Safe Cat Ear Hair Trimming

Trimming cat ear hair is typically an aesthetic decision made by a cat owner. A pet owner can trim a cat’s ear hairs on her own, but there are some considerations to take into account before doing so.

Cat Ear Trimming Tools

There are three basic tools used for trimming a cat’s ear hair: scissors, a personal trimmer that is used for humans to trim nose hair and a razor. You may prefer to use a razor if a cat becomes frightened by the buzzing noise of the personal trimmer.

Safely Trimming a Cat’s Ear Hair

One way to trim a cat’s ear hair is to have the cat sit on your lap, facing away. Carefully pull the cat’s earflap towards the back of his head, causing the hairs in the ear to fan out and away from the skin of the ear. Use scissors to trim ¼-inch of ear hair, and then the razor or groomer to make the fur even.

Another way you can safely trim a cat’s ear hair is by placing him on a grooming table. If the table is the same color as the cat, place a towel or blanket that contrasts with the cat’s fur. For example, if the cat is white, place a dark-colored towel on the table. If the cat is facing left, your right arm should go around the cat so the hand is able to grasp the ear or firmly hold the cat in place. In this scenario, the left hand will trim the ear hairs with the grooming tool. Face the cat appropriately so the grooming tool can be used in the dominant hand.

Using the non-dominant hand, hold the cat close to your body and grasp the cat’s ear. Use both hands at first, if needed, to determine where the skin of the cat’s ear begins before trimming. The contrasting color of the table will be helpful in this situation because the difference in color will silhouette the cat’s ear better in the midst of its ear hair. While holding the cat’s ear in your fingers, slowly trim the longer hairs off the top of the ear. If you wish to cut more hair off the ear, gently fold the ear down towards the cat’s face and carefully trim the fur. Face the cat in the opposite direction to trim the hair off the other ear. Have another person help hold the cat if he is particularly squirmy.

Do not cut off the tufts of long hair a cat has at the base of their ear. These hairs help keep dirt, mites and other items out of the ear. Plus, if you show your cat at exhibits, judges will find these tufts aesthetically pleasing.

Trimming the hair off a cat’s ear isn’t difficult, but it may take a cat some time to get used to it. To make sure it is being done right, you can have a cat groomer demonstrate the techniques mentioned along with any other tricks of the trade.        
 

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