Dematting a Cat

RE: Dematting a Cat By Billie. (Guest Post) My cat has a very large and very tight matt on his back. New ones are starting above that. He is wild and I cannot get near his back to work on him. He is about 21 lbs and can back up every lb of himself. I cannot afford a vet to do the shaving as they want between 350.00 and 500.00 to do the job. I can do it if I can find a sedative for him. Can anyone please help me he needs help, and I cannot do it without sedation. Posted on 03/06/2008 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Dematting a Cat By (Guest Post) HELP! My longhaired black cat gets brushed on a regular basis but still develops these huge mats on his backside under his tail and on the backs of his legs. He doesn' allow me to brush there so it's a real problem area. He is so feisty and gets really nasty when I try to get them out. someone mentioned to me once that there is a type of method to "wrap" the cat up in a towel to control his paws and squirming...but leave his back end exposed?? Anyone know how to do this? Posted on 12/14/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Dematting a Cat By (Guest Post) I have a cat about 19 and she fights me on trying to get out big mats and I do not want to stress her out by taking her to the vets. Any good suggestion for this one? Posted on 07/28/2007 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Dematting a Cat By Susan (Guest Post) I've got a longhaired tortoiseshell that gets mats, gum from spruce trees I think. What I've been doing since I let them go too long, is to cut them in half. I don't try to get too close to the skin for fear of pinching or cutting her. If the mat is well separated from the skin, then I'll cut it right off, but if it's worked its way tightly to the skin, I just cut it through the mat about 1/4" or 1/3" away from the skin. That way the mat is then cut "open", and easier to get rid of. Some of them I think she has finished off herself by licking them, but I'm thinking about just rubbing some olive oil into the other cut mats to help loosen them. The reason for that is because I've heard that peanut butter is a good remedy for getting gum out of kids' hair - it's the oil that does it. Stands to reason that it would work on animal fur. I'd be careful about using Johnson&Johnson, because cats lick themselves. Olive oil won't hurt them at all, or just a peanut oil, and it might help them to have the oil on the fur while they're trying to get rid of mats themselves. Mats work closer and closer to the skin and become painful, and they also spread. Brushing regularly is the best prevention, but you still have to be ready to get them out when you've got a mess. Posted on 11/09/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse RE: Dematting a Cat By meoowmom (1746) Profile Contact I had a gorgeous tortise shell long hair cat and she loved to get her her trimmed for summer. Using my husband's shaver I would do it on bathroom counter and cat would actually relax during this. I also bathed her as a tiny kitten and she LOVED water and baths and would sit in sink with her cat soap bubble bath and would howl when it got cold then I would add more warm water, she always tried to join us in shower... good luck Posted on 06/06/2004 | Report Spam or Abuse I've had long-haired cats as well By admin2 (285) Contact I've had long-haired cats as well as long-haired dogs, and matted hair was a constant problem. The best solution is prevention. For me, shaving is a last resort. If your cat (or dog) will sit still long enough and doesn't mind being groomed, make sure to comb/brush every few days. Park yourself and the animal in front of the TV and get to combing! For big mats, try cutting out the mat and **only** the mat, with very sharp, pointy scissors. Try pulling the mat apart with your fingers (longer nails are a blessing in this situation). The hair will grow back, trust me. For smaller mats, you can use Johnson & Johnson Detangler for Kids (or whatever it's called) and comb/brush through. You may want to dilute it somewhat, but it should be okay unless the animal has some weird allergies (check with the vet). Again, I would resort to shaving only as a last resort if nothing else worked. Christina Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse I have used a special comb/rake By admin2 (285) Contact I have used a special comb/rake made by a company ? It is called a Rakom-2 and it gets out heavy mats. If your cat has huge mats over a large part of its body it probably would be best to shave. Lisa Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse We have a long-haired cat By admin2 (285) Contact We have a long-haired cat that is also very susceptible to getting matted up. We just have to sit down with the cat and cut her hair 3 or 4 times a year; she hates it, but it's the only way to keep her hair from getting too long and out of control. One of us holds her down real good and the other starts cutting off hair with a regular scissors under all of her legs, chest, tummy, and private parts; you have to be careful where you cut, but it's not difficult. It beats the cost of taking the cat to a vet or grooming place to get the job done, and it only takes about 10 minutes if the other person has good control of the cat. Good luck! Tracy Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse I work in a Veterinarian's office By admin2 (285) Contact I work in a Veterinarian's office and we just take a sturdy wire-type comb and comb them out. It might seem that it would be painful to just pull out the hair but the cats do not seem to mind it and you are less likely to cut skin by shaving than by combing. Sometimes we have clients who come in that have tried to cut out the matts with haircutting scissors and have actually cut their cats skin resulting in a hole in the skin or infection. We recommend DO NOT do this! If it ever gets bad enough, take the cat to the groomers or vet. Danielle R. - Phoenix, AZ Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse I had the same problem By admin2 (285) Contact I had the same problem, and was a bit "skittish" about taking on the task myself, because my cat is so "squirm". I did it, though! With the help of a kindly pet store salesperson who recommended a mat removing comb. It has little blades that break up the mat. You need to be careful, but the comb comes with good instructions. Just be firm when holding your cat and let him or her know who's boss! Melinda Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse "No more tangles" By admin2 (285) Contact Have you tried "No more tangles" from Johnson & Johnson? LeeAnn Posted on 12/01/2000 | Report Spam or Abuse

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