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To follow up on this: I got an Oster brush from the doggie toy department at WalMart, one with long thin tines. It works beautifully, he tolerates it (I'm very gentle). Tons of hair came out, and there's no more tangles! So problem solved.
I can still see the little spots where I cut out the old mats, but hopefully they'll grow out eventually.
I'm glad you got a great brush / comb that works for you! Once you get all the mats out you just have to keep up with it. I have four cats so I'm brushing all the time. Luckily the two Tonkinese are short hair and low shedding so they are pretty low maintenance compared to the other two. Makari, the Siberian, is by far the worst - If I don't get to him ever few days I know it! Twice a week is a must and if I have to snip out a mat you never even notice on him with all his fur
I use a rake type brush and even though I get hesitant looks, it works quite well. I try to make a "scene" of it with treats and a prelude combing. Most of the time this works.
Although I am hesitant about groomers in general, I did take my longest haired to get a "poopy path", "potty path"- known by a variety of names I guess. It really really helped and I think the hour or so of discomfort he experienced has been recouped by not to be blunt, trying to extract poop from his long haired bottom.
The groomer recommended the furminator. Truthfully I have not seen one. Nail trims; all have all their claws; are done by the vet at semi annual checkups- going ot here.
Likewise, as above from Kittymom4, I snip out mats, very carefully.
If your cat's are getting matted it's time to take them to a cat groomer. I have a long haired cat whose fur is very silky on top and fluffy on the belly. His matting was so bad, I had no other alternative than to find a cat groomer. She gave him a lion trim and he looked gorgeous. Within the past 6 months his fur has grown back and because he enjoyed grooming his very short hair, he continues to do so now that it is longer....no matting.
My other cat, that was bequeathed to me on the death of my girlfriend, was a stray. Her fur was so thick and so matted, I could not get even the best brush or comb close to her skin.....so I took her to the groomer also. She looks fabulous. Same lion cut. She now sits and sleeps close to me and will let me brush, finger groom and comb her 24/7 if I could keep it up. She has become so kitten like and is not able to run up the steps instead of doing 1 step at a time (then stopping).
I have every brush and comb imaginable. They will get nothing off the cat and get them miserable and cranky at the same time. Those knots twist the skin below. I can't imagine going through that. Grooming in Virginia is $69. I get the medicine to relax kitty (like when they travel long distances).
Save you and your kitty a lot of grief and find a reliable groomer. The fur will grow back and give the cat an opportunity to teach itself, once again, how to groom him/herself the right way. Make yours a proud kitty again.
This is quite an old thread, so hopefully these particular posters have it sorted out by now...but maybe your input might help someone new!
I struggle with mat issues with my cat, but I don't want to take him to a groomer. He gets terrified of leaving the house and I'm not into drugging him to calm him.
I have a brush that has the metal pins, but each is tipped with a bit of plastic so they aren't sharp feeling like the slicker brushes. I don't know, but I worried about those being scratchy, too. My cat finds brushing annoying, and tries to chew on his brush, but I get it done here and there. When I find a mat, and despite my efforts, they still form from time to time, I use trimmers to buzz it off. I bought a little set of Oster trimmers made for animal hair. They are relatively quiet and small, and I adjusted the teeth to stand out as far from the blade as possible. I never use scissors out of fear of cutting the cat's skin. It's very easy to do, their skin is fine and the first layer pulls up with the hair if you try to get between skin and mat sometimes.
At first Nimbus was scared of the trimmers. Over time though, and every time I need to use them, I turn them on and let him sniff and touch the back end while they are on and buzzing. Pretty soon he realizes they're not scary and won't hurt him. I try to get to him when he's lying on his side, and use one hand to try and keep him that way and wield clippers with the other. If he gets agitated, I let him go and try again later. I've had great success, after much worry and trying with all kinds of different brushes and combs and so on, with this method.
The one thing I always heard is: NEVER try to give kitty a bath, if they have mats. You don't want them wet. You have to get them off first before any necessary bathing is done. Getting them wet causes them to tighten and bind up worse!
This is quite an old thread, so hopefully these particular posters have it sorted out by now...but maybe your input might help someone new!
I struggle with mat issues with my cat, but I don't want to take him to a groomer. He gets terrified of leaving the house and I'm not into drugging him to calm him.
I have a brush that has the metal pins, but each is tipped with a bit of plastic so they aren't sharp feeling like the slicker brushes. I don't know, but I worried about those being scratchy, too. My cat finds brushing annoying, and tries to chew on his brush, but I get it done here and there. When I find a mat, and despite my efforts, they still form from time to time, I use trimmers to buzz it off. I bought a little set of Oster trimmers made for animal hair. They are relatively quiet and small, and I adjusted the teeth to stand out as far from the blade as possible. I never use scissors out of fear of cutting the cat's skin. It's very easy to do, their skin is fine and the first layer pulls up with the hair if you try to get between skin and mat sometimes.
At first Nimbus was scared of the trimmers. Over time though, and every time I need to use them, I turn them on and let him sniff and touch the back end while they are on and buzzing. Pretty soon he realizes they're not scary and won't hurt him. I try to get to him when he's lying on his side, and use one hand to try and keep him that way and wield clippers with the other. If he gets agitated, I let him go and try again later. I've had great success, after much worry and trying with all kinds of different brushes and combs and so on, with this method.
The one thing I always heard is: NEVER try to give kitty a bath, if they have mats. You don't want them wet. You have to get them off first before any necessary bathing is done. Getting them wet causes them to tighten and bind up worse!
Exactly right. Moisture/wetness is one of the main things that cause mats in the first place. Only 2 of my 5 cats ever get any mats (they're both long-haired with very clingy undercoats), so I'm able to deal with them without too much trouble. The thing I try to do is catch the mats early before they get large & too close to the skin. I check them often, and try to work on any mats when they are relaxing in my lap. For the most part it works pretty good. If the mat is in a taboo location (lower belly) they won't tolerate, I just try to loosen/break up the mat and they will usually get the rest of it off their selves.
My 3 short-haired girls never mat, but shed like crazy. Frankly, I don't know which is worse.
Exactly right. Moisture/wetness is one of the main things that cause mats in the first place. Only 2 of my 5 cats ever get any mats (they're both long-haired with very clingy undercoats), so I'm able to deal with them without too much trouble. The thing I try to do is catch the mats early before they get large & too close to the skin. I check them often, and try to work on any mats when they are relaxing in my lap. For the most part it works pretty good. If the mat is in a taboo location (lower belly) they won't tolerate, I just try to loosen/break up the mat and they will usually get the rest of it off their selves.
My 3 short-haired girls never mat, but shed like crazy. Frankly, I don't know which is worse.
Nimbus always gets them on his bottom in his fluffy pantaloons and under his "armpits." I'm able to keep the underarm ones under control more easily, but he doesn't like me fooling with his backside at all. Still, if I'm persistent enough, I get the job done. The trimmers sure make it easier! But I'm convinced the cat thinks I'm a total weirdo. He's forever looking at me like, "What on earth do you think you are doing!?" The key is getting anything done before mild irritation becomes "I am so outta here!"
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Frankly, I don't know which is worse.
