Thread: How do you deal with mats?

We have 5 different combs, 3 brushes, 2 different types of Furminators(not much liked by our cats) and newly purchased electric cat grooming shaver. Our kitties get brushed daily by my husband, and sometimes 2-4 times a day. Because of Anastasia's thick coat and his omition of underarms areas she developed mats in those areas and in the inguinal folds. Here is what works for my kittie:
1) The most tolerated by my cat solution so far was old way of taking sweet time and going millimeter by millimiter with blunt small scissors and comb.
2) The newest addition to this method is the use of straight hemostat in the areas that can not be teased out. I clip the hemostat at the base of the thick mat before cutting the mat, then cut the hair above the hemostat. This instrument prevents accidental cuts of the skin.
3) Another method that I found by Googling is to make multiple vertical cuts from the base first, and then either cut or tease out those sections.

Thank you guys for sharing your experience. Claudel, the pile of fur looks as impressive as your cat's tolerance. I wish my kitties liked Furminator as much as I do, but they don't enjoy it as much as brushes.