Videos Domestic Long Hair Breed Information
A domestic longhaired cat is the proper name
for any cat with medium or long fur, if it is
not a pedigreed member of a
recognized breed. Domestic longhairs
come in all the standard cat colours including tabby, tortie,
bi-colored etc. If their fur combines
several shades of the same color they may be referred to as a
smoke.
Some longhaired cats are not able to maintain their own coat -
they must be groomed for at least half an hour per day, and
preferably bathed every week or two[citation needed].
The cat may not enjoy the bathing process, but if it is bathed and
groomed regularly from kittenhood it will accept it as a standard
part of its routine.
Very long-haired cats do not make good outside animals, as their
coats are extremely prone to matting. In extreme cases, the mats
come to resemble wings, leading to stories of winged cats. The matted fur will usually
accumulate in the under arm areas and upper leg region of a long
haired cat. In extreme circumstances, the matted fur can inhibit
the cat's movements and cause irritation, and can cause the cat
to become caught on outside shrubs and trees. When this occurs, the
cat's forceful attempts to break away can pull large amounts of
clumped fur away, leaving bald areas and possible injuries. If such
matting of fur occurs, a simple de-matting comb for cats or dogs
will be sufficient to detangle it. At first, the cat may be
irritated by the comb, but gentle brushes each day to ease the fur
off will gradually work out the matted areas, and continued
brushing thereafter can help prevent large clumps of fur from
appearing again.
Many owners of long haired cats -- especially new owners -- may
feel tempted to cut tangled or matted fur away with scissors in
lieu of combing it out. This should not be done by any owner not
trained to do so, as it can be difficult to distinguish between
hard-matted fur and the skin of a cat. In addition, in extreme
circumstances, heavy-matted fur will harbour bacteria-infested soil
or vegetation, which can cause infection of any cuts accidentally
inflicted on the cat by an untrained owner attempting to cut out
matted fur. If a de-matting comb does not work well enough, the cat
should be taken to a groomer, or, in rare cases, a veterinarian,
who will be able to remove heavy matted fur with scissors
professionally.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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