Sesame : Here he is being blown dry after a shower. His mum wanted him to be shaved as he had mats on his lower body, armpits and chest area despite daily brushing.
There are people who think that shaving a cat is cruel and unnecessary. While I won't perform creative cuts (shaping motifs on the cat's fur) or colouring on cats (or dogs), I do think that shaving a cat becomes necessary especially when the cats are badly matted or when the cats are unable to properly groom themselves either due to age or obesity. Some long fur cats groom themselves excessively which may result in impaction (blockage of the digestive tract) that may require surgery. Being in Malaysia, where the weather is persistently hot AND humid, shaving heavily coated cats can be done to keep the cats comfortable.
Even with regular brushing, mats form quickly and often go unnoticed until they have become huge and formidable, very close to the skin. The area where the mat is becomes very painful and uncomfortable and trying to brush out the mat humanely at this point becomes impossible. The most humane thing would be to have the cat shaved. Shaving a badly matted cat is a very delicate procedure, since it involves clipping very close to the skin where any wrong move can result in nicking the cat's thin skin. Therefore, it should only be done by a professional cat groomer.
Shaving a cat does not always mean a lion cut or a complete shave. It can also be that only problem areas are shaved, such as the armpits, belly area, inner thighs and perhaps only an inch off from the tail base to help keep it clean. Done properly, the cat will still have the "full coated look" which may be more agreeable to some owners.
There are numerous other reasons for shaving cats and cat owners always do it with the cat's health and happiness foremost in mind. As for me, I do my part by always asking the owners questions, which include why they want the cat shaved before an appointment is set. This is to ensure I get enough information to best advise on the type of style that best fit their (cat and owner) need.
