Our four bundles of fun, so much bigger in just three weeks, got a resounding clear bill of health with our head vet Sam at Vets4Pets Kingston Park and can leave for new homes in 7 days!
We are going to miss them but excited that they have a future they were destined not to have. Their spayed Mum and her son are going from strength to strength.
Thank you to all of you who donated to their fund.
I can’t tell you what this litter of kittens has brought to us, particularly me. As Winston by big Blue Baby left this world, these little kitties arrived in our life.
These are “Winston’s Orphans “ my son and daughter in law say. Brought to safety by him we believe. Love you Winston Redpath 🐈⬛😻❤️
Our Fosters have their second injection Saturday. This really is the best therapy, listen to him purr 😻 ❤️
So far the vets have complimented on how socialised they are and how well behaved they are. My son and daughter-in-law have to take the biggest credit having done the bulk of this.
It will be hard seeing them go but pride as well to how far they have come from an awful start in life.
They hav stories to tell their families and now we just need one more for this little guy ❤️❤️❤️🐈
Food enrichment is so good for cats mental health and wellbeing. I volunteered at Cats Protection and they teach lots of this when cats are rescued and going through stress and changes.
This is actually a dog puzzle feeder and I have about 5 different ones 🫣
But it doesn’t need to cost money. Newspapers screwed up in a cardboard box and hide food in it, egg boxes and scatter feeding are just as good.
Really helps cats that bolt their food and sick it back up 🤢. Greedy cats like Jinx here who would constantly eat and yowl for more.
It helps exhaust natural need to forage for food and this relaxes cats. My IBD cat always has a scatter feed to slow her eating up and ease her digestion of food.
Love Sonia and The Fluffies 😻🐈🐈⬛😊❤️
If a longhair cat is bathed it must be dried. Wet cats are matted cats!
Happy Hoodies protect their ears and some have cotton balls padding for extra protection.
I’ve been told after 22 years of hairdressing career that I have slight tinnitus so to wear ear protection!
We use cool dryers on cat’s as the skin is thin and their core body temperature is higher than other species. We don’t want them overheating.
I’d rather push the dead loose fur out from skin level than keep combing her, creating static and peeing her off. Cats hate lots of combing.
Now there’s a lower level of combing at the end. It’s about as much as she wants to offer in tolerance time and respecting this prevents her hating grooming.
These fine silky dilute coats are very static which I use specialist product for. They tangle super easy and she needs a comb out at home 2x a week.
Love Sonia and The Fluffies 🥰😻🐈🐈⬛❤️
Hi Everyone
I wish I could help you all I really do but I’m just not able to presently.
Cat groomers according to my clients are like finding hen’s teeth!🫣
If you do approach a groomer ask to see their qualifications in specific feline grooming, insurance and pet first aid.
Contact your vet if your cat has mats adhered to the skin. Do not try to comb out, use a furminator , bladed deshedders or use scissors. Shaving is the only safe option.
Also massaging coconut oil into mats will only make more mats and your cat will lick more, causing more mats and skin damage!
It’s the best advice I can give you.
I became a cat groomer because I had a longhair cat and had a not very good experience and wanted to do myself. The rest is history, they persuaded me to qualify 😹
I don’t have any qualified cat groomers to pass you to.
Please contact your vet.
View a previous post and discuss the options of your cat being shaved with gabapentin on board in your vets if they think it’s appropriate.
I will keep posting useful information for cats care and welfare.
Love Sonia and The Fluffies 😻🥰🐈🐈⬛❤️
Shedding season is here! Combined with cats grease and lick and stick the matting risks treble and more than 40% mats it’s a lion cut 🙀
Let’s talk about anxiety around grooming at home. It’s the major reason I see cats in my clinic matted. The youngest was 10 months and this girl I groom has always hated it from a kitten. She’s anxious not aggressive and there’s always a reason behind that behaviour.
Many things can cause anxiety in cats.
The cat not being socialised thoroughly in the first 7 weeks of life can affect how much the cat likes being handled.
Introducing the feeling of grooming with just a toothbrush, the bigger baby brush leading to a comb is essential in this “ sensitive period“ This is completely out of owners control.
Being repeatedly matted causes cats to hate touch and just the sight of a comb can trigger fear.
