# She's pretty mad at me right now...



## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

pffffft - HAHAHAHA










:lol:


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## Victoriax (Feb 25, 2012)

awwwww she has been to the hairdresser's & she look's beautiful bless her I love the pompom on the end of her tail 

is it very hot where you are??


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## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

oh my! she's nekkid! ha ha!

did you shave her because it's so hot in the summer or was there matted hair or something? or is this just a fashion statement? just wondering. :grin:


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I've got to ask - why?


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## Victoriax (Feb 25, 2012)

hopefully not a fashion statement lol


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## lyttleravyn (May 5, 2010)

Adorable!


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Sorry for the late reply!



maggie23 said:


> did you shave her because it's so hot in the summer or was there matted hair or something?





Victoriax said:


> is it very hot where you are??





Arianwen said:


> I've got to ask - why?


Yes. It was over 40 this last week (over 100 F), and we have no air conditioning. Since we were going out of town for the weekend I got her shaved to cool her off (originally she was just going in for the potty patch to make life easier for the sitter).

I love her big fuzzy front legs. My partner's been calling her "Popeye"


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Good grief. She has a right to be mad at you.

You live in Canada. Don't shave your cat to keep it cool.

I should have just moved along without saying anything, but sheesh. A potty patch, too? When you want her to sleep do you also hit her in the head with a brick? Tough love from you, I spose.


:flame Sorry to flame..... kinda. :dis


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Oh! Poor, poor Io... Jacq, I'm warning you, if Planet Meow take over Planet Earth (it _will_ happen, according to my cats), you will NOT be spared! :twisted:

Keep her favorite food coming (Weruva, if I remember correctly?) until her beautiful fur grows back! :yellbounce


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Potty patch? Does this mean shaving around the anus?


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## rascaljade (Jun 30, 2012)

Their coats help keep them cool. You just took away her internal A/C.  I'm in Canada too, and the other day we hit 40 C, but due to humidity it felt like 45 C according to the weather man. (For the americans in the room, that's 104 F and felt like 113 F.)

I have 6 cats with big, fluffy coats. They were all basking in the sunbeams, and when they got too hot, they moved under the bed, or to the basement where it's cool. They'd be back within an hour to bask again.

Point is, it's not necessary or even good for her to shave her like that.

A pet's coat is designed by nature to keep it cool during the summer and warm in the winter. By shaving your pet you usually interfere with this built-in temperature regulation.
Cats, in particular, are very good at regulating body temperature and "really get no benefit from being shaved," says Mark J. Stickney, DVM, clinical associate professor and director of general surgery services at Texas A&M University's veterinary medical teaching hospital.
Because cats are "so much smaller relative to their exposed surface area, they're just better at getting rid of extra body heat," Stickney tells WebMD.
Cats are also almost always more mobile than dogs, so they can simply move to a shadier spot when temperatures rise.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

We're in a one-bedroom apt, and with the construction outside our balcony is bolted shut and ours windows were papered over. There simply wasn't anywhere cool for her to escape to. The day before her groomer's appointment, she was a kitty puddle on the lino - panting like a dog, drooling, and constantly grooming herself (my partner said her eyes were glassy, but I didn't see that part). The intertubes said those were signs of overheating, and she perked up after we rubbed her with cool water and put some ice scubes in her water dish so she could dip her feeties. 

Since she was going anyways for the potty patch (Which is shaving around the anus and back legs to prevent mess and dingleberries, Arianwen), we chose to do the full lion cut, figuring every little bit helps when we're not there to watch her and put ice in the water dish.

Rascaljade, how is a fur pelt an "internal A/C"? I ask because, last I checked, most of her fur (hairballs excluded) was on the outside.  I also don't where "Getting no benefit from being shaved" becomes "It's not... good for her to shave her like that." 

The good news is, she didn't die. :yellbounce
And I, for one, welcome our new kitteh overlords from Planet Meow










But hey, let's pretend she had mats if it will magically change people's opinions on how terrible and horrible and cruel an owner I am


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

> We're in a one-bedroom apt, and with the construction outside our balcony is bolted shut and ours windows were papered over.


I have to say, you got a very stupid apartment manager who thinks its a good idea to do balcony rennovation during this season. And how did you and your partner manage to survive?!



> The day before her groomer's appointment, she was a kitty puddle on the lino


My Metoo wants to send a headbutt and message to Io: Been there, completely feel your pain!

Just being curious:
1) Does Io still groom her body when there is no fur to groom?
2) Do cats sweat? I couldn't tell with my cats with all those fur


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## GhostTown (Jan 12, 2012)

Jacq said:


> The good news is, she didn't die.



Yeah, that is good news. Congratulations on that.

It was 108F here last week. My Alice did just fine. In fact was happy as a clam, and never comes inside.


