Thinking of coloring your cat's fur pink?..some things to consider

I had a customer ask a serious question. She wanted to dye the fur of her white cat for a city parade and was wondering if it would be safe to use the same brand of hair dye her teenage daughter uses.

Using any sort of drug store brand hair dye for you animal is not recommend 'cause the pores in both a cats and dogs skin differ both in size and reaction than that of humans. Because a cat's fur is extremely sensitive to begin with, even simple bathing with the wrong shampoo can cause such skin conditions as dermatitis, therefore, the wrong hair dye is no better.

I love dying my hair blue, green, yellow, red, orange and every other color of the spectrum, however, those are not natural colors. Cats are not meant to have their fur dyed pink or blue but then again, neither are we, however, our hair is genetically designed to tolerate such harsh chemicals. Anything you use to dye your cat will be ingested by your cat, so don't use anything you yourself would not eat.

I have been noticing a trend lately, especially in celebrity gossip magazines, of pets with dyed fur, especially around Halloween, however, finding a reputable groomer who uses vegetable based dyes in a safe controlled environment is far and few between. If you're lucky to find one, you're looking at spending an average of $150 per coat.

The benefit of going to a professional groomer is not only do they have access to pet hair dye, not available to the public, but also you will be avoiding a large mess around the house from either the cat shaking off the dye or from hair dye rubbed on the floor and or furniture.

Because these special formulated dyes only color the animals hair and does not penetrate the skin, less irritation will occur.

If you must go the DIY (do-it-yourself) route, There is a great, temporary, beautiful magenta dye you can use: beet juice. Many also use fruit juice crystals which come in a wide variety of colors.

Disclaimer: We are not responsible for any illness that may occur during at home dye jobs (through the pores or orally). Always speak to a groomer before making any sort of vanity decision on the behalf of your cat.

Luv Sheila & Freedom, my black lab (whose hair is still naturally black).

originally posted on petwellbeing.com blog