Do You Shave Your Kitty for the Summer?

I could never do that to my Ragdoll. Even if it was 100degrees out. I would have a fan in every room for him and the AC on. Bless her for her bravery in shaving him. I know the fur will grow back, but it’s something I could never do.

It was definitely hard for me! Teddy is gorgeous with his full coat! I consulted my vet and she advised me to do it because he was constantly panting. I made sure to talk it over with her first. Cats have a great ability to control their body temperature though! Last summer was brutal here, and although our AC is always on, Teddy loves to sit on our balcony and watching the bugs and birds. He would end up going out for 10 mins then coming back and sprawling on the cold kitchen floor. We all felt really bad for him and decided to shave him this year.

Now he is happily playing on the patio again. I will say that cats lose some of their sunblock defense, so make sure the cat is only in a shaded area if their hair is cut very short. We are monitoring him and don’t let him sit in the sun or outside too long.

But over all he is very much happier and hyper with his new short cut. It is already starting to grow out and I’m looking forward to see its progression of growth! He gets AWFUL knots in his hair so this was another preventive for that. Even after we shaved some of the knots out, they would grow into the longer hair and knot again, even with diligent brushing. This time, we’re starting from a clean slate and making sure this doesn’t happen again!

I think he looks adorable, but I thought the hair acted as an insulation from both the heat and the cold. I wouldn’t have Angel done, but I think that’s a decision each person has to make. Teddy certainly seems happy. My girlie girl, Angel might be upset to lose all of her pretty hair. She’s full of pride. (:>) Teddy is a gorgeous boy.

Thanks Jackie! I have read that too. I consulted the vet about this and it is true, but this can help them even more if they’re just very hot and panting all the time. Teddy was panting a lot last summer and I know that’s not good for cats to do it constantly like it is for dogs.

You did check with your vet so all should be fine. I have never heard of a cat panting so Teddy was definitely hot. I’m sure you put a lot of thought in it and you did the right thing for Teddy. I know I like to do the strip when I get hot, too!!

Maisy-the-Persian gets a lion cut every six months (her next appointment to get her hurrs did is Friday, AAMOF) and she always feels wonderful after, bouncing around and purring nonstop. Charlie doesn’t have problems with matting and overheating so I don’t shave her.

I have ten Ragdolls and have each one shaved in the summer……they just have a problem with extreme temperature esp. when it is hot and humid.. My seal point lynx is the only one I hate to shave because he has perfect ragdoll fur and I miss it when it is gone……but in the end they are much happier and healthier being shaved….that has just been my experience…..I do the lion cute also.

My husband and I are believers in lots of AC in the summer, so we don’t shave the kids. If we didn’t keep the house so cool, I would consider it. I had a Maine Coon cat that got heat stroke one day when the temps unexpectedly got up to 95 degrees in May (very odd for MN!), so I make sure they are kept cool and comfy.

I’m thrilled to hear this other ragdolls love this too!! i MISS the long fluff too Alexandra!

ahhahah thanks Jackie!!

I have the AC, too. I do love the looks of the lion cut. It’s nice, but I don’t think it would fit my girlie girl’s personality. Heat stroke is scary. My Angel is strictly an indoor cat and a “cool cat.” She loves the AC and doesn’t get too far from it when it’s really hot, but here in Maine by the ocean we don’t get the oppressive heat.

I don’t think I’d ever shave Annabella, unless the a/c went out and we couldn’t fix it quickly. Our neighbor’s cat gets shaved every summer, but she’s outdoors all day long. She looked very embarrassed the first time, but we made such a to-do over her that she walked tall and proud after that!

Oh, man, did you ever luck out with that white-tipped tail! I love it! That’s strange that he was panting–hopefully the lion cut has improved that. He must have been quite hot! My Raina hates anything warm–she will never, ever lie in the sun and seeks out cool places–but I don’t shave her because her fur is so silky that it isn’t very dense. She never mats (well, I found the first one in four years yesterday!) and seems to keep cool by laying “spread eagle” on the ground. She’s skin and bones and would look so thin if I shaved her! But I’m all for giving cats the lion cut if it makes them happy!

i LOVE his tail tip Alissa!! Jenny (floppy cats blogger) said i HAD to get him when i showed her his baby pics with his little white tail tip!

Alissa – I have only seen it on one other Ragdoll – a kitten video I found on YouTube. It is sooo cool!

I stay updated with Christina’s blog too and saw Teddy’s new do when she posted it, I thought it was super cute! He looks even softer now that it is short, reminds me of a fleece blanket! Hopefully Teddy won’t be hot this summer =] and can enjoy basking in the sunlight. My cat used to pant from playing too much since chasing was the oh so fun favorite game =P

I have too kitties with long hair that don’t appreciate a good brushing. One is Maine coon (about 22 pounds) with extremely long thick hair. I get lion cuts for both every summer and they are so happy and bouncy afterwards that I know they appreciate the help cooling down when the weather is in the 90′s plus.

I have two kitties with long hair that don’t appreciate a good brushing. One is Maine coon (about 22 pounds) with extremely long thick hair. I get lion cuts for both every summer and they are so happy and bouncy afterwards that I know they appreciate the help cooling down when the weather is in the 90′s plus.

I love it, Pam! thanks for sharing!

People think it’s mean to do this but it’s not. My poor cat, who never mattes, all of a sudden is so matted I have no choice. The matting presents some really horrible problems that make me ill to think about. I am taking him in next week and visualizing how goofy he’s gonna look. He is the most beautiful, fluffy Ragdoll and I’m gonna laugh when I see him, then probably cry, and then laugh till it grows back.

We just gave our Ragdoll and another longhair cat lion cuts and they are DEFINITELY happier, more comfortable and more energetic. I can’t see why anyone would think its mean to do this – its mean to let them suffer in the heat with tons of hair!

Thanks Christina, for posting photos and video of Teddy – we studied your photos before shaving our cats ourselves. We got our Ragdoll from a woman who was distressed, going thru divorce moving etc. so we did not get his vaccination papers. All of the professional groomers I’ve seen want proof of vaccination, so we end up grooming ourselves, we don’t want to over vaccinate. Our cats are indoor.

Helpful Tip: After getting nowhere with the Conair hair clippers for humans, we borrowed a friends’ Oster Golden A5 professional pet hair clipper. This made a HUGE difference – it has a quiet operation, removes TONS of hair quickly & gently, and does not tug a cat’s gentle skin. Next time I shave him though I’m gonna wear goggles – whew! there was a ton of hair flying around – getting into my eyes, nose, sticking to my face etc. I have a new respect for cat groomers – its messy work!

Christine – thank you for taking the time to write this comment because I have thought of doing the same with my Charlie – he is so hot all the time. Where do you live? We live in Kansas City and temperatures range from 80-100 and humidity is crazy!

Any chance you want to share photos of your shaved kitties? Here’s a link where you can submit photos – http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/landing-pages/0/0/ragdoll-cat-stories

Thanks for the tip on the trimmer and on the goggles!

Hi Jenny

I did post a few before/after photos of my Ragdoll Ziggy at the link you gave…apparently I can’t post photos here in this section. We live in Santa Monica near the beach, it doesn’t get hot here very often. Part of the reason we shaved him was the shedding was out of control…my husband couldn’t take it and we were vacuumming, tape-rolling, brushing him constantly. MUCH less shedding around the house now…and we have more time to play with him instead of tape-rolling and vacuuming!

Christine! Thanks for letting me know – here’s the link to his posting. No, unfortunately it doesn’t have features where you can post photos just yet! http://blog.floppycats.com/blog/ragdoll-cat-stories/beforeafter-shave-photos