help

My long haired cat has some pretty good mats and I can't afford to take her to the groomers until next month, I would like to try to get some of them out but she won't stay still long enough, is there a safe way to hold her to do it? Also is it easier to do it if I bathe her first?

Originally Posted by KariCassie

My long haired cat has some pretty good mats and I can't afford to take her to the groomers until next month, I would like to try to get some of them out but she won't stay still long enough, is there a safe way to hold her to do it? Also is it easier to do it if I bathe her first?

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Are you using a brush or a comb? I must say, the best thing to do is to comb your longhair everyday properly and you will never have mats. A longhaired cat is a high maintenance cat and not for everyone. I spend a lot of time combing my Persian every day and he has never had a mat. Where are the mats located? If they are on her underside, I hold my cat in an upright position and sort of hold him tight right under his arms so he cannot get away, and comb him in that position because he will not be still when laying on his back. I honestly believe you would not have a matting problem if you would spend more time combing him. Here is a picture I have shown many time of the comb that I use and all the longhaired specialists on this site agree this is what you should be using.

Do you have any one that the cat trusts that can help you hold her? If the mats are bad enough that they can't be combed out they'll need to be trimmed. You need to make sure she can't move around at all, you would not want accidentally cut her.
You'll need to get your fingers in there and find out where fur ends and skin begins, then start by cutting through the mat itself with a pair of scissors. Start near the end of the mat or in the middle, not near the cat's skin. Be very careful not to cut your cat's skin! Trim as much of it off as you feel safe doing then try combing/picking out the rest. Try your best not to pull fur, it's difficult but if you can be gentle your cat may not get as upset.
In the future, brush the cat daily as was suggested. Mats do hurt the cat, they pull fur. Do not let her fur get like that again.

2 years ago a neighbor's long haired cat came for a few visits when I noticed it was horribly matted, with stickers in the mats. I was able to remove her mats by trimming them out. Her coat was a mess after but at least the poor thing could lay down.

I never recommend trying to clip out mats yourself. It's too easy to snip that thin layer of skin on top and introduce infection etc. If the mats are really bad and tight to the skin, then the kitty needs to be shaved by a professional. ARound here it is usually around $40. Don't bathe a cat with mats. It will make them worse! After the cat is shaved you'll need to buy a comb similar to the one posted by Persi above. And work on the cat a little bit every day to every other day. Brushing does very little for keeping a cat mat free. The only thing a brush is good for (pretty much) is fluffing up the fur.