The British shorthair, fondly called the ‘teddy bear’ due to its round face, large eyes and furry coat is said to have originated in the ancient city of Rome. These cats can grow up to 12-14 inches in height weighing 7-17 pounds and living a good lifespan of about 12- 20 years.
They grow from medium to large in size and possess a deep, wide chest. Their appearance could be solid and stocky due to their short legs, but in general, males look noticeably larger as opposed to females. The coat of this breed is short and dense. Their thick undercoat lies away from the body giving them a super plushy look. The coat color could vary widely and be present in any combination, silver and blue being the most recognized. As most other cat breeds, the British shorthair has to be groomed and properly taken care of.
Brushing is a common method of grooming a furry companion. There are several benefits of brushing your cat’s coat. Most importantly, it improves and enhances the health of your pet’s coat, it reduces the number of hairball vomiting instances, limits matting, and reduces the amount of hair being shed around the house. Hence it is essential to brush thoroughly attending to both the soft and the thick undercoat as well as the surface guard hairs. Catch more information about How to groom British Shorthair Cat
Now let’s have a look at the different types of grooming brushes available in the market.
The most common brush type is the slicker brush which is slightly curved and has very thin teeth. These brushes are excellent for cats with medium to long coats as they work well to eliminate loose or dead hair, dander and dirt. Regular use of this brush may prevent matting apart from removing them. One of the unique features of this product is its ergonomic light weight structure designed for easy grooming with less hand fatigue.
Matbreakers are essentially for cats with long coats that require mat removal. They look long and slender featuring long blades without teeth. The fun thing about this is that the blades are reversible, which means they can be handled by left handers as well as the right handers.
Dual sided brushes are designed for untangling snarls and mats from your feline companion and help spread their natural oils. They have soft bristles on one side for removing tangles and a fine-tooth brush on the other side. When both sides are used together, it would yield wonderful results!
Mitt brushes are vinyl or rubber gloves that you could simply put on like winter mittens. They have soft and short teeth which aid in removing dead hair, dander and dirt while leaving the coat all smooth and sleek. One of the greatest advantage of this brush is, it could be used while petting, especially if your cat dislikes being brushed. Furthermore, this brush suits all types of coats.
Shedding combs are available in different varieties, most notably the Greyhound comb and the Poodle comb. Greyhound combs have teeth which are situated very closely. Although they are better suited for coats with short to medium lengths, they could be used in all other types too. On the other hand, Poodle combs are well suited for long coats as they help in removing dead hair and tangles.
The shedding blade is another product used for pulling out dander, dirt and dead hair. Initially, they were used primarily on horses and seldom on goats and sheep to minimize the chances of matting, formation of tangles and coat shed. It is a long piece of bent metal held by a leather or a plastic handle. One edge of the blade has tiny, dulled teeth to get rid of excess fur. The biggest advantage of this is the presence of a large blade that covers a great surface area to facilitate quick grooming.
The FURminator contains a de-shedding blade made out of stainless steel and an ergonomic handle. This is used in removing loose hair and undercoat to minimize cat dander and get rid of excess dirt. This is suitable for all types of coats. Get more information on Grooming 101 what type of brush is best for my cat/
As long as British shorthairs are considered, they should be brushed at least once every week to eliminate loose hair. However, intensive grooming isn’t a requirement as they maintain a low activity level. During warm weather, they tend to shed a little more than usual. It is important to take your time to groom your cat thoroughly without rushing the whole process.
Based on the above facts, it is quite clear that there are several varieties of grooming brushes in the marketplace, but not all of them would suit British shorthairs. Hence it is important to choose the right grooming brush for your playful companion to make them look and feel amazing.