I am so saddened

abymummy

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By the lack of care some have on their cats...

Today I was sent a couple of longhairs for grooming. One is a flat faced tortie, the other a silver. Both had THE WORST matting I had ever seen in my life! Now, I don't believe in Lion cuts unless merited and I don't do lion cuts myself. In so far as humanly possible, I try to give the cat some semblance of coat. The tortie took five hours to cut the mats out. She has most probably less than 0.5 cm of coat left.

Tomorrow, the silver goes to the vet for a lion cut. I can't help him
He needs to go under GA to get clipped. It's probably because his matting is so severe his temperament is bad.

Please, if you cannot groom your LH cats at least 3x weekly, don't own a longhair cat. Today was the first time I actually cried when a cat came to me for grooming. Staining I will accept but for matting like that, it just means the owner doesn't care. If at all, at least send the cat for a clip down every 3 months or so....
 

sillyitiliangrl

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I agree, just 3 days of me being too sick to groom and I had 3 matts to detangle between my two boys. Long hairs are a bit more work but once I found brushes/combs that each of the cats actually like its turned into real bonding/cuddling time
and they look forward to it (it took some time!)
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by Abymummy

By the lack of care some have on their cats...

Today I was sent a couple of longhairs for grooming. One is a flat faced tortie, the other a silver. Both had THE WORST matting I had ever seen in my life! Now, I don't believe in Lion cuts unless merited and I don't do lion cuts myself. In so far as humanly possible, I try to give the cat some semblance of coat. The tortie took five hours to cut the mats out. She has most probably less than 0.5 cm of coat left.

Tomorrow, the silver goes to the vet for a lion cut. I can't help him
He needs to go under GA to get clipped. It's probably because his matting is so severe his temperament is bad.

Please, if you cannot groom your LH cats at least 3x weekly, don't own a longhair cat. Today was the first time I actually cried when a cat came to me for grooming. Staining I will accept but for matting like that, it just means the owner doesn't care. If at all, at least send the cat for a clip down every 3 months or so....
DW bought a new vacuum cleaner yesterday. And of course owning a Persian cat and having a Persian wife, we have Persian carpets. I never miss a day of grooming Persi. NEVER. And I comb him very vigorously every day. I get at least one handful, sometimes two handfuls of fur every day. I thought I was doing a supreme job. Until yesterday when DW used the new vacuum on the carpets. The vacuum bag got completely filled up with fur. It was unbelievable. Since Persi and I do not mind it, I might just start combing him twice a day. (Click on the left picture above to see how much hair he has.)
 

kelicat

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*Sob* Oh, poor dears
Some people don't take into account what they are getting into by chosing an animal like that...
 

katiemae1277

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

Those poor kitties.
I have short haired cats because I didn't want the work that comes with long haired cats.
That's so awful
 

epona

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Poor kitties, I can't imagine how painful that must be


This is why I will only ever have shorthaired cats. I know that most of the time I just do not have the energy to groom thoroughly enough, and that my arthritis is likely to get worse rather than better which may mean that at some point I would find it painful to do it anyway! I love some longhaired cats, but I would never get a pet that I couldn't care for properly.

The most my boys ever need is a good stroking
 

goldenkitty45

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I SOOOO agree with you. DH's aunt owned a persian - it was a SIN how she kept that cat - I don't believe she every groomed it or tried to comb it. The poor cat (thankfully its at Rainbow Bridge now) was so terribly matted all over that it could not even walk correctly. The mats had tighten up and pulled the skin on the belly so it could not walk.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I SOOOO agree with you. DH's aunt owned a persian - it was a SIN how she kept that cat - I don't believe she every groomed it or tried to comb it. The poor cat (thankfully its at Rainbow Bridge now) was so terribly matted all over that it could not even walk correctly. The mats had tighten up and pulled the skin on the belly so it could not walk.
I wanted to get a Siamese but DW was set on a Persian. I told her how much work it would be and she retorted "What else do you have to do?"
 

weldrwomn

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Longhair cats are sooo pretty when properly kept up. My aunt had a Himalayan for about 18yrs and he was the most handsome cat ever. When he got old, he had to have his hair cut short, but his hair was always so silky.

It is so frusterating and sad when people have a cat or dog that they don't take the responsibility for keeping it healthy and properly groomed
 

duchess15

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Owning long hair cats is a constant job. The other two Persians we have are not so bad, but Tedi, who will be 16, bless his heart, has the longest of all. I can't keep up with him he mats up so easily and so fast. The mats are underneath the top layer which makes it even harder to get out.

He has mellowed out a lot over the years, but it is to the point where he can't groom himself along with me keeping up. I got him a lion cut last year to see how it would go. I actually think it made him feel better to have that dead weight off.

With him having a heart murmur, he will have to be put under to be shaved. He will freak out and I do not want to cause him unnecessary stress. I'm still working on getting the one out right under his ear. How on earth do they manage to get one there???


Aby- I can only imagine what you see on a daily basis.
 

white cat lover

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I have such a hard time with Bea....I haven't the foggiest idea how to groom a LH....and she's such a pain to try to make look nice! I won't ever have a LH of my own.....those poor kitties.
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by littleraven7726

Those poor kitties.
My Mom has long haired cats, but they get groomed regularly so no mats. I have short haired cats because I didn't want the work that comes with long haired cats.
i think they're beautiful, but i'm content to admire them from afar...
 

yosemite

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Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

I SOOOO agree with you. DH's aunt owned a persian - it was a SIN how she kept that cat - I don't believe she every groomed it or tried to comb it. The poor cat (thankfully its at Rainbow Bridge now) was so terribly matted all over that it could not even walk correctly. The mats had tighten up and pulled the skin on the belly so it could not walk.
That's the condition the poor little stray was that I found last spring. He came up onto our porch for food and even let me cut a couple mats out. When I took him in to the humane society they had to have him shaved he was so bad. He even had burrs stuck around his bum. Hubby