4 Ways Regular Grooming Helps Older Cats Stay Healthy
Many cats require little grooming since they can take care of everything themselves. However, this can change as they grow into their twilight years. If your cat is getting older, arranging regular grooming sessions can actually help avoid health issues to ensure they have the best quality of life possible.
Here are just four ways grooming helps keep older cats healthy.
1. Helps Stimulate Circulation
As your cat gets older, their skin will become thinner and lose some of its elasticity. This reduces circulation, which can impact the health of your cat's coat and make infections more likely if they get any small scratches. However, you can help stimulate blood circulation even in older cats by keeping to a regular grooming regime. When a cat's coat is brushed, blood circulation is stimulated, so grooming can help keep their skin and hair healthy.
2. Helps Prevent Matting
As cats age, they tend to have a harder time grooming themselves. This can be down to issues such as poor dental health or osteoarthritis, but it can also simply be related to a reduction in flexibility. Unfortunately, this means matting can occur far more easily, even in short-haired cats. Matting can become extremely uncomfortable, and it can also lead to poor odours and inflamed skin. By having your older cat groomed regularly, you can help prevent matting from developing. Additionally, professional groomers will be able to expertly remove any matting while minimizing discomfort for your cat.
3. Helps Keep Nails Healthy
It isn't just your cat's coat that can suffer as they age. Older cats also tend to use their scratching posts less frequently, and all that scratching is vital to keep their claws in good order. Without scratching, the outer layer of the nail will not be filed away. Regular grooming can help prevent this since it provides the ideal time to check and trim nails. In fact, professional cat groomers will usually include claw trimming without even being asked.
4. Helps Prevent Hairballs
When cats lick themselves clean, they often end up ingesting some hair. They will then bring that hair back up in hairballs. Unfortunately, ingesting hair is more of a concern for older cats since they often have digestive issues. Additionally, the hair ingested while grooming can lead to issues such as constipation and chronic vomiting. By having your cat regularly groomed, you'll have as much excess hair removed as possible, reducing the amount your cat can ingest.
For more info about pet grooming, contact a local company.