Animal Vets and Pet owners....Can you tell me why...?

Question

would a person totally shave a cat?
There are these people below where I live,they have one cat(at least that is all I have seen and I have also petted this cat, when it comes around) I live about four flights up..and I sometimes see the cat and we "hang out" together! The first time I saw the cat, it had a reddish wound and some hair loss on the back of it's neck. The second time, the wound was healing...and wasn't red, but it still had some hairs missing.
Now, today, I saw the cat below me,while standing out on our apartments terrace,and the cat was totally shaven!!!
Is the normal? Where we all live,it is humid alot..but, we also have huge "t -storms" too!
Mostly it has been very, very humid...but, why would a person or people want or have to shave a cat?
Is it abuse, or is this "normal" and I shouldn't worry about this cat?

thanks!

Answer 1

I looked it up and I guess it's normal for some depending on the circumstance. Some shave them b/c it's too hot where they are. Others shave them because the fur has become severely matted and clumped together. Others allow groomers to do it as an aesthetic thing. I don't really understand that, but it's done apparently.

Answer 2

The cat may have had a case of ringworm that was hard to get rid of so they shaved the cat to easier treat it with a topical medicine. Also if a cats hair gets very tangled and cannot be combed out sometimes shaving is all that can be done. Not all tangled hair comes from neglect. but old age, illness etc can prevent the cat from grooming. Even if a person grooms the cat in this condition it does not always work.

Answer 3

You need to have a word with the owners. If it has a genuine medical condition that required the cat to be shaved, then so be it. If, however, the owners took it upon themselves to shave the cat thinking perhaps it would encourage the fur to grow back properly, or because it was too hot, then they are mistreating the poor cat. You need to get the right answer from source - the owner before deciding whether action is needed.

Answer 4

It is not as common, but very normal. My sister had to shave her long haired just recently.
Cats can develop skin irritations and rashes just like people. They can get "sores" from rolling around outside, on plants or grasses, and they can also develop allergies that cause spots of their hair to fall out.
Some cats have terrible matting issues, and no amount of brushing helps this.
As a result, vets and groomers often shave their hair. It is kind of a way to "start over" and let their skin heal and their hair grow back healthier.

I am sure they aren't abusing their animal, usually people color their animals hair or "shape" their haircuts into silly stuff.

Your a good cat friend to be concerned, but all is okay!

Answer 5

What kind of cat is it? Is this an outdoor cat? If it is then the wound could be from a fight with another cat.
I have seen persians shaved to look like a lion.
Does the cat look ok? Have you seen the people mistreat the cat? Do they seem like responsible owners?

Answer 6

Maybe your neighbor below you got one of those hairless cats. As for actually shaving a cat I do know why I shaved my cat. That is because when I got him he was two years old and the person who had him before me did not take care of him. He has VERY long hair and needs his hair combed to not get matted. Poor Buddy had huge matts all over and I had to take him to the vet to have him shaved so I could keep him combed while it grows out.

Answer 7

I would inquire. It's ok to ask it's not being nosy it's being concerened for the welfare of an animal.


I also suggest U read this book it's written by a person that loves animals and founded a shelter for animals too.
~~~The Cat Who Came for Christmas
by Cleveland Amory


Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
It is fitting that the founder and head of the Fund for Animals personally rescues and takes in strays, and one incident proved to have a profound effect on him. On a snowy Christmas Eve, Amory helped capture a scrawny cat and took it to his apartment. How does a new cat-keeper train a creature accustomed to fending for itself in Manhattan's alleys? Slowly, with patience and respect. Amory offers an entertaining, if precious, re-creation of his first year with Polar Bear (his account of selecting a name takes 20 pages). One highlight is a visit to the vet where the receptionist was a cat. During this time he also housed a dog and a grounded pigeon, and consulted a cat psychologist as well.

Answer 8

the cat was probably taken to the vets office for treatment and the vet shaved it. i have 6 cats, and one of them ran away for about an hour before coming home. he had scratches on his back, so we took him to the vet, just in case he needed meds to protect against infection. the vet shaved on his back so we could monitor his sores. this could be one answer

also, don't worry about the shaved cat. this is not a crime. it doesn't hurt them and this in not abuse. but if you would like to know, a friendly chat with your neighbors who own the cat might calm yourself. if there was abuse, you would see more dramatic signs of it. if you think the cat has suffered abuse, it would probably shy away from humans, but it is probably not abuses, since it lets you pet it.

also, the cat might have gotten into something, like grease or honey or something hard to get out of fur (i can't think of anything now, sorry) and the owners shaved it so the cat wouldn't be uncomfortable.

i hope this information is helpful to you!

Answer 9

At our vet hospital, we do a lot of body clips on long haired cats who tend to get matted fur. These are usually aggressive cats that will not let the owner brush or groom them at all. We sedate the cat and give it a "lion" cut. The cats could care less, and I'm sure it feels better than a body full of dirty matted hair.

Answer 10

I have a cat that I have to shave once a year. And I mean, completely shave. We do this because his fur gets SO matted up, even after we've been brushing him. We shave him once summer really starts heating up, that way his coat will be back by the winter.
He actually LOVES it when we do this! He gets so happy.