Is it cruel to shave a cat?

Question

My cat is persian cross and her hair is on everything it floats through the air, its just everywhere. If you brush her, 5 mins later she is still leaving a fur trail. It winds up in our food on our bed and all over our furnature. I think it would be more cruel to force her to be an outside cat after 6 years inside. Its hot where we live, can i shave her?

Answer 1

No but leave enough hair to stop her feeling uncomfortable.

Answer 2

Of course it is.

If you cant handle having fur in the house then you shouldn't even have a cat.

It's really dangerous. A cats skin is too thin and is easily cut. Shaving a cat will expose it to too much sun & heat.

Now tell me... how would you like to be left outside with no clothes?

Answer 3

I don't think it's cruel. My mother's siamese cat is the same way. We pet him and fur flies.

My suggestion is to take him to a groomer to have him shaved because they have more experience. You could watch once or twice and ask questions, and maybe you could do it yourself next time.

Answer 4

yes it should be ok, if its hot weather, otherwise do not shave her.. if you do decide, please get a professional to do it.. and remeber once you do it she will grow fur back even faster

Answer 5

You can shave your cat just make sure you keep it worm maybe put a jumper on it or something.

Answer 6

LOL sorry I just have to make fun of the person who says its "curl" to shave a cat. LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL. personally, I shave my cat in the summer and she loves it.. and she is a DMH! I also work in a vet clinic and we get people wanting their cats shaved all the time.. and we do it. Anyway, yes do shave! if shaving is the only other option besides throwing her out.. SHAVE AWAY! be very careful though :[ I just saw a persian yesterday who had two deep cuts in her right shoulder because her mom didn't know how to use grooming clippers.. poor thing.. I've also used the furminator and it seems like it actually pulls hair out! wouldn't recommend it unless you want to be brushing forever and ever until your cat is bald!

p.s.. the only cruel thing about shaving a cat is if you shave it and then throw it outside where the sun can hurt its exposed skin. are people crazy?! you would shave your dog but not your cat? how about some species equality here!

Answer 7

I see it as being cruel myself. Cats need their fur to keep them worm, its part of th way that nature works, if she was in the wild she wouldnt have no fur. However it is up to you, it may make your stress out since cats feel safe when they clean their fur, and f she doesnt have any fur to clean she may get stressed, (Vet explained this to me) in my opinion its against animal nature, but it my be different to you, decide whats best for your cat. Maybe giving your cats a bath mite remove any excess fur, i do this every 1-2 months with my cats.

Answer 8

yes it is curl to shave a cat!!!!!!!!!! you cant shave them they'll be more likely to have skin problems. i say if that happes just deal with it!!!!  

Answer 9

Oh no, Tammy is using the Furminator again, no anything but that, all her cats are bald, and the dogs are wearing hair pieces from the shaved cats.

let me tell you, since she got this new toy of hers, she stays up nights trying to figure out how to shave designs on the cats and dogs.

no, just joking and she knows me, but I just could not resist.

Yes, by all means you can shave your cat...

and listen to Ms. Tammy, she uses the Furminator, and I also have friends now that love it, and some have really long haired cats and dogs.

so good luck, you may want to let Tammy send you an email picture of her cats, so you can see how close you should shave the cat.

good luck.......

Answer 10

if she will tolerate the clippers and if she is not going outside then go ahead and shave her. don't let her out though if you do shave her as she could get sunburn, skin cancer, or get overheated without her "insulation". I have had to shave one of mine before when he would not keep his pants clean and his fur always grew back just fine. just keep her brushed when it starts growing back out.

Answer 11

If you're going to throw her outside otherwise,then by all means,shave her! And then keep her brushed every day.I recommend the Furminator,it really works! I should know,I have 3 dogs and 12 cats in the house!

Edit: Oh,no! Iggy and Percy and Penny are picking on me! I can't take it!! LOL,really,I have seen no problems with the Furminator,but I don't have any Persians or show cats. I do have a cat with very long hair,though,and so far ,he looks fine. I just comb carefully with it. But if you wanna shave him,go ahead.Oh,yeah,and if he does go out,use sunscreen like "dances with cats" says.

Edit: My bad! She didn't say to use sunscreen,but rather to not let the cat out,or watch him closely for overheating or sunburn.Best not to let it out at all ,especially if you shave it.

Edit: Here are some reviews for the Furminator!

http://www.jumboclassifieds.com/Pet_Supp...

Answer 12

If she's an indoor kitty only, then she's not exposed to the elements so I don't see how shaving her would hurt.  I mean, maybe her pride a little... Have you tried the furminator?  It works WONDERS on my cats, dog, and even my ferrets.  I bought mine on ebay, it's a lot cheaper!

Answer 13

Well there's the problem - you're BRUSHING her!  Longhaired cats should be COMBED - not brushed.  Brushes do little to remove the dead hairs of the undercoat and can pull out and break the fine top coat hairs.  A good quality steel-toothed comb will gently remove the dead hairs of the undercoat and leave the top coat intact.  You also need to fully comb her at LEAST every other day.

Another thing to consider is what are you feeding her?  If it's a cheap grocery store dry food made mostly of corn switch to a healthier food with little or no grain and MEAT as the main ingredient.  The healthier you feed your cat, the healthier it's coat will be.

Shaving is only a last resort and should only be done if a cat's coat is too matted to comb out.  Hopefully you're not that lazy that you'd choose to shave this cat.  A cat's fur insulates it from both cold AND heat so yes - it's quite cruel to shave a cat down.  The fact you think that tossing her outside as an option is a bit disturbing.  Perhaps you shouldn't have this cat at all?

FYI - I've heard - and seen - the horrible results of using the Furminator.  If your cat has enough Persian in it that its coat is silky like a Persian's then the Furminator will DESTROY it's coat.  It might be OK for other cats but not for the silky coat of a Persian.

Answer 14

depends on the fur and personal liking. if its a persian and it is summer, we get a lot of owners who want their cat shaved for the summer or if the fur is full of stickers and knots.