Wednesday, April 26, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
Minimize your
cat’s shedding
Are you finding cat fur on
your clothes, furniture, and
even floating in the air?
Finding Kitty’s hair on
almost everything in sight is
a fact of life for a cat pet par-
ent. Kitty is not intentionally
trying to drive you crazy, it’s
just a side effect of her natu-
ral shedding process.
Shedding is a cat’s natu-
ral process of losing dead
hair. Indoor cats can shed all
year-round.
The growth of a cat’s coat
follows a simple pattern. Her
coat becomes thicker in win-
ter when it’s cold and thinner
in the summer. This system
lets cats adapt to the weather
outside, especially for feral
and stray cats that spend all
their time outdoors.
Shedding is not depen-
dent on the temperature. You
won’t stop your cat from
shedding by turning the heat
down. Shedding is initiated
by the amount of daylight
available. When the amount
of light reduces in autumn,
the need to grow thicker
fur is signaled by your cat’s
body. Then the opposite hap-
pens in spring, when the
amount of light increases.
But because shedding is
affected by light availability,
the year-round artificial light
inside your home can essen-
tially confuse your indoor
cat’s body, altering the way
she sheds. This means that
you may not see heavy
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MEANINGFUL
MEDICINE
shedding twice a year, but a
lighter, more constant shed-
ding all year long.
There are a variety of
medical, dietary, and stress-
related issues that can cause
Kitty to lose more hair than
is normal. If you notice
she’s losing an excessive
amount of hair or has bald
patches, contact your vet-
erinarian immediately. Your
cat may be suffering from
allergies, ringworm, a bac-
terial infection, fleas or a
hormonal imbalance such as
hyperthyroidism.
If Kitty sheds a lot and
your vet has determined that
there is no underlying medi-
cal cause, there are a few
things you can do to mini-
mize her hair loss.
The most effective way to
reduce your cat’s shedding
is by giving her a regular
brushing.
This helps to collect fur
before it falls out of your cat,
meaning there will be less
fur on your furniture and in
the air. And less for your cat
to ingest.
Brushing your cat
removes dirt, grease, and
dead hair from her coat, and
it also helps remove skin
flakes, and stimulates blood
circulation, improving the
overall condition of her skin.
Even if you have a short-
haired cat, regular grooming
is an important part of main-
taining health. She may not
have a coat that mats like a
longhaired cat, but frequent
brushing will cut down on
shedding and the amount of
hair getting ingested through
her self-grooming.
Just one or two brushings
per week will help kitty to
keep her healthy glow – and
you’ll find that regular ses-
sions are especially benefi-
cial when Kitty ages and is
no longer able to groom so
meticulously on her own.
As well as helping your
cat to look beautiful and cut
down on shedding, regu-
lar grooming allows you to
spend quality time bonding
with your furry feline friend,
and gives you the opportu-
nity to check her body con-
dition and spot any unusual
signs of health problems,
such as lumps or bumps.
Remember to examine
your cat’s skin and coat dur-
ing your grooming sessions.
Checking for hair loss, red-
ness, bumps, cuts, fleas, or
ticks can be a fast way to
determine whether you need
to go to your vet for a cat
check.
Brushing distributes the
natural oil which helps main-
tain skin and coat health, and
with frequent grooming you
can address tangles before
they turn into mats on your
longhaired cat.
Since a cat’s skin is sen-
sitive and very thin, use
brushes and combs that are
comfortable and appropri-
ate for your cat’s type of
coat and pay attention to
how much pressure you’re
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At Aspen Lakes
You’re like family to us!
We feel that each
patient is an
important member
of our extended
family, and we
will treat you
with personable,
compassionate
dental care.
Ben Crockett, D.D.S.
Kim Hapke, Naturopath
applying
when you
brush.
If
you
brush Kitty
on a regu-
lar basis, the
twice-weekly
maintenance
shouldn’t take
long. And
with a long-
haired cat,
brushing just
a few minutes
every day
will keep her
coat in good
condition.
You will
not be able
to stop Kitty
from shed-
ding alto-
g e t h e r ,
because it
is a natu-
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
ral process,
Harley
gets
brushed
to
cut down on shedding.
like eating
or sleeping.
However regular brushing from your house.
may help reduce the amount
Remove cat hair from
of hair that falls out and may your clothes, chairs, sofas
improve the quality of your and other belongings by rub-
cat’s coat.
bing the surface you want to
So, to minimize the clean with a damp towel. It
inconvenience of shedding, will attract the cat hair. And
groom your cat on a regular a lint roller will pick up more
basis and use a vacuum to cat hair and leave the surface
remove the excess cat hair cleaner.
Sunday, May 14
www.AspenLakes.com
p 541-549-9486 f 541-549-9110
410 E. Cascade Ave. • P.O. Box 1027 • Sisters, Oregon 97759
Hours: Mon., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Tues.-Wed., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.;
Thurs., 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
17
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