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GROOMING YOUR CAT FOR SHOW

 PRODUCTS | TRIMMING | BATHING | SHAMPOO | DRYING | MAINTENANCE

Reproduced with permission of Author, A.D. Lawrence from the book:
"The LaPerm Cat: The New Wave in Cats for the Millennium" ©
All Rights Reserved ®: No part of the following can be
copied or used in any manner without consent of the author.

Product List: 
Metal comb w/rolling teeth; Eqyss Meditek Shampoo; Nail trimmers;
Distilled vinegar; Oil base eye drops (Such as mineral oil);
Q-tips; 3-6 large buckets of Warm water;
Eqyss Natural Botanical Spray OR Kalaya Emu Oil Spray; 
Dawn liquid dish soap; 2-3 large towels


The first thing you must do in order to prepare for a show is be certain your pet is healthy. A proper food program is a must for a proper coat. You can also help control fleas with a proper diet if you live where those pesky little critters are a concern.

The actual grooming process for a LaPerm is really a simple task. You begin with combing through the coat and trimming the toenails. It is a show rule that all cats nails must be trimmed and some judges will withhold ribbons if this is not done. Even if you have been to a show the previous weekend, you MUST trim them for every show, even if you went “last weekend”. Another reason for beginning with the nails is that you may get scratched by the animal while bathing it. If the nails have been trimmed, the severity of the scratching will be much less. (This is also why trimming the nails is a show rule.) This protects the judge as well.

Next comes the bath. Whenever I am unfamiliar with how an animal will react to the bath, I start with at least three large pails of warm water (big enough to dip the cat in) already prepared. For many cats the sound of the tap running is the biggest 
problem so you prevent major problems by having the water ready. It is best here to put some sort of protective drops in the eyes to prevent burning if you happen to get any soap in them. For this process you can use any ophthalmic drop with an oily base, pure mineral oil, or even vitamin A. Next, I hold both front feet together in one hand and both back feet together in the other. This is followed by submerging the cat up to his neck and holding him there long enough to thoroughly wet the coat. Now I apply blue Dawn dishwashing liquid to the back and thoroughly lather it paying special attention to the base of the tail on males where stud tail can be a problem. (Stud tail is an exceptionally greasy coat in this area, which many whole males are prone to.) The cat is again submerged in the bucket for a rinse. I then use this water and a cup, dipping the cup in the water and then pouring it over the cat to be sure all soap is off the coat. (This may take another bucket of rinse water to be sure.) It helps to use your hand firmly rubbing the coat in the direction it grows and squeezing the legs and tail to effectively "wring" the cat out. 

           Hey, this isn't so bad...    Ok, maybe I was wrong...

Now I apply Eqyss Meditek animal shampoo to the entire cat; back, legs, tail, tummy, neck, ears (outside only), and top of the head. Lather the animal thoroughly again taking care not to get any in the eyes or ear canal. Now for the rinse. Here you can use the second bucket that you may have used with the first shampoo. Dip the cat in and try to rub off as much soap as possible. Now use the cup method again with this same water and then "wring" out the cat again. Next yet another bucket and repeat these steps. You need to continue this process until there is no soap left in the coat wringing the cat out after each process. For the final rinse, the water should have some distilled vinegar (about 1/8 cup per gallon of water) in it. This is to ensure all soap is off the coat. Be careful when rinsing the head not to get water in the ears or eyes. I use my fingers on one hand across the top of the cats head from the front and pressing in front of the base of the ears to effectively close the ear canal to help prevent water getting in. 

Now the towel. Wrap the cat in a towel to absorb most of the water. While you are holding him in the towel is a good time to use a Q-tip and clean the ears out. Also, while you have your cat "toweled" is a good time to use your liquid chlorophyll and another Q-tip to rub the gums. After the cat has been wrapped in the towel to absorb the bulk of the moisture from the coat, briskly rub the coat with the towel. Now spray with either Eqyss Natural Botanical Spray OR Kalaya Emu Oil Spray, “scrunch” the product through the coat and put the cat somewhere warm to totally dry off. The process is now complete. You may need to use a small room heater if the weather is cold. Don't let the cat get chilled. DO NOT blow dry the coat, as it will straighten it out. The bathing process will need to be done at the most once a month (unless you have a male with stud tail). Bathing too often dries out the coat and causes it to be brittle. When to give the bath will depend upon how oily your cat's coat is. For some with not much coat, Thursday before a show is fine. For others with a denser coat, you may have to bathe on Monday before the show. Trial and error will tell you when to bathe your particular cat. Bathing too late will not allow enough time for the natural oils to replace themselves; thus the coat will not show the curl it has.

The maintenance between shows is simple as well. The best product I have found for keeping the coat in shape is a metal comb with rolling teeth. A comb of this nature will not pull hair out that is not ready to come, it only removes the dead coat. Use this to groom all the dead hair out of the coat two or three times a week. It will only take you seconds and will assure you the coat is in excellent condition. This also gives you the opportunity to “check” the cat over to make certain there is no hidden problem. Your cat will really look forward to being groomed with the comb, purring all the while you are working on him. This is a real pleasure time for both you and the cat and only takes seconds each time you do it. For the first three or four days after a bath, your pet will shed much more than usual so it is important to use the comb during this time. It also stimulates the circulation and helps bring back the natural oils for coat texture. This will also help prevent hairballs and matting.

Now for the actual show time. After you get your cat all set up at the show, take your metal comb and run through the cat’s coat. Spray the coat with your Eqyss or Kalaya spray and scrunch the product into the coat. Also, make one final check for any visible dirt in the ears and clean them if necessary. Now sit back and wait for the judge to call your cat. As soon as your number is called, quickly check the eyes and bottom for any "goobers" that might be present and remove them if there are any. After the cat is in the judge’s cage, go over the coat (in the opposite direction it grows) with your fingers to bring the coat “up”, which shows the curl better. The only thing left to do is wait for the judge’s decision. The spray is only done once a day. 
GOOD LUCK, and be sure to send us your show results!
-A.D. Lawrence

All Rights Reserved ®: No part of the
above can be copied or used in any manner without consent of the author.
Photos courtesy of Cathy Hurley
©. Uluru BC Cloudfeet of CavalierCats 

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