problems with its self-cleaning. Likewise, a cat might have had its hair matted, which can be rather painful for the cat. However, it is important to note that there tends to be better solutions to these problems than shaving, which is why it should be nothing but a last resort.

One example is how a cat can end up with matted hair because it has longer hair than most cat breeds. Fortunately, this is a problem that can be solved by providing the cat with more frequent brushing. Likewise, if the cat has matted hair because it has become too fat to self-clean in an effective and efficient manner, the best solution would be reducing its weight rather than shave its hair. Something that can be particularly beneficial because a fit cat is a cat that can expect to live a longer, healthier life. On top of this, it should be mentioned that small mats can be resolved with nothing more than fingers as well as a brush, while tougher mats can be entrusted to the professionals. Summed up, there is simply no need for cat owners to shave their cats unless their situation is so dire that there is no other solution.

Of course, if shaving a cat should be regarded as nothing but a last resort when it comes to medical issues, it should come as no surprise to learn that shaving a cat for anything less serious is more than a little bit irresponsible. For instance, there has been people who looked into shaving their cats for aesthetic reasons, but speaking bluntly, that is a huge mistake because there are plenty of ways to help a cat look good such as providing them with the right collar without sacrificing their health in the process.

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