Thread: Matted fur

hi Danny - oh poor baby with his matted fur! must hurt like hell, because it pulls on the tender skin...
what I find when mine has matted fur:
it does happen but normally it's manageable - and it's usually in parts where her fur is greasier - mine tolerates a bath quite well, so once I got that area under control I bathe her or just wash that area with cat shampoo. May be changing his diet might also help in the future, if his coat is a bit greasier in parts.
MCs are normally not so fearful of water. If you haven't already done it, here's what I do: I run a bath when she's not in the room (the noise would spook her and I want her calm) - about 10cm in the bathtub - I have all the shampoo ready and also towels ready for when she comes out - I read somewhere that cats have a temperature slightly higher than ours but I still don't dare make it as hot as for me - so about 38 degrees celsius (sorry if you are in the US you'll have to translate into Farenheit) then I lower her in there. She is not exacly keen on staying in, so she does try to get out a bit, but really it's not a big struggle like with other cats, you shouldn't have to wear oven mitts ;-) - shampoo, then rinse very well. Then wrap him up in a towel, dry him as much as you can and set him down in the hottest spot in the house so he doesn't catch a cold and let him do the rest. And then brush him again when he's done, I think, if you can...

Also, instead of pulling on the knots to untangle them, I have my trusty pair of scisors to cut out the knots before they become unmanageable. It does lead to some pretty funny situations because as soon as she sees the scisors she runs, so I have to be sneaky. Which tells me that even with scisors it does hurt her a bit. So I can imagine how it must be with the brush...
Also, even though he protests, I would try to get him used to be brushed when he's not tangled (if not already done of course) to make friends with the brush, and give him a brushing every day if you don't already do that - at first he might not like it but he'll soon find it's not at all that unpleasant if there are no knots...

there - that's my two cents - but there are people much more experienced than me here who may have something to add or correct? :-)

hey and do put some pics of your furry here :-) what's his name?

^ That describes the way I bathe and groom mine as well! When we first brought Sterling home, she had a lot of knots and haaaaated being brushed. I think she associated the brush with the pain of having the knots brushed out. I cut knots out as soon as they form now, and with a daily brushing it keeps them to a minimum anyway. We were just away for three weeks, the longest Oliver had gone without being brushed. When we came back he had HUGE matted balls of fur under each of his front legs. Sterling's happy to be brushed now, although getting to the stomach is a bit tricky with both of my cats. Daily brushing helps to bond with them, too.

oh yeah I don't do the stomach - that's dangerous territory - you can go there with the hand but noooo brush.... :-D

If there are already bad matts/knots bathing will make them go tighter,sometimes powder will help ease them out,if the cat will keep still enough to let you cut them out then bit by bit do that if not I would say the best way forward this time is to have him shaved again & then straight away start to gently brush/comb the area so he gets used to it & hopefully you will be able to stay on top of the problem,as the coat starts to grow if it is very curly again a light powdering will help straighten it out...... although it might sound cruel but we have to do it with our daughters cat,muzzle them, Ozzy goes from a raging lion that will have you to a subdued mild cat,a lot safer than frequent anaesthetics,the muzzle actually covers their eyes which in itself is calming & after he is finished he obviously gets lots of treats & he is such a proud boy,all the other times he is an angel & when he used to have show baths you could do what you like,can you make sense of that, but inbetween shows even then we had to resort to the muzzle......xxxx

I brush my guy before he has his favorite treat or after he's been outside. He hates every minute of it, but knows it is coming as he will lay down on the floor waiting for me to brush him. It has become routine for him and cats love routines.

We don't show Whiskey so if his mats become too tangled, I just cut them out with scissors or an electric shaver. Of course he hates it but will put up with it to get a treat afterward.

Sidney was a complete non-matter until about a month ago. A tiny mat appeared in his armpit (legpit?) which I got out with the FURMINATOR (sorry, but it does need capitals!). The next day another one had appeared and before I could completely remove it I had to clear up the bloodbath, then Sid escaped. I read on the web that getting mats wet was a BAD idea, but Sidney is very independent and wouldn't listen to me.

So, for three days we battled. I stripped out chunks of mat, he licked them back with a vengeance.

On the fourth day, I looked up cat groomers. £70 for a full de-mat.

On the fifth day, I rang the vet. I signed the paperwork to have the little fur-ball sedated - he was wearing a breastplate of solid mat from chest to groin - and the vet and his nurse got out the clippers. Within 10 minutes the job was done - no sedation, he just let them clip it all off. £27. From the top and side he looks unchanged, but when he rolls on his back he looks like a raw pork sausage! Even better, he has polka-dots where his fur is speckled!

It is starting to mat again around the edges, so rather than have a completely bald cat (which h as not yet been completely ruled out) it's FURMINATOR time again. I hope that if we can get rid of the undercoat and talc him up, then the problem is over.

(We think the trigger was the daily baths he had for a month due to covering himself with ear-mite ear drops - I have not yet found a conditioning shampoo or cats which can do the job.)

Quick question - my own hair is pretty fine and mats easily and I keep on top of it with Moroccan Oil. Anyone know if its safe for cats? I don't lick my own hair, so I'm not sure if it's edible!

I have the FURMINATOR and the FURMINATOR detangling spray. This makes it slightly easier, but not enough of a difference.
Recently me and the OH decided that Nemo needed a fresh start as the matts he came with have been stubborn to budge and after his last bath he decided he wasn't going to let us finish drying his back end and his flanks feel terrible.
So the bright idea to clip him came into mind, now I have a half clipped cat with a very fluffy bottom.
I have booked him in for the groomers.

I know nothing about Moroccan oil. Sorry Weasel