Introduction to Home Staging

I have a great cat that I took in from a neglective home. He is a white mainecoon. We removed all of the mats. His fur has grown back in and is brushed often. I would like to know what kind of Feline shampoo/conditioner works good for oily flattenned fur so he can be even more comfortable. I am hoping to be able to fluff him up a little better.

Well first off, you should NEVER brush a longhaired cat. Brushes do very little to remove the loose hairs of the undercoat and can pull out and break the topcoat hairs. You should be COMBING the coat and doing so at least every other day all year long. A comb will gently remove the loose hairs of the undercoat and leave the topcoat intact. This is the type of comb to use http://www.fidoandfelixpetcare.co.uk/img/products/finecoarsecomb.jpg Most pet stores don’t have them in the Cats section since most pet stores don’t have a clue about grooming longhaired cats. You’ll find them in the Dogs section. I prefer this one from Bamboo as the teeth rotate and they’re very long so it even works great on my Persian’s coat whose fur is VERY long http://www.superpetstore.com/images/Bamboo-Rotating-Medium-Coarse-Tooth-Comb-RP-DAM810004.jpg

For degreasing believe it or not the best thing to use is GOOP hand cleaner! Persian breeders/owners use this in their show baths to get the coat as fluffy as possible. You start off with a dry, well-combed coat and use as much of the GOOP as needed to completely cover the coat. Gently squeeze it in – don’t rub – as you’ll end up tangling the coat. Wait 5 minutes, then rinse the cat.

If the coat was REALLY greasy – from outside dirt or just lack of grooming – you can then follow with a shampoo with Dawn or Ivory dish soap. This will further degrease the coat.

For the regular shampoo ShoSno would be perfect. This one’s a great whitening shampoo and I swear by it. It’s VERY low sudsing so it’s really easy to rinse out. I haven’t seen it at pet stores, though. I buy mine online http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=1&pf_id=2540

Last step after you’ve rinsed the coat well is one more rinse with a 1/3 cup vinegar mixed in. This will break down any remaining soap residue in the coat.

When you bathe the cat do so in a sink – not the tub. MUCH easier on your back plus with a sink you can fill it about half way for the final and "float" the coat – slosh water around and under the individual hairs so the cat’s fur floats – showing it’s free of soap residue.