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

I would think that perhaps cats are like (some?) people and take a few days to adjust to seasonal weather change; cool to hot, hot to cool. She would have adjusted, but I see no harm done.

I've just done a search for 'do cats sweat' (try it). They do through their feet apparently, but keep their bodies cool by saliva bathing. Therefore, it may be better for them shaved, or maybe not. Does more damp fur translate into a greater cooling effect?

Lots of clean water available is part of the answer. Zenobi, and now Missy lie on their backs and spread their body to expose a large amount of abdomen. I always saw/see this as a coolng method.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Thanks NJGroomer. I was pretty sure shaving a cat wasn't animal cruelty, but you never know sometimes 



yingying said:


> I have to say, you got a very stupid apartment manager who thinks its a good idea to do balcony rennovation during this season. And how did you and your partner manage to survive?!


No argument here. This construction company's the worst - it was all supposed to be done August 2011, but it seems like they've been dragging their feet over every little thing. (For example, our windows were papered for almost two weeks. To paint a single wall of the building.)

Andrew and I have been going swimming a lot. And lots of iced coffee. 



yingying said:


> My Metoo wants to send a headbutt and message to Io: Been there, completely feel your pain!
> 
> Just being curious:
> 1) Does Io still groom her body when there is no fur to groom?
> 2) Do cats sweat? I couldn't tell with my cats with all those fur


1) She still grooms the shaved parts, but not as vigorously. It's cute seeing her spend extra time on her puff tail.

2We haven't seen her sweat, but the panting and drooling stopped with the lion cut. Jusjim is right. When she was acting really badly before we read online and dipped her feet in cool water and it seemed to make her feel better (and she started doing it on her own).

Maybe Io's overheating was karma for my "cleanup on sill #4" joke 

I'm glad Alice enjoyed the heat, GhostTown. She probably found a nice shady bush to sleep under and enjoy the fresh air, and maybe the breeze to. Io never goes outside so didn't have those options open to her.


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## Victoriax (Feb 25, 2012)

has she forgiven you yet??


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

> Maybe Io's overheating was karma for my "cleanup on sill #4" joke


Now that you mentioned... Yes! You & your partner being stuck in an apartment without window and balcony is definitely karma's work! Though Io is collateral damage :lol:



> I've just done a search for 'do cats sweat' (try it). They do through their feet apparently, but keep their bodies cool by saliva bathing.


Yep, I heard about that theory too. But even in the hot days when I touch my cats paws, I don't feel they are sweaty...


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## Huge2 (Jan 28, 2008)

I should just make sure she doesn't know how to use hair clippers... You might wake up one morning with half an eyebrow and a mullet....


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Now that you mention it, my cat's paws have never felt damp/sweaty before either. Except when she's playing in the water dish :catmilk



Victoriax said:


> has she forgiven you yet??


Lol Yeah, I think she's over it, and just letting it all hang out now.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I've never atually seen a cat shaved for anything other than medical reasons (maybe because most cats around here are indoor / outdoor) so I ahve a couple more questions.

How long will it take for her coat to fully regrow? The pom-pom on the end of the tail - does it serve a purpose or is it purely for appearance?


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## lyttleravyn (May 5, 2010)

It depends on the age, coat length, health, etc. To determine how long the hair will take to grow back completely. A full coated Persian could take up to 18 months to get in show condition again, but some DSH are back in 6 weeks looking like they've never been shaved.

The ppm is personal preference. Sometimes we leave a full tail. But we wont shave to whole thing off.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Yeah the pom is pure Vanity  It gives her something to chase abd makes a satisfying THWOP when she's swishing it around, though.

I figure it'll take 2-3 months for it to grow back, since that's about how long it took her belly fur after spaying. I used to work with some old Himalayans, and one of them would get the lion cut 3x a year. By month 4 he was looking pretty fluffy and dishevelled though.


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## Abbie (Jan 13, 2011)

Gosh, images like this always shock me. Being English, it just doesn't happen over here.

But I have to agree- cats really do not need you to do such things for them. They have survived from thousands of years without being shaven! My cousin has two long haired cats who go outside, they live in San Francisco- super hot and the cats have always been fine. Shaving cats is a stressful and unnecessary thing to do.


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## CR#2 (Mar 8, 2012)

Bet she'd like to kick you in your potty patch!


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I'm from Wales (so across the border from Abbie but, like England, part of the UK) and, like she said, it really isn't something you see here. 

Mind you, this year we could probably have done with waterproof cats!!

So many questions from me but how common is it over with you? Is it something you see often or is it quite uncommon?

We have lots of dog groomers and trimmers around here but none that seem to do cats.


