Welcoming your new kitten home requires a lot of love, patience and preparation.  You will need to make your kitten's introduction to your home, family and other pets go smoothly.  If you have other pets, you will need to introduce them to each other gradually.  You will need to make sure that you have the right equipment and knowledge.  The basic equipment that you will need is listed below.

If you require further advice on what needs your new kitten will have, please feel free to call me at any time at (205) 648-0573.

Supplies You will Need:

Keep your cat or kitten beautiful by brushing and combing regularly.

Step: 1. Start at the head and neck with the (course) wide-side of the comb and comb down the body.

Step: 2. Pay special attention to the following areas where mats usually develop: behind the ears, under the neck, between the legs and on the rump.

Step: 3. Comb the cat a second time, switching between the fine and course side of the comb until you can feel that there are no more tangles or mats and, you have collected all the loose hair. The pin brush can be used to get rid of any hair after combing. Regular combing will reduce matting and control excessive shedding and hairballs.

Step: 4. To remove large mats, gently pull them apart or, take a mat by placing it in between your fingers and the skin and, carefully cut into the mat with blunt tipped scissors cut into the mat away from the skin.  Persians have very thin skin so be really careful not to cut the skin.  Once your have divided the mat, then comb out the rest of the mat. It is best to start at the outside edge of the mat and come little by little toward the skin.  If your cat has excessive matting and they are too close to the skin, seek the help of a professional groomer.

Step 1:  After a thorough comb-through, slowly wet your cat in warm running water.

Step 2:  Lather your cat with a shampoo designed just for cats. Avoid soap in the eyes, even if it is a tearless baby shampoo.  Rinse really well under running water until water runs clear.  If you want to use a conditioner, use a very small amount and rinse, rinse and rinse again thoroughly.  Rinsing is the key to making sure that you have all the soap out of your babies' hair so it will fluff when you blow dry.  If all the soap is not removed by thoroughly rinsing, it can cause your cat's hair to look flat and when dry can develop what looks like dandruff flakes.    

Step 3:  Wrap a towel around your cat and start by holding strands of hair up and drying the roots first, continue drying up the strand of hair until it is complete dry.  This procedure will ensure that you cat's hair will be nice and fluffy.  Never ruffle the towel to dry their hair, this will cause tremendous matting and tangling. If you find a tangle, you can use a small amount of leave-in conditioner to help remove it.  When combing to remove these tangles, begin to comb gently by holding the tangle up with your fingers between the matt and the skin and and work your way back to skin.  

Step 4: Use a profession dryer if possible, if you do not have one, you can use a hair dryer (combing as you dry) being careful not to overheat your cat.  Do not leave your cat in a carrier to dry, as they can overheat quickly.  

Bathing your cat on a regular basis helps keep dander under control, which may help alleviate allergic reactions.

Use a moist cotton ball or piece of gauge with either warm water or saline solution (for contact lenses) to clean your cat's eyes every day.  Eye injuries or infections are more common for the extreme faced breed, so every day eye care is essential. 

Also, be mindful of hair floaties that might get into your cat's eyes, these need to be removed right away to avoid eye irritation.  If you discover your cat has cloudy or colored eye discharge, please make a trip to your veterinarian for an exam and if necessary, to begin proper treatment.