Cats are pretty much experts at grooming themselves, so a haircut isn’t generally a necessity—unless your cat has a problem with shedding, matting or hot weather . There may also be medical situations (such as a tic or snake bite) where your vet may shave down your cat, but other than this, kitty haircuts are pretty much up to the discretion of the owner.

So, you’ve decided that your feline friend does indeed need a haircut. What next?

Keep kitty calm

There are ways to give your cat a haircut that won’t stress him out, and may even be quite enjoyable. Firstly, decide where in your home is the best place for the haircut. A well-ventilated, easy-to-clean room is best. Cat hair flies everywhere so if you want to contain the fur perhaps see if you can coax your cat into a bathroom. Alternatively choose an area outdoors, but you do run the risk of your cat escaping the scissors!

Tools of the trade

Clippers are definitely the best tool for the job and are pretty simple to understand—plug it in and gently run it the length of your cat’s body. However, the noise and vibrations might cause your cat to act out so it’s often better to start (very carefully!) with scissors. Using a comb in between the scissors and your cat’s skin can help prevent any nasty accidents. If you’re unsure how much fur you want to cut off, don’t cut too much off. You can always go back and cut more off if you need to.

If your cat is fond of being brushed, stop every now and again and give him a brush. This will help to keep kitty calm.

Pay attention to how your cat reacts throughout the haircut. If your cat is quite relaxed you might want to progress to the clippers, but if your cat suddenly gets up and walks off, don’t chase him down to finish the job. Your cat is telling you he is done for the day, and chasing him down with scissors or clippers is likely to turn what was a relaxing process into a stressful one. Yes, you may have a cat with a patchy coat for a few days, but at least they won’t be terrified of having their hair cut.

If you’re worried about inadvertently hurting your cat or are just unsure of the best way to give him a haircut, you can get your cat professionally groomed. There are even some groomers out there who specialise in novelty cat haircuts, like the lion cut!

Tip: If you have a longhair cat, or a cat you feel is going to need regular grooming, the younger the age you start giving them haircuts the better. If you’ve had a longhair for a number of years and then decide one summer that he could use a haircut, it is likely to be very difficult!

Have you ever given your cat a haircut? How did it go?