Also cats need appropriate Feline handling skills. Scruffing a cat is inappropriate now, it can escalate the stress hormones and the cat goes into fight or flight mode. This then leaves a fear response associated with grooming and learned behaviour gets worse.
You see me protect myself with an E-collar on her and I use heavy towels to slow her defence tactics. She’s not aggressive, she’s anxious. Fine being bathed and dried but combing is her trigger. Without this groom her lovely owners would struggle and she would be regularly matted.
Make sure the groomer you visit is trained specifically in Feline handling, has appropriate insurance and trained in Feline grooming. All groomers need First Aid certification too.
Many rescue cats suffer this issue too. Many longhair cats end up on the street when people can’t cope with a matted cat sadly. Ask your vet for help or find a feline specific groomer.
Love Sonia and the Fluffies 😊😻🐾🐈⬛🐈
I talk to cats throughout grooms! I have 3 cats who don’t want me to talk and it’s all about using same routine every time and get the job done!!
This tiny senior Persian is having a comb cut belly to prevent mats. Usually done after bath and blow dry with clipper vac which is super fast.
However she can’t tolerate it by then, so we adjust the grooming plan to suit her.
The 2 biggest things in cat grooming are safety first and as shorter time scale as possible.
I’m only a small business but a lot of training and thought goes into every grooming plan.
I trained in the U.K in 2018 and went on to train with The National Cat Groomers in the Yuma, U.S.A. Literally the best thing I’ve ever done 🏆
https://nationalcatgroomers.com/
Sonia and The Fluffies 🐈⬛🐈🐾😻😊❤️
I don’t have many Persian cats that I can do this Floating Bath with. It’s something that my American Tutor taught me. It’s done with shampoos and also show cats that have a tiny bit of conditioner.
My tutor rescued a severely matted cat, lion cut him and regularly bathed and dried him. He went on to be a Champion in Cat Shows under the C.F.A in U.S.A. Amazing what the right care does.
Melissa promised me that she’d always be there for me, it’s not when she’s just training me. She has always kept that promise and The National Cat Groomers are an incredible supportive network.
Love Sonia and the Fluffies 🐈⬛🐈😻🐾😊❤️
This tiny senior Persian has a “ dilute coat colour, a Golden Shaded Persian. This breeding term states cats colour and coat type for us Feline Groomers. Cottony, textured and naturally dry and frizzy. She is an anxious cat and this causes swiping, hissing and trying to bite. She’d been shaved under anaesthetic throughout her 10 years of life.
From this information, I know what treatment plan to give, how often she needs to come in.
She has excellent owners who tried everything to teach her to like grooming to no avail. She wasn’t socialised properly in the first 7 weeks of her life. This is a story I see a lot. Not the owners fault.
She has gabapentin prescribed by her vet to dampen her anxiety and allows grooming. She hasn’t always had this medication, she always coped beautifully with bath and dryer but combing is her trigger to swipe and try to bite.
Keeping stress low and successfully grooming her regularly is the best for her health.
Love Sonia and the Fluffies 🐈⬛🐈🐾😻😊❤️
I do clicker training for my cats after reading Karen Pryor’s work, an animal behaviourist. I discovered her whilst volunteering at Cats Protection.
It can be used to help develop new behaviour patterns which help the cat use less of the unwanted behaviours and confidence.
Winston was terrified of everything including being picked up, men’s voices, doorbells, banging doors. Yes pretty much everything.
This is fun bonding for us building trust but it uses bell instead of the clicker. He likes the clicker but he’s very happy with his tail up shimmering with the bell. Body language tells us a lot
Love Sonia and the Fluffies 😻🐈⬛😊❤️
This is a sensitive Golden Shaded Persian. He’s on a regular schedule and never mats anymore. This colour Persian is number 1 for getting matted with its dilute colour and cotton colour texture.
This saves the relationship between owner and pet as mats are so painful and affect behaviour and emotions in the cat. He’s much more affectionate at home. And he’s very loved by his family and me!
I leave the dryer on because he’s more relaxed with the background noise, it drowns out other noises that makes sensitive cats nervous.
A real gem to groom.
Sonia and the Fluffies 😊❤️😻🐈🐈⬛
