Persian Cat Care Guide

Having a healthy and happy Persian is a rewarding experience that takes effort and planning to achieve. On this page we will discuss issues related to the care and well being of Persian cats. We also offer our choices for valuable products that will help you maintain your Persian.

Grooming

The Persian cat is a wonderful breed, but compared to shorter hair cats, grooming can be a real chore. Their coat is very thick, and also includes an undercoat so it feels like they have two coats instead of one. They will groom themselves on a regular basis, but you will need to help out. Daily brushing is encouraged to prevent matting of the fur and forming of knots. Brushing will also help control the volume of shedding that takes place. A fine wire brush is an excellent tool to keep the fur clean and smooth.
It really depends on the personality of your Persian, but most will probably enjoy getting brushed. If you start the brushing routine as a kitten, it should become a normal activity that they may even look forward to.
Baths may be necessary after a period of time if the coat becomes dirty or tangled. Most cats do not enjoy baths, so try and limit both the exposure time and frequency to reduce the ‘fear factor'.

Dental Care

Regular dental care is an important and often overlooked part of a cat's overall health. Periodontal disease in felines is a real threat, causing problems with various organs and almost surely shortening the life span of cats if left untreated.
Frequent brushing is ideal, and some owners have no problem using a small toothbrush or a thimble like rubber piece that fits over the finger to clean and remove plaque and tartar from the teeth.
While not practical, daily brushing is the only way to guarantee that their oral health will be good and free of problems. Beyond brushing, there are other steps you can take to help with oral hygiene including tartar control treats, fluoride that goes in the water and chewy devices that loosen plaque. These can all help when used on a regular basis.

Hairballs

Your Persian cat will inevitably develop hairballs, and brushing on a regular basis will greatly help in preventing it to occur. You can also use a hairball formula dry food, and give hairball formula (often malt flavored) to your cat to help prevent and treat hairball problems.

Claw Care

Your Persian cat will need to have its claws clipped or trimmed on a regular basis. This is important to prevent your cat from scratching furniture or harming members of your family unintentionally.
The front claws should be clipped every couple of weeks or so, and the back claws do not need to be clipped nearly as often. (To check the length, simple push on the top and bottom of their foot gently to expose their claws).
The topic of declawing a cat is usually very emotional and controversial. We do not recommend it, unless there is a very specific reason that it would be beneficial. Small children or babies in the house would be an example, where there is a possibility that harm could be inflicted with a scratch.
There are alternatives to declawing, including putting caps on the claws. You should really consider this issue when buying any cat, not just a Persian.

Food and Water

You want to make sure that a constant supply of fresh dry food and clean water is always available for your Persian cat. Make sure and choose a brand such as Iams or Science Diet that is known to be a quality product. When you get a new kitten or adult Persian, you may have to try different food combinations until they find something that they like and will eat on a regular basis. Don't be afraid to ask your vet for recommendations on food that will benefit your Persian's health.
The amount of wet food you feed your Persian is entirely up to you, but we recommend it as an alternative to daily dry food. Maybe you can offer wet food as a treat two or three times a week in addition to the daily dry food. The choice is yours, as long as you are providing adequate nourishment for your Persian.
It is generally not a good idea to feed your cat ‘people food', as some food can be dangerous or even fatal if fed to your Persian. Try and stick with quality cat food products, and offer treats and kitty snacks as an alternative.

Litter

There are many different types of litter available, and whichever brand or type you choose may just depend on how picky your Persian cat is. A regular, non clumping clay type litter is generally the cheapest and most preferred type.
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding clumping litters and their safety. If a cat decides to ingest the clumping litter, it can cause obstructions and other health problems.
(We generally do not recommend using a clumping litter!)
You should buy a large litter box and place it in a quiet and secluded place. The litter box should cleaned out at least on a daily basis, a good general rule is to remove the waste with a scoop and dispose into a trash bag or sack to discard. The litter should be completely changed as often as you feel necessary to keep the box clean.
If you have multiple cats you may need two boxes, or a very large one that will accommodate the extra traffic. You will need to increase the cleaning schedule to twice a day or more to make sure the box is clean and odor free. Self-cleaning litterboxes are also an option, as the technology behind these neat little devices has gotten much better recently.
Cats are very picky about their litter box, so if you do not keep it clean you are probably setting yourself up for unwanted surprises around the house!

Cat Toys

Your Persian cat likes to play! So instead of having your furniture chewed and scratched up why not buy some toys to enjoy.
Scratching posts are great to have around, and there are many other small things that your Persian will enjoy.

Veterinarian Visits

Taking your Persian cat to the vet on a regular basis is important for several reasons. We recommend at least a yearly visit, and sometimes twice a year is required for proper care.
At a minimum you will need to get the required rabies and or booster shots that your state law requires. It will be up to you to decide on any extra shots that your cat may need.
Some owners think that taking their cat to the vet is pointless if they are strictly kept indoors. While this may be partially true, you are shortchanging the health of your Persian by not having them checked out by a vet on a regular basis and catching problems that could have been prevented. Also, if you fail to get a rabies shot on a regular basis, and your cat decides to bite someone and it is reported, you run the risk of having your poor Persian put to sleep. Why take that chance?

Safety

We highly recommend that you keep your Persian indoors at all times, because they are not aggressive by nature and may not fair too well if confronted by a larger and more dangerous animal.
You need to be aware that your cat likes to crawl inside of things and get on top of things. So just like childproofing a house, you should consider how to cat proof your house as much as possible to ensure the safety of your Persian and avoid any accidents.
Examples:

1. Never leave washers, dryers, or old refrigerators open as many times a cat will crawl inside.

1. It is never a good idea to leave access open to a garage, because cats have been known to crawl up inside engines or other places to stay warm.

The real message is to use common sense and try and prevent bad things from happening!