Cat Care – Matted Cat Fur

The two boys pictured above have the same fur. Matted cat fur is common with both of them. Tenzin the orange and white boy knots quickly and requires brushing every day. Not to long ago Tenzin would not sit for brushing, however lately he even sits for grooming. The areas that are hard to groom are under his legs and around his bum. The knots got so bad that we had to take him to the groomer for a clipping. He spent 50 minutes under the clippers and was a really patient boy. The secret to grooming this cat is being consistent and working on knots as soon as you find them. A person needs a double sided brush. This brush has steel bristles on one side and hair brush style bristles on the other. Another useful tool is the matt removal comb. This comb has long steel sharp knives to help you cut through the mat. I will have examples on my Product page.  If your cat is patient with you and sits this job will fairly easy. If you find you are pulling so hard causing kitty to run away you might have to start with scissors first. Be careful not to cut the skin. The key to keeping this job fun is to do it every day and make it a play time. Be sure to brush under the legs and at the bum. We have decided that even thought Tenzin is a domestic long hair, we are going to take him to the groomer regularly he keep him more of a medium hair length cat.

When Ariel needed a doctor visit it was found that he was so thick with fur at the bum we could not take his temperature. I took Ariel to the groomer and we used clippers to trim his bum area and some knot removal. Two points here. When a cat has to push a bowel movement through to much hair it can cause a straining problem. Secondly if your kitty gets diarrhea that hair will get soaked and will be hard to clean. If your cat doesn’t like baths this can be a problem. When the groomer clips the under tail area you should be able to see the anus.

With the tool examples on the Product page simple knot removal is quite easy. Knotted fur that is tight to the skin is very hard to do with brushes and combs. This problem  requires electric clippers. This can be done at home if your cat will cooperate. The sound and vibration will make some cats nervous. When I go to my excellent groomer Alannah, she puts a hood on Tenzin and this keeps him calm. We trim his nails and clean his ears, then clip his knots. I have to help by holding him so we can get at the hard to reach areas. Same for Ariel. When using clippers be sure not to burn the skin or cut off nipples. Go slow and get help if necessary. I think the best thing to do if there are clippers required is to go to a groomer.

In closing brushing your cat is necessary. They will learn to love the attention. Keeping your cat mat free will make him more comfortable and reduce hair ball issues. Watching a kitty wretch out a hair ball is not nice to watch. Tenzin even cried once during his hair ball vomit. Hair balls look like cylindrical plugs with a pool of fluid around it. Short hair cats can get hair balls also. The brushing will reduce shedding and hair ingestion.

That’s my story for today. If you have any questions please leave a comment at the bottom. Now go hug a kitty and do something green for the environment.

Trevor

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