Caring for a Persian takes a little more effort than that which another breed of cat requires. Due to the long, double coat of the Persian and the fact that many Persians have eyes that become "weepy"; caring for your Persian requires daily maintenance. There are a few main categories of Persian cat care (clickable links to each article):

• Coat Maintenance;
• Eye Cleaning;
• Nails;
• Teeth;
• Ear Cleaning; and
• Bathing

In this article, we will be addressing coat maintenance and there are other articles on eye cleaning, nails, teeth care, ear cleaning, and bathing.

© Pelaqita Persians

In caring for the coat of a Persian, you need the right tools. Please do not ever use a brush when trying to remove mats or in the daily "brushing". A brush will not get all the way down to the root of the coat and you will end up with a matted cat. The correct tool for maintaining the coat of a Persian is a comb.

Persian cats need to be combed daily to remove dead hair and prevent mats. Problem areas are: behind the ears, under the chin, the stomach area, and underneath each arm. These areas will mat more quickly than other areas of the coat. If you comb the whole coat daily (spending a bit more time in the problem areas) your cat will never have a mat!

Check out our Supply Page for the combs I use.

Never try to comb out a mat, rather use the comb to lift the mat and then with your fingers gently pull the mat apart. If you try to comb out a mat it can pull on the cat's skin, possibly pull out more hair than is matted making combing a nightmare that your cat will want to avoid. When we are finished with grooming, we always offer our cat a treat for being such a patient and well-mannered kitty. With the proper tools and daily maintenance of your Persian cat, it will enjoy its grooming time, never suffer from mats and have a great coat.