Long-Haired Cat Breeds: How Much Grooming Each Coat Needs

Long-haired breeds differ a lot in how much grooming they need. The Cat Fanciers’ Association describes the Persian’s thick coat as a serious grooming commitment, the Ragdoll’s and Birman’s silky coats as resisting mats, and the Norwegian Forest Cat’s dense double coat as changing with the seasons. Match the routine to the coat, not the hair length alone.

Long hair is not one thing. Some coats are thick and woolly right to the skin, some are silky with almost no undercoat, and some are built for cold weather and molt each spring. The table below sums up how breed registries describe each one.

Long-haired breeds compared by coat

Veterinary advice is broader: International Cat Care says long-haired cats need grooming at least daily, and VCA advises daily brushing for long, silky or curly coats. Use the registry notes to judge how much your breed’s coat needs, and comb more if you find tangles.

Steel combs for every long coat

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The heaviest coats: Persian and Himalayan

The CFA says owning a Persian calls for “a serious commitment to regular grooming,” and calls a steel comb with long, coarse and fine teeth essential. Many Persian owners rely on professional groomers. The Himalayan, which the CFA groups with the Persian as its pointed pattern, needs the same care. Their flat faces add eye and face care. See grooming a Persian or Himalayan.

Silky coats: Ragdoll, Birman and Turkish Angora

These coats have little undercoat, and the CFA describes all three as resisting mats. The Ragdoll’s coat is naturally non-matting with minimal woolly undercoat, the Birman’s “does not mat,” and the Turkish Angora’s single coat is “not prone to matting.” They still shed, and the Ragdoll sheds with the change of seasons. See grooming a Ragdoll or Birman.

Coats built for cold: Norwegian Forest Cat and Siberian

Maine Coon

The CFA describes the Maine Coon’s coat as heavy and shaggy, shorter on the shoulders and longer on the stomach and britches, and suggests combing two or three times a week. For the breed’s size and its own grooming page, see how big Maine Coons get on Large Breed Cats.

How to tell which coat your cat has

You do not need papers to know how much combing a coat needs. Three quick checks:

1. Part the fur on the back and look at the base. A dense, woolly layer under the long hair means a heavy undercoat, like a Norwegian Forest Cat’s. Long hair lying almost straight to the skin means little undercoat, like a Ragdoll’s.
2. Run a wide-toothed comb from neck to tail. If it snags in several places after a day or two without combing, the coat needs daily work.
3. Check the comb in spring. A comb that fills with soft, fluffy hair for a few weeks points to a seasonal molt, which the CFA describes for the Norwegian Forest Cat and Siberian.

Then match the routine: daily combing for a thick, woolly coat, once or twice a week for a silky coat that stays smooth, and extra sessions whenever the comb starts catching.

Domestic longhairs

Most long-haired cats in homes are not pedigreed. Domestic longhair is the usual name for a long-haired cat of mixed ancestry rather than a registered breed, so coats vary widely. Groom by what you see: a thick, woolly coat needs the Persian routine, a silky one the Ragdoll’s. The grooming routine works for any of them.

Are there long-haired cats that do not shed?

No. Every cat sheds, and no breed should be bought on a promise that it will not. The CFA describes the Ragdoll’s minimal undercoat as reducing shedding and matting, but Ragdolls still shed with the seasons. See shedding. For breed ornaments, mugs and prints, see gifts by person.

Grooming guides by breed