Long hair cats are beautiful, but the extra maintenance and care required for these kitties can be a a lot of work. Find out some of the concerns with these furry felines before deciding if one if for you.
The long hair of these cats requires more grooming than their short-haired cousins because their hair can easily mat and become tangled. If care is not taken, the result can be clumps of hair that cannot be brushed out and have to be shaved off.
A visit to a professional groomer is often necessary because some parts of a cat’s body are difficult to brush effectively unless you have lots of experience in cat grooming. Some owners shave their cats during the shedding months, which usually at the end of winter and early spring. The full shave keep their houses from being overwhelmed with cat hair while also creating a chance to grow in a new coat that does not have any tangles or mats. Unfortunately, cats usually do not like to have their coat shaved off and may become very angry as a result.
Folk wisdom says that long haired cats trigger allergies in humans more easily than short haired cats. Usually, allergies are triggered by the dander in a cat’s hair, and not by the actual hair itself. Some short haired cats may provoke more severe allergies in some people than long haired cats.
Although most people find long haired cats to be gorgeous, they may not find the hairs left behind by the long haired cat to be as beautiful. Keeping your cat well groomed will help reduce stray hairs laying around the house and on your clothes, but you will probably need to invest in some lint rollers to place around your house to rid your clothes of hair before heading out your door.
Before bringing home a long haired cat, make sure that you are able to meet the grooming requirements, and that you are able to deal with a certain amount of long cat hairs appearing throughout your home and even on you.
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