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By Laurie Rich

No matter the length of your cat's fur, its coat is much more than just fluffy decoration. It protects your kitty from the heat of the sun and the cold of winter, and its thickness changes with the seasons.

Heavier shedding usually occurs in the spring and fall -- the times of year when the coat of a cat living in the wild required an alteration in density due to climate change. Although our companion cats today are protected from extreme temperature changes, their coats still receive a "grow" or "shed" signal based on the length of daylight hours, which vary with the season. Living under the artificial lights of our homes, most cats shed moderately year-round.

A cat's coat is made up of three types of hair: guard hairs, awn hairs, and down hairs. The long, stiff guard hairs form the coat's outermost layer, keeping the cat dry and warm. Awn and down hairs are far more numerous, and form secondary layers in the cat's soft under-fur, forming a protective thermal undercoat. Awn hairs have stiff pointed tips; down hairs are shorter with a soft, wavy texture.

All lengths of coats shed loose and dead hairs, but short-haired cats swallow less hair during grooming, so develop fewer problems such as hairballs (which are formed from saliva and hair accumulation in your kitty's stomach). Although all people who live with cats know that cleaning up a seemingly endless supply of hairballs is no fun, it's certainly preferable to hairballs remaining in the cat's intestinal system, which can cause intestinal blockage (a potentially life-threatening situation).

Because a cat's fur grows at varying rates, shed hairs can become trapped in the coat, causing mats. These mats may be soft at first, but left unaddressed can turn into more solid clumps, restricting a cat's movement and even impeding bodily functions. Dirt, debris, food, and bodily wastes can become trapped in the mats. This can block the removal of skin cells that are normally shed during grooming, causing the skin under the mats to become irritated and inflamed.

Regular grooming of your cat's coat, regardless of fur length, is important. Even short-haired cats will benefit from being brushed on a regular basis.

Benefits of regular grooming include:

• For you: The more hair that ends up in a brush, the less hair there will be around the house, on your clothing, underneath your contact lenses, and in your pizza.
• For your cat: Brushing stimulates oils in your cat's skin, promoting a healthier skin and coat. Brushing can help prevent skin disorders by reducing irritation caused by loose hairs rubbing against the skin. It will greatly reduce the amount of hair your cat ingests (and therefore the number of hairballs you accidentally step on with your bare feet). Most importantly, it will give you a regular opportunity to notice lumps or anything unusual on your kitty's body.

To brush your cat, begin by gently back-combing the coat with a pet comb (use one made especially for cats) to remove loose hair. Finish with a cat slicker brush (with stainless steel bristles), brushing in the direction the hair grows. If matting is evident, you can use a special brush usually called a "mat-buster." You can also apply a pet fur detangling liquid prior to combing. If needed, you can also gently cut out stubborn mats -- but be sure to use safety scissors, and work very slowly so you don't accidentally cut something besides fur!

Another option for cats with short hair who won't tolerate combing or brushing: purchase a grooming glove. This is a special glove with small protruding "fingers" that catch hairs.

Begin grooming when your cat is still a kitten, so he or she will become used to it -- and likely even come to look forward to those cuddly brushing sessions.

Caine, our household's longest-haired kitty, needs regular brushing to keep his fur mat-free. He has an especially long and fluffy "lion's mane." (Yes, we assure him he's the king of the beasts.) He loves to be brushed, and purrs up a storm during grooming.

A HAPPY CAINE -- HE EVEN LIKES TO HAVE HIS HEAD BRUSHED!

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