Cat Care Tips for Healthy Nails, Skin, and Hair

Cat nail trimming. Flea control for cats. Long-haired cat care. When it comes to your cat kids, the health of their nails, skin, and hair is just as important as other types of preventative care. Wondering how to trim a cat’s nails? Curious about how to get rid of fleas on cats? Want to know more about grooming long-haired cats? Read on for tips on keeping your cat kid healthy from head to paws.

Do cats need their nails trimmed?

Regular nail trims help keep paws healthy — and your furniture lasting longer. If you haven’t gotten into the nail-trimming habit you may be wondering, “Should I trim my cat’s nails?” and if so, “How often should I trim my cat’s nails?” The experts at Fetch by WebMD highly recommend trimming your cat’s nails during regular sessions every 10 – 14 days.

A handful of tips:

• The best time to trim nails is when your cat’s a little sleepy
• Start gradually, gently handle their paws, and keep treats nearby for reinforcement
• Sit them in your lap facing away from you for the best angle
• Press on their paw pad to see the claw clearly
• Only cut the sharp clear portion of the nail, never the darker portion known as the quick
• Take your time, and take breaks — you don’t need to trim all nails in one sitting

If you’re wary of the DIY method, don’t worry — you can always enlist a cat nail trimming service at most pet specialty stores.

How to keep fleas off cats ... and deal with them if they get them

Fleas are no fun, which is why pet parents do everything they can to avoid them. Keeping your cat kid indoors? Good call! Getting a monthly preventative flea treatment for cats? Great idea! Vacuuming frequently, especially in your cat kid’s favorite spots? Thumbs up. But sometimes no matter what you do, fleas find their way to your cat kid’s fur.

PetSmart has some tips on what to do if that happens:

• Pick only one anti-flea treatment, like a flea shampoo, so that various chemicals from different treatments don’t harm your cat kid
• If you use a topical flea dip, consult your vet first to make sure this is the best course of action, since your cat licking off flea treatment is a possibility with this type of solution
• Wash all your cat kid’s bedding and soft toys and vacuum everywhere
• Add a flea collar to the vacuum cleaner bag, which will help eliminate both live fleas and hatching eggs

Wondering how to get rid of fleas on cats naturally? The Spruce Pets compiled some DIY home remedies that range from spreading cedar chips around your cat kid’s bed to spraying steeped, diluted, and cooled lavender water onto your cat kid’s coat to attack fleas and soothe itchiness.

Long-haired cat care

Are you considering becoming the proud pet parent of a British Longhair cat, a long-haired tabby cat, or another type of domestic long-hair cat? If so, you may know their luxurious mane comes with some upkeep. Luckily, Chewy has some tips about the dos and don’ts of grooming a long-haired cat.

• The sooner you start brushing, the more accustomed they’ll become — and you can even include hairball-reducing treats and snacks with omega-3 fatty acids in moderation to help the process and the hair
• Head to the groomer’s regularly — this helps prevent hair matting, which can become painful for your cat kid
• If you’re considering a lion cut, make sure your cat kid is healthy enough, since the shaving can irritate the skin of senior cats and other cat kids with health issues
• When bathing a long-haired cat, choose a cat-safe, degreasing shampoo that helps prevent matting

Worried about litter sticking to their fur? Try Naturally Fresh’s Pellet litter , our non-clumping walnut shell pellet litter that’s both soft on paws and doesn’t stick to them either.

Want more? Check out our tips on keeping your cat kid safe, smart, and healthy , get some ideas for spending quality time with your cat , and learn about ways to practice eco-friendly cat care .