Long hair hairball

Ok, I've had a long haired cat in the past and she did not have this problem. I recently was given a papered persian boy and he is a mess. His poor coat is matted beyond belief, not to mention the kittie crunchies on his butt. My question is what do I do about it? I bought a new brush just for him, but I can't get the mats out. Do I just cut them out? And what about the kittie crunchies? Do I trim his butt? Please help.

I'm sorry you and your poor kitty are in a mess! I think you may need to take him to a groomer and have him shaved. If the mats are that bad they will be close to the skin and you don't want to cut him. It's easy to do that when they're that bad since it's hard to tell where hair ends and skin starts. After you have him shaved, you can keep up with it by combing and brushing every day. It sounds like whoever had him before just neglected the poor baby.

I was going to suggest a lion cut. It'll be a huge relief for him, and then you can begin regular grooming as his coat grows back in.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

I was going to suggest a lion cut. It'll be a huge relief for him, and then you can begin regular grooming as his coat grows back in.

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Yeah... I'm not a fan of the lion cut but sometimes it is warranted!

Originally Posted by JusticeLynn

Ok, I've had a long haired cat in the past and she did not have this problem.

I recently was given a papered persian boy and he is a mess

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. His poor coat is matted beyond belief, not to mention the kittie crunchies on his butt. My question is what do I do about it? I bought a new brush just for him, but I can't get the mats out. Do I just cut them out? And what about the kittie crunchies? Do I trim his butt? Please help.

Click to expand...

I do not know what you mean by papered Persian. But if he is a mess, he was neglected in the past. Once you get him taken care of as suggested above, if you comb him vigorously every day, he will never have this problem again. This does require effort on your part and many people are dismayed when they find out how much care there is for Persians. Also, most Persians need to have their eyes cleaned out daily. As my cat books describe, a Persian is a high maintenance cat. I do not look at it as a chore but rather as a time to bond with my cat.