An Interesting Family Cat - The Domestic Long Hair
Domestic long hair cat is often used to explain a standard cat with medium or long hair. Domestic longhair come in most types of colour under the sun, tortoiseshell, tabby, smoke, bi-coloured. Because they are of sundry lineage the domestic long hair usually have a great temperament. The domestic long hair each have their own individual entity that will be moulded in their early months by their surroundings and owners. Constant attention and fussing will more likely lead to a friendly, home loving cat. The mixed lineage also results they come in a wide variety of body shapes and sizes, ranging from 10 to twenty pounds (4 to 8 kilograms) though the males are normally heavier.
The long hair comes from a recessive gene, so you can see short hair offspring from longhairs and vice versa from a domestic shorthair.
Cat sitters love them for their long hair, but this results in them not being able to look after their own coats, so need to be groomed every day. This is a crucial part of cat care. Some experts advise that they be bathed every week or so. However many experts believe that if they are regularly groomed and they do not venture outside that this is not needed.
Bathing is difficult with a cat, though it is easier if introduced as a kitten as part of a regular routine.
The very long haired cats are extremely prone to matted fur, especially if they venture outside. In extreme cases so bad that they grow “wings”. The most difficult places for matted fur are under the legs and arms. This will irritate the cat and hinder his movements and on an outside cat, could lead him being caught in trees or bushes. The cats forcing away, could lead to bald patches and perhaps injuries. If the cat has matting, the use of a de-matting comb should detangle it. The cat may not like grooming, but regular combing will ease the fur off and will slowly remove the matted areas.
New cat owners will be tempted to cut the mats away with scissors, rather than combing it out. Caution with doing this, as it is difficult to distinguish the hard-matted fur from the skin and flesh of the cat. If you feel you must do this, take care, advance slowly and take time. An alternative is to use special grooming electric clippers, but be careful with these as well. Best is probably to use a professional cat groomer if there is any doubt. Many professional cat sitters such as London pet sitting will demat the cat as part of their service.
The mats generally are full of bacteria, so be careful if you cut the cat and if you do, rapidly cleanup and disinfect the area.
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