Summer is almost here and the winter coats are starting to moult. This was one of three German Shepherds I had the pleasure to deshed today!
Some footage of the K9 II force dryer in action. Look at that hair fly off!
The hair collecting in the corner…. 
Wow! So much hair!
He is looking like a new dog.
Before and after. What a difference!
Persians are most loved and well known for their long luxurious coats. Medium sized with short heavily boned legs, they are not the most agile cats and are not known for high jumping and climbing. They prefer to drape themselves on your furniture for all to admire. Besides the long hair the most recognized feature is their wide head, small ears, large eyes and very short muzzle.
Personality
They are calm friendly cats that are well suited for family and apartment life. Playful, sweet and gentle they thrive on being the center of a safe loving home.
So many reasons to love this beautiful breed. But there are very important points to consider before homing a Persian cat.
Grooming
In order to maintain their beautiful coat, extensive grooming is required.
My first Persian cat was a Himalayan (a pointed color variation of Persians) Lucas. At 8 months old he was dropped off at an animal shelter in a box, completely full of matts and feces matted in his fur. He was received as a Christmas gift as a 2-month-old kitten. It looked like he didn’t receive any grooming and within 6 months he became a sad, uncomfortable matted kitten. Matts are not simply a bad hairdo but they painfully pull on the skin and make the cat miserable.
They do their best to groom themselves but they need your help with all that long hair. Helping them with grooming along with a healthy diet decreases the chance of hairballs.
Regular, daily brushing is necessary to maintain a matt free coat. Brushing once a week or a couple times a month is not sufficient. Occasional shaving by a professional groomer into a bear or lion cut is a good option to maintain their coat. Cats are sensitive animals. It’s best if you can find a groomer that can come to you, is mobile or has grooming days that are for cats only.
If you let your Persian go outside you will need to spend even more time keeping her clean. You must be prepared to invest the time into grooming or regularly pay a groomer to keep your cat clean and matt free.
Nutrition
You are what you eat. This is the same for our pets. Feeding your cat a high quality species appropriate diet will have positive effects on their cat’s coat. You do not want to have diarrhea or litter sticking to your cat’s longhair.
I feed my cats a home-prepared raw meat diet. This is the most nutritional and moisture rich diet they are biologically designed to eat.
Results of high quality diet:
– Shiny coat
– Decreased to no hairballs
– Poop is smaller, drier, and very low odor
– Long-term health benefits
– A healthy fit cat will be better at self-grooming than an obese cat
Whether you feed home-prepared raw, commercial raw or high quality wet food, the quality of food you feed will have a direct impact on your cat’s coat and overall health.
Face
There are two varieties of Persian cat faces .
Doll Face or Traditional Persian – have a longer muzzle and nose and therefore has fewer health problems than Peked Faced Persians, although the nose is usually still shorter than most cat breeds.
Extreme Face or Peked Face – has a very short “pushed in nose” The nose is often aligned directly between its eyes. This results in shortened tear ducks that drain directly onto the face, which can cause staining and respiratory problems. These faces require regular cleaning to prevent eye staining and infections. The more extreme the face the greater the risk of health problems and staining.
In addition to eye cleaning all Persians should be given very shallow food and water bowls to accommodate their short faces.
Where can you get a Persian cat besides breeders? Check out your local animal shelter and Petfinder.com. There are also cat rescue groups that specialize in rehoming Persian cats. Unfortunately, many people give these cats up because of the grooming that is required.
If you can commit to the extra maintenance of this stunning cat they will decorate your home with their beauty and make a loving loyal family member.
Author Bio:
Hello I’m Jenna ! I run MeowLifestyle a weekly blog that features cat nutrition, cat product reviews and stylish cat-friendly homes. I started the blog to share my experiences of making raw cat food. It is my passion to attend to my cats’ nutritional, emotional and biological needs, while maintaining a clean, stylish cat-friendly home.
Here is just a little something from my grooming journey today.
When I showed up. 
Bathed, blow dried, and combed out.
Finished after his haircut.
What a difference an hour makes!
A lot of undercoat was removed from this guy! He looked so much better afterwards. 
