Sep 2, 2019, 4:11 PM
A lot of pet owners choose a cat instead of a dog as the former are generally a lot easier to care for. While it is true that cats require much less maintenance than dogs, there are still some things you should do to keep your feline friend happy and healthy. A cat’s coat, for example, can get dirty and lose its shine very quickly. Your cat will attempt to combat this on its own through grooming, but it won’t always prove useful. In extreme cases, you may have to step in and lend a hand. Here’s how you can keep your cat’s coat looking its best.
Create the Right Diet
If your cat’s coat seems to lose its shine even after extensive cleaning, the problem may lie in its diet. Certain inexpensive brands of cat food contain irritant ingredients. These may aggravate your cat’s skin and cause shedding and excessive scratching. To prevent this, we encourage you to spend a little extra on high-quality cat food. Wet food is best as it contains the necessary fats and oils to keep your cat’s coat shining its brightest.
Minimize Bathing
Cats are pretty good at bathing themselves. In recognition of this fact, many pet owners don’t even attempt to bathe their cats. Others, however, wash their cats several times a week. Both have it wrong, while you should bathe your cat, doing so more than once a month (at most) is likely to aggravate their skin and cause hair loss.
Use a Cat Shampoo
When you do bathe your cat, be sure to do so using a shampoo designed specifically for cats. Shampoos designed for humans or dogs do not have the ingredients necessary to keep a cat’s coat in pristine condition. In fact, they may even worsen the health of your cat’s fur. Several pet brands manufacture cat shampoos, such as Bio Pet Active. Bio Pet Active’s Aloe Vera Shampoo for cats is particularly useful. We often suggest it to cat owners in the UAE, as its Aloe Vera content can reverse the adverse effects of the country's searing sun.
Provide Multiple Sleeping Areas
If your cat spends a lot of time outdoors, you should ensure it has multiple baskets to sleep in. We say this as cats tend to switch up their sleeping locations every so often. This is likely an evolutionary holdover intended to throw predators of their scent. If your cat doesn’t have multiple baskets to sleep in, it may start to do so under hedges and trees, which will further dirty its coat.
Regular Vet Visits
Bringing a cat to the vet can be challenging from beginning to end. Getting a cat inside a pet carrier can be so complicated that many cat owners refuse to bring their cats to the vet until it is absolutely necessary. However, you should resign yourself to the hassle and bring your cat to the vet every couple of weeks for a check-up. This will allow the vet to inspect your cat’s coat and identify any possible issues before they worsen.