My winter coat is luxurious – it has two layers and makes me look twice as nice!
The temperature dropped 25 degrees last night, a sure sign that seasons are a changing. Its time to pack on the pounds before I hibernate all day in my fuzzy kitty bed. Heating up the chopped liver canned food for 8 seconds in the microwave is a thoughtful gesture dear owner. You have your hot coffee, I have my hot mush. The oils in canned food (especially tuna in oil) are also good for my fur, providing omega-3 fatty acids that strengthen the coat.
My neighbor, Sugarpuff, is a Siamese and her thin coat doesn’t bulk up for winter – many Oriental breeds and Abyssinians are like this. Main Coon cats and Persians (like me) are noticably fluffier in October with a toasty undercoat.
When my owner gets upset with me for shedding, I reminder her that fur shedding is considered a sign of health in cats, because sick cats do not shed! Sugarpuff is such a know-it-all: she read that shedding is largely influenced by daylight, and this is called a “photoperiod”. The number of hours a cat is exposed to sunlight in a day (photoperiod) triggers this shedding process.
Indoor kitties shed less hair than outdoor cats due to our artificial lights inside our home that confuse our cat bodies. So, you may not see heavy shedding twice a year, but a more constant gentle shed all year long my dear owner!
To keep your cats fur coat looking as nice as mine, be sure to brush them frequently. For short hair cats, a short-bristle soft brush is best, 2-3 times per week. For longer haired cats, a long-tooth comb every day and then a de-shedding brush once per week help control the matting. And don’t forget to give us a treat afterward, so that future brushing sessions go well. I highly recommend tuna fish juice or a tiny blob of peanut butter!
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