If you have a long-haired cat, chances are you love the long, flowing fur that cascades all over their bodies. Long-haired cats are beautiful, but they also have a lurking danger on their feet. Most long-haired cats also have long hair between their toes, which can cause your cat to get hurt. This guide will explain why cats have that fur between their toes, how it can hurt them, and what you can do about it.

Why Cats Have Fluff Between Their Toes

Long-haired cat breeds developed long hair as a way of coping with cold weather. In addition to having lengthier fur that helps to cover up more of the body, long-haired cats also tend to have an under-layer of fur that helps to insulate them from the cold and damp.

Of course, like humans, cats' extremities are in danger of being damaged by the cold. A cat's paws are no different, so their bodies have developed ways to keep their exposed paw pads warm even when they're walking through the ice and snow. Of course, most long-haired house cats won't actually need extremely long fur to cope with extreme cold, but that's what they're genetically predisposed to.

The Danger

Long fur is an excellent tool to protect a cat's toes in the wild and the outdoors, but at home, it can pose a hazard. Long fur that extends past the length of the toes can affect your cat's paws the same way that wearing a pair of socks does for you. When they walk across a slick floor, like wooden floorboards or tile, they can slip-slide across it, losing traction. Although cats are quick on their feet, if a cat can't get traction, they could easily crash into a hard surface, hit their head, or trip, twisting or breaking a limb in the process.

Managing

Thankfully, managing this problem is fairly easy. There's no way to keep a cat from growing long fur between their paw pads, but a regular visit to a veterinarian clinic in your area for grooming can fix your kitty right up. Vets and veterinary assistants can trim the fur between your cat's toes, keeping it short enough so it doesn't cause problems when your cat walks. With regular maintenance, your cat will no longer be at risk of getting hurt by literally tripping over its own feet.

If you've seen your long-haired cat slide across the floor unexpectedly or crash into something when they should have come to a stop, chances are they have long fur between their toes. Talk to a vet to get this problem taken care of to keep your kitty safe.