Grooming a "Tub-O-Lard"?

white cat lover

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Here's one for ya.....

Bea's like 15 ish lbs. Not so hot on the whole "groom myself" thing. Likes to groom me, though!
She does groom her "mane" & tail, but not really anywhere else.

Her coat was greasy/dandruff....so I gave her a bath. Wrong shampoo, so she got another bath a week later in Dawn. I then cornstarched her to try to remove the grease still in her coat, to no avail.

She's got dandruff, dry skin. High quality dry, & wet 1x a day. She's also getting (I think salmon) oil 1x a day.

Been combing her 1x a day with a finer toothed steel comb.....today I discover she's got mats!!! So, I try to work them out by combing at them.....the end result was her chomping on me! (I don't blame her)

On to her bum. I gave her a clip, she's still got clingons. She's got urine burns from her hair so long "back there". I haven't got a way to shave her myself. Just my trusty scissors.


Ideas?

I'm trying to avoid a full-on shave.....but it's not working. I'm contemplating taking her to the vet & having them shave her. Without sedating her, no more of that for awhile....she was just under 3 weeks ago for her re-declaw.
 

mzjazz2u

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For the greasy coat, get some Goop handcleaner and rub her down good with that before bathing her. Some say to leave it on 5 minutes... but I never did with Jake and it worked really well with him. (I got this tip from a couple of breeder friends years back.) Rinse the Goop off then shampoo with Dawn, rinse and then you can use a regular conditioning shampoo if you want. Rinse with White vinegar mixed with water. Jake was extremely greasy and he'd stay pretty much grease free for 4-8 weeks when I used this method.

As far as her bottom goes, next time you take her to the vet, ask them to shave a tiny bit around her butt. Mine does it for free and it's easier for them to do it since they have extra hands to help.

For the mats, try gently pulling them apart with your fingers first. Put one finger down on her skin so it doesn't pull up when you're trying to seperate. Once you've loosened the mat up, you should be able to comb it right out without it pulling. It's tedious but can be done!
 
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white cat lover

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Her mats are made of cement, I swear! I tried loosening them with my fingers, then I tried gently with a comb, I'm getting nowhere but on her nasty list.....poor girl. I comb her every other day, I can't belive she's matting up so fast!!!
 
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I've got an electric shaver thingy.....I'm gonna try to shave her bum myself.
This should be pretty when I'm done! Will try in the next couple of days....gotta learn how to run the darn thing first!
 

starryeyedtiger

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Can you take her to a groomer Natalie- she likely needs a complete shave down if she's matting soo badly. Get her a little lion cut and then start from scratch so to speak- keep her coat clean, brush her out daily/etc (you put some Aveeno oatmeal lotion and mix it in with conditioner- put it on her after you bathe her and let it sit a few mintues then rinse it off- it'll help with the dandruff.) What are you bathing her in- try Malasab -it's better than Dawn on the dandruff.

Definitely get a proper sanitary shave on her bottom even if you don't go for a full out clip down all over. You need to take her to a groomer because they have the right size blades for her fur- scissors aren't going to be enough at home.
I even took my Jasmine in today for a sanitary shave at the vets office because i didn't have the right blade size to trim her down here at my house- if you cut the fur and don't have the right blade you risk razor burn or knicking her.
 
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I shaved her behind myself. There isn't a groomer around here I trust to do a kitty, or even one that will do a kitty.

It's not like big mats, more like tiny little dreds.
I combed some out this morning....will work on getting the rest done.
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

It's not like big mats, more like tiny little dreds.
I combed some out this morning....will work on getting the rest done.
Butt dreds?
 
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For lack of a better word, yes!
They aren't mats like I've seen on a kitty before, but like tiny little dreds you see on people!
 

xocats

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

For lack of a better word, yes!
They aren't mats like I've seen on a kitty before, but like tiny little dreds you see on people!
Butt dreads could become a fashion statement.
 
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Originally Posted by xocats

Butt dreads could become a fashion statement.
Bea.....this girl's gotta pave a path of her own!


She just can't do things like a "normal" kitty!
 

korina

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Shaving a well "trained" cat without sedation should not be hard.
I say if you can bathe them you can shave them.

Not every clipper works for every cat, My cat has very fine hair (she is a mink bengal) and therefore the heavy salon style razors dont work. I have to use a cheapy old norelco that has much smaller blades.

If you have money, look for the 3M surgical razors (same the vet uses).

From your description I think your cat needs a shave, and if he is a lazy fatty try switching to low carb foods like EVO, Orijen, Merick wet etc....

If anyone wants advice on shaving PM me or reply, its too much info for me to type out.
 

jaws808

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My parents had a Maine Coon named Dexter who always had problems with clumping and matting. No matter what they did with his diet (following vets advice) or grooming, that's how it was. So he was continually shaved. They bought a special electric cat razor to use, and learned a method for doing it themselves after their groomer refused to do him anymore. Apparently a large P.O.'ed 20lb maine coon with all his claws wasn't fun to try to groom. Imagine that
I do know you will need a special animal clippers, the normal variety meant for beards and hair just can't deal with cat fur, at least not my cats fur.
 
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I used a pet clippers. Just whatever blade was on there. For now I'm hoping to keep her combed out.....even though I want to shave her just so I don't have to deal with the hair.
(I don't have LHs for a reason!)
 
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