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## Lineth (Apr 12, 2011)

*I shave my female cat..*

I shave my Danna because she sheds a lot, and she is always throwing up because of hair balls. I shave her, but I don't leave her completely bold. I tell the groomer to leave a medium coat. The hair grows really fast. Three weeks it takes for her hair to grow back to normal.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

I don't really know how common it is, since cats aren't really allowed outside here (and certainly not shorn ones! )

I can say that every long-haired housecat cat I've known, all six of them, have been shaved at one time or another.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Tsk. Missed the edit window.

Oh, and the groomer we took her to (one of many in the city) does 9 cats a day, six days a week, and was booked up for about two weeks in advance, if that's any indication of popularity.


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## lyttleravyn (May 5, 2010)

I disagree that cats don't need our help with grooming needs. When humans domesticated them, gave them longer, fuller coats for vanity's sake, we took on the responsibility for their care. Also cats that are "out in the wild" have, on average, a significantly shorter life span than indoor cats do. Cats get greasy and they shed. Sunlight affects shedding cycles more than temperature, so cats that are indoors and under artificial light are affected much differently than their outdoor counterparts. Shedding + oily skin = matting. Cat mats are not "tangling" like our hair does, or dog hair. When dead hair attempts to shed out, it gets "stuck" to the live coat by the oils. Then more hair get stuck and more - so it compacts together like a brillo pad. This is why cat matting is clumpy instead of just knots. I have seen way too many cats, especially senior kitties, that are one solid mat and THEN grooming is a stressful process to them. If they are used to the process, many enjoy it. I groom anywhere from 30-50 cats a week and most do very well, even the ones that are visiting the salon for the first time. Grooming cuts down shedding, hairballs, sharp nails, waxy ears, dandruff/dander, and what I call "litterbox leftovers." 

Grooming/bathing can also be done at home by owners, if started as kittens, grooming can be an enjoyable bonding experience.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Had she been groomed before? *I only had one grooming experience and Azalia was NOT having it!*

I took her to a groomer who did not sedate. I can't understand why anyone would sedate any animal to do this unless you have training in anesthesiology, but it does happen. Apparently, she tolerated the bath, the gland extraction, and the blow drying, but she had had enough and started freaking out when the guy came at her with the shears. He called me up to come get her. The guy wanted to charge me $90. I was livid.

After a huge argument and much frustration for all involved, he settled on $65...what a waste! Her coat was all dull and dry when she got home. Her fur looked overprocessed; that to me, was a pretty obvious sign that I should just let well enough alone. To be perfectly honest, I so wanted to see her with the lion cut. They look so cute!


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Aw, Dweamgoil, I'm sorry you had a crappy experience.

As far as I know, Io had never been groomed before (her history, along with her age, is a mystery, though she was picked up from a feral colony). She was definitely not _pleased_ with the experience, per say, but after a few minutes (and treats) once she was back in the carrier she was purring. 

She was mostly scared, not mean, though, if that makes sense. She spent the whole time trying to escape (crawl off the table, wiggling around), but she never once tried to bite or scratch the groomer - that's her personality, too, though... She wasn't sedated.

However, she just got a nail trim, ear cleaning, toothbrush and the shave - we chose not to give her (read; pay for) a bath, and didn't need her glands done. The groomer was making small talk and mentioned something near the end about how even mellow cats generally have a "time limit" - there's a point where they just get tired of the manhandling and snap and get impossible to work with.

I bet Azalia would have looked really cute with the cut! I'll remember your story though and avoid ever having the groomer put product in, if I can help it.

I was really surprised to see that Io's pattern (under her fur) basically isn't stripey at all! She's torbie, like your Azalia. The stripes only show up when her hair's long. It would be interesting to see what Azalia's skin looks like too.


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## lyttleravyn (May 5, 2010)

dweamgoil said:


> Had she been groomed before? *I only had one grooming experience and Azalia was NOT having it!*
> 
> I took her to a groomer who did not sedate. I can't understand why anyone would sedate any animal to do this unless you have training in anesthesiology, but it does happen. Apparently, she tolerated the bath, the gland extraction, and the blow drying, but she had had enough and started freaking out when the guy came at her with the shears. He called me up to come get her. The guy wanted to charge me $90. I was livid.
> 
> After a huge argument and much frustration for all involved, he settled on $65...what a waste! Her coat was all dull and dry when she got home. Her fur looked overprocessed; that to me, was a pretty obvious sign that I should just let well enough alone. To be perfectly honest, I so wanted to see her with the lion cut. They look so cute!



Shears? Oh my no no no. No shears on cats! I have one pair of shears for cats and its about 3" long including handle, blunt tip and are only used for trimming faces on brachycephalic (Persians, Himys & Exotics). Any body trimming is used with clippers only. And your cats hair should have looked full and shiny after the bath not dull  Here are some before/after of cats from my work, the first two are just bath/blow dry and one Lion cut.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

The last picture is just lovely...what a difference.


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

Hahaha that second one has the grumpiest little face I just want to bite his ears.


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