Hope this helps~
Introduction
Grooming your cat regularly with a brush or comb will reduce the occurrence of mats in the fur. Unfortunately, many cats wind up with matted fur because they hate to be groomed. Here's how to deal with the problem, which occurs most often in longhairs.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Steps
1Step OneAttempt to remove the fur mat after the cat has eaten. Cats tend to be more relaxed after meals.
2Step TwoAdopt a calm and soothing demeanor as you approach the cat. Have your manicure scissors hidden in your pocket as you pet the cat.
3Step ThreeOnce the cat is relaxed, try to work out the fur mat with your fingers. Pull out the scissors if that doesn't work.
4Step FourSnip down the middle of the fur mat, far from the skin. It's quite easy to snip the skin accidentally on longhaired cats, so work carefully.
5Step FiveSlowly work apart the fur mat with your fingers. Snip away a little more if necessary. Reassure the cat in a soothing voice as you snip. If she becomes upset, stop and come back to the task later.
6Step SixOnce you've worked apart the fur mat and it's clearly away from the skin, cut it off.
7Step SevenReward the cat's cooperation with a kitty treat.
8Step EightIf the cat has several fur mats, remove them at separate times. The cat will quickly lose her patience after you remove the first fur mat. Build trust with a gentle approach and kitty treats to make future encounters easier.
9Step NineBring the cat to a professional groomer if the cat is unapproachable, if the fur mat is in a delicate area or if the mats are extremely tangled.
10Step TenPurchase a hair-ball treatment at a pet store to help your cat eliminate a troublesome hair ball. Or feed the cat butter or a can of oily sardines.
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A clump of matted hair may be covering some type of skin lesion underneath. If you are unable to remove the hair without success, you may need to take your cat to the veterinarian. Your veterinarian may be able to clip away the matted hair and determine if there is any problem with the skin underneath or it is just a tightly constricted hair mat.
It is usually not a problem to groom a cat and cut her hair if she will allow it. However, some cats will not be still for the procedure and may become cut by the scissors. The safest way to decrease the amount of hair is by a professional grooming where proper equipment is available. The groomer can just brush and remove the undercoat or shave off some hair depending on what is needed.
Once a cat becomes very matted the skin is usually irritated and grooming may be painful. At this point in time it might be best to shave off the hair at spots where it is very matted. Once the mats are gone it would be best to get him used to daily short grooming sessions to prevent matting in the future. Use food treats to reward him for good behavior and keep the sessions very short-1-2 strokes. Over time build up to a longer session. As he learns to enjoy them he will sit for longer periods of time.
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Get yourself one of those shavers, the ones with teeth that give you different depths of the shave,
that or take him to one of those professional sheep-shearing people.
Our vet pulled the mats off, our cat seemed more nervous and upset than in pain and mostly he was OK with it.
The vet said it's bad for his skin to leave them and I think the hair underneath is healthy so I don't know that it's necessary to shave the cat.
He told us to comb him with a fine comb(relatively short haired cat - I don't know how it would work with a long hair) which worked until I got behind for a few weeks (we had a baby), now he's got a few more which are too thick to comb. I'm hoping I can pull them off when they come to the surface, otherwise we'll ask the vet to do it again next time he has to go.
I use a brush that is designed for matted cat hair. It has fine wires instead of bristles, very flexible, with a little bend in the wires at the end (maybe about 1/8';). I may not get it all in one sitting. I brush my cat while he's eating, so he's not likely to run away.
We have a long hair cat -- he came from the pound, but he looks rather Maine Coonish -- and for the first ten years or so he never had mats. When he started getting them, it wasn't too big a deal to brush him every day, since he loves being brushed. But it turns out he was getting the mats because his teeth were bothering him.
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There is alot more info on this site...
Hope something here or one of the links might help~Even though i brush my cats fur frequently they seem to be getting more matted hair ,is there a reason?
It seems like their hair is matting more now because it IS matting more.
It's because the cold weather is leaving and they are shedding more hair to be comfortable in the upcoming warm months. You could consider taking them to a groomer to get all the mats out, then doing the upkeep of brushing them daily. Or simply take the time and patience to get the mats out yourself.
I have a maine coon cat and I have to brush him everyday....the hair is just so thick. Yes i really feel it hurts them as they try to lie down and cannot get comfortable.
Try a comb after you brush.......good luck.
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