# Is it bad/mean to shave a cat?



## JoeDawg54

I adopted 2 cats from a friend who couldn't take care of them anymore because her new baby is allergic to cats.

They are both awesome cats and I would never want to cause them any discomfort but I am a new pet owner and have never had cats or dogs so I am completely lost when it comes to this sort of info, so bear with me if this question is dumb.

They shed A LOT, no matter how much I brush them. 

They are both inside cats and lap cats. The problem is while they lounge on my lap they leave their mark aka cat hair all over. Also all over my couch.

If I were to shave them, would they grow back new hair and stop shedding so much for a time?

First and foremost I want to know if its mean, because if it is I won't do it. I've had them for a few months now and I would never want to cause them any discomfort.

This is probably a retarded question and the answer is probably "**** no don't do it", but I am curious regardless.


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## marie73

Some people shave their long-haired cats in the summer because of the heat. I don't think it's particularly _mean_ to shave them because they shed, but the hair that grows back will be the same. Even the short hairs are going to shed, though, so it's not going to solve the problem - they'll just shed shorter hair as it grows in.

Are they eating wet (canned) food? Changing their diet will help the problem a lot. Wet food is healthier and will make their coats shiny and they'll shed less. I have two long-haired kitties and two medium-haired kitties. Only one likes to be brushed. The type of brush makes a huge difference, too. Some flea combs get a lot more hair. Also, when I take the long-haired girls in to get groomed, the groomer takes enough hair off of them for another cat! 

It was nice of you to take the cats in.  

Pictures?


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## Heidi n Q

I have shaved a few of my long hair cats; one (Squirrely-Jo) only required a "potty patch" (_shaved around her potty area so it would stay cleaner_) and she and the other (Shasta) has very fine and long fur that will get snarled and matted if we aren't careful about the direction we pet them in and/or don't brush them regularly. 

Those are the only two reasons, well, besides for surgery, that I would shave a cat.

If you shave your cats, you have not eliminated the shedding, you've only made the shed hairs shorter in length. If you want to reduce the shedding...best bet is to feed them a better food. You can also brush them regularly to remove excess shedding hair and control it better, but feeding cats a better diet would be the best way to eliminate shedding, other than the spring and fall shed of winter/summer hair.

*I should also warn you, some cats are just 'shedders'. My BooBoo sheds constantly, no matter what we do; brushing, bathing (_only tried that a few times_!) and better food. Also of note, all of my other cats _reduced_ their shedding with the better food.

I wouldn't shave your kitties, but I would look into researching better food options.
Anyhow, best of luck. 
Heidi


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## JoeDawg54

One is a short haired tabby named Proxy (who sometimes gets called fatty, guess why). She's like a dog in that she sniffs everything loud like a dog.

The other is Porkchop which is an all white simamese with short hair who is extremely talkative and will actually converse with me when I meow, its pretty crazy/funny.

I'm moving to Italy in February and taking them with me.

Proxy likes to pee on my laundry if I leave it out, and she even started peeing on my bed after 3 months of not doing so. I haven't let her in my room since then. Is it mean to let one cat sleep with me and make the other stay in the living room?

They both get along great, like sisters who love each other. They even cuddle on the couch while I am gone. And amazingly, they both actually respond to their names. I can call either one by its name and it will no kidding come to me and jump on my lap. I didn't know cats were friendly like that, but apparently I adopted two extremely human friendly loving cats.

Pics are on my phone and as soon as I figure out how to upload them I will post.

I guess shaving isn't the best idea if they keep shedding regardless. Shorter hairs would most likely be more of a mess.

I have been feeding them dry food but will check out wet food as soon as this batch is gone.


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## JoeDawg54

Can you recommend a healthy wet food since thats the topic? 

I haven't tried the search function yet and I know how some forums get mad when you don't.


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## marie73

Here's a quote from another thread, but it has good suggestions.



nanook said:


> You've been given great advice so far.
> It does seem like it would be a lot more expensive to feed wet, but honestly, I've found it isn't that bad. They get better nutrition from it and therefore eat less. When my cats were on dry, they were hungry ALL the time! But your cat will benefit from any amount of wet you can give her.
> Personally, the only supermarket food I would consider would be kitty crack Fancy Feast, but it ain't cheap so, unless it's the only wet your cat will eat, it's hardly worth it. The rest are really too full of junk for me.
> Prices vary so much from place to place but, if you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they have a pretty good food at a good price. Other foods, at least here, that are good and a little less expensive than Wellness, Prairie, Merrick, Innova and the like are, Eagle Pack, Solid Gold, Natural Balance and Nutro. I think any of these foods would have a good protein content.
> Just shop around(even online). Rule of thumb: look for foods that have meat (not by products) as the first ingredient and low or no grains. Try to stay away from foods that have glutens, soy and artificial colors and flavors and in them and you should be fine.
> I had the same experience as Smirkitty when I switched mine over to wet. Along with silkier fur, less shedding and poo, they also became much more active.
> Happy hunting!


