Beauty 

What does “beauty” mean to you? If we think about beauty in our situation, the most immediate association would be our look and the way we dress. Not only do we care about the natural beauty each one of us has, which is genetically determined, but also the manner in which we treat our look, which we can modify with our sense of beauty and techniques of art. This applies not only to our faces, but also to our skin, hair, fingers, toes, to name just a few, as well as to the way we dress.

We would probably feel the same for the cats we love. Apart from their health and good-mannered and good-tempered behaviours, which we have seen in the previous three sections, we also care about their looks. The only differences, as we can observe immediately, are that they naturally do not need clothes, and they cover their bodies not with skin, but with furs. In addition, we may not apply make-up for the cats, but at least, we would have the same kind of minimal requirements we have for ourselves: neatness.

We have seen how cats’ claws could be trimmed for their safety and neat look in “Should or should not declaw your cat ? Alternatives to declawing“. In this article and the following one, we will focus on three important areas of the cats: teeth, ears, and hair.

1. Cats’ Teeth

Dental health is as important to cats as it is to humans. Illness in teeth not only affects moods, but also appetite, which in turn affects food intake and nutrition absorption. So the ultimate outcome is declining health. Above all, as in humans, cats that have good teeth is good looking. Therefore, it is vital that we keep a regular schedule of cats’ teeth cleaning to ensure their teeth are healthy as they enjoy their senior years.

In the previous articles, we usually mentioned that patience is important for cats’ different trainings, but for process of each teeth cleaning session takes only 5 minutes, which will be an quick and comfortable process.

To clean cats’ teeth, we would need sterile gauze, cat toothpaste (available at pet shops) or a weak or mild sterile solution (recommended by veterinarians), a small toothbrush if available, and a pair of scissors.

As the first step of the cleaning session, we wrap a strip of gauze around the index finder of our dominant hand. Then we dip the gauze in the sterile solution or apply a small amount of toothpaste to the fingertip.

Hold the cats in our lap and open their mouths. Gently rub our “finger brush” in a circular motion on their teeth, with a focus on the area next to the gums. In the meantime, gently massage the gums. We do not need to rub the back sides of the teeth.

If the cats tolerate this step with finger brush, we can upgrade the cleaning with the use of small child’s toothbrush. During the process of polishing with their shiny clean teeth, give the cats some loving pats and say some kind words (for instance, “Oh little cat, how lovely you are.” Or “Oh lovely cat, do you know how shiny your teeth are now?”).

To increase cats’ enjoyment of the cleaning process, we may consider using the flavoured toothpaste, such as the fish-flavoured one, which the cats may find tasty.

In case bleeding gums are shown in the cleaning process, the cats would need professional dental treatment by the veterinarians.

2. Cats’ Ears

Cats’ ears are the next area we should keep clean and neat to avoid infections or mites. To clean the cats’ ears without damaging and eardrum or tearing the ear canal, we need cat ear cleansing solution (obtainable from veterinarians), cotton balls, and a cotton tip applicator.

With the cleansing solution, we begin by removing excessive moisture, debris, dirt and wax from the cats’ outer ear canal. To make the cleansing process easier and safer for both the cats and ourselves, we may need to restrain the cats’ limbs’ movement by wrapping the cat in a towel which should cover their four paws to avoid scratching.

Next, squeeze a small amount of ear cleansing solution into the cats’ ear canal. Gently rub the base of their ears to let the cleansing solution work inwards.

Repeat the processes with another ear. The cats may shake their heads to remove excessive solution from their ears. In the shaking process, the lodged wax, dirt and debris would be “flooded” away outwards along the ear canal.

Gently rub the dirt, debris and ear wax out of both ear lobes with the use of cotton ball or swab. Then, clean the debris lodged in the cartilage of the ears with the use of small cotton tip applicator.