People ask me to give their cat a lion cut for two main reasons—fashion or function.
While the lion cut may not be for everyone, it 100% falls into the Cute Category for me. Others usually turn to the lion cut for maintenance support as it’s a great option to completely reduce shedding for both long hair and short haired cats.
One of my most common requests is to just shave it all off. While it emotionally hurts me to give cats “button heads” and “rat tails”, I’m there to provide a service. Some people just want as much hair removed off as possible and I can for the most part completely accommodate that.
However, under no circumstances will I shave the full front legs off of a cat. And here’ s why:
1. Cat Leg Anatomy
Cats have extremely thin skin, particularly on their legs and bellies. Most cats in general do not like their legs being manipulated so it’s not uncommon if you haven’t had an opportunity to just sit down and “feel up” their leg.
Take it from me, it’s bony. Cat legs are best described as chicken wings.
The wingette (flats) have very little fat or muscle tissues covering them. Taking a sharp balde to their tibia and trying to shave the hair off of that area would not only be dangerous by increasing the risk of critical nicks, but getting a smooth shave that doesn’t look choppy would be near impossible. Not to mention the fact that most cats dont like their legs being manipulated.
But why Mercedes, you ask. Why doesn’t my cat like me touching their front legs? Well that’s because:
2. Cats Have Whiskers On Their Legs
Yes you read that correctly. Cats have whiskers on their legs!
The moment a new client tells me their old groomer would do a full leg, I know for a fact, that they were a “dog groomer doing the occasional cat” and did not have feline-specialized training or education.
Whiskers, or vibrissae detect subtle changes in air currents and movement. They transmit vital information about the size, shape, and speed of nearby objects to the cat’s brain. They are sensory receptors filled with numerous nerves and blood flow.
Ever wonder why cat dishes are shorter than dog dishes? That is to prevent something known as whisker fatigue. Whisker Fatigue is caused by over-stimulation to the vibrissae, resulting in pain and discomfort.
Whiskers found on the back of feline front legs are called carpal whiskers. They are just as important as the three sets of facial whiskers they have. Which—for the record—-should never be cut either.
Carpal whiskers assist in climbing as well as jumping. Think trees.
Dogs do not have carpal whiskers, so it makes sense why a lot of groomers are shaving the full leg. Most people don’t even know that they exist!
As a feline specialist and animal advocate, I will absolutely not remove a cat’s whiskers. I can make just about any variation or modification to the Lion Cut, but for front legs I follow NCGI standard and feline health and safety research.
And remember —-
Cat Groomer 