One reason cats pee outside their litterbox is because of a urinary tract infection - they associate the pain with the litterbox so they pee on soft things. You might want to get Proxy checked out by a vet....


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## JoeDawg54

I took Proxy to the vet thinking it was a UTI. It wasn't.

Also, Porkchop is obsessed with drinking from the sink. Because of that I bought one of those cat waterers that has free-flowing water. No luck though, she still goes nuts when I turn on the sink and I've never seen her drink from the fountain. Am I spoiling her by allowing her to drink from the sink (and sometimes turning on the water just so she can drink from it)?

I swear these cats own me more than I them.


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## marie73

We're staff to our cats. Own them? :lol: 

You're not crazy, we have a few members here who run sink water for their kitties. My twins run to the sink whenever I run the water, but I don't let them near it. Because invariably, they'll go from the water to the litterbox, then I have "breaded kitties" running around the house. :? 

If you took the cat to the vet for a possible UTI, you're ahead of the game. You already know a lot about cats!


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## JoeDawg54

What do you mean by "breaded cats"?

Also I assure you I know nothing about cats. Thats why I took Proxy to the vet. I'd rather a professional tell me she has no problems rather than self-diagnose it. 

These cats are my responsibility and I don't want to screw it up. May sound crazy, but hey, they are like daughters to me. I'm a 29 year old naval officer and (god-willing) they will be the only kids I have. (lol)


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## marie73

Oh, no, I meant since you knew enough to take them to the vet to check for a UTI, that's more than most new cat owners would know to do. 

Breaded cats = kitties who have played in water, then go into the litterbox. Their little feet and legs are now covered with litter - like little breaded chicken legs - and they're running through the house with me chasing them down while un-breading all over my rug!! 8O


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## OwnedByACat

My Patches is a short haired Calico, and as long as I've had her, I've never been able to get her to eat wet food........until this past month. So, having eaten dry food her whole life, there were foods that effected her differently than others. I have tried a couple that just did not agree with her, and she would shed terribly, no matter how much I brushed her. I'm betting that if you change your feeding to include wet feed, and switch to a better brand of dry as well, the shedding will get much better.

Good luck!


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## OctoberinMaine

One thing to keep in mind about shaving is that chances are they'll have to sedate them in order to shave them, and sedation brings its own set of risks. You'd also have to deny them food or water from midnight the night before in order to sedate them. So if your kitty wouldn't sit still for shaving (and I would guess most won't), there's that extra element of sedation that seems worth avoiding if you can.


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## gunterkat

Some kitties shed a lot, even on a good diet. My R.B. kitty Sam was a healthy, medium hair cat, fed a high-quality wet diet, and every time I brushed him there was enough loose hair to make another cat. I was lucky, though, because Sam loved being brushed, especially during the hot New Orleans summers.
He was a genius-kitty, and knew that lots of brushing prevented the hated hairballs.

Arianwen is just these last few months gaining enough confidence to let me brush her as much as she really needs.

Cat hair isn't part of a Naval officer's uniform? :lol: 

Do you have two litter boxes for your two kitties? How often do you scoop the litter? For two cats using one litter box it should be scooped at least twice a day, with a complete litter change/box cleaning every few days. A cleaner litter box will sometimes stop inappropriate peeing,


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## nanook

Marie wrote:


> Breaded cats = kitties who have played in water, then go into the litterbox.


 :lol: :lol: :lol: OMG! That made me laugh! Purrfect description!
I agree with everyone else that, although I don't think it is cruel, shaving is really not going to solve the shedding issue. I think reevaluating their diet is the best plan and daily brushing, of course. Get them on the best food you can and as much wet as you can (if not all) and you should, at the very least, see a difference. Since I switched mine they barely shed at all. I have found that white cats seem to shed more though. Is that just me or has anyone else noticed that too?
One thing to add about the inappropriate peeing. Aside from making sure the box is immaculate and even adding another box, you may want to try a different litter. Some cats are very particular. She may not like the consistency (pellets, sand, reg. litter) or she may object to the smell if you are using a scented litter. 
Cats! :roll:


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## Leazie

Never mind the pictures of the kitties, let's see pictures of you in the Naval Uniform :luv .

It sounds like you are a very good kitty Dad, and that they are lucky to have you.


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## estelle58

I agree with everyone on the shaving issue... I have my cat Moogy shaved twice a year but she is long-haired... I also have a Siamese (short hair) who was shedding a lot when she was younger and I began to brush her coat regularely... she loves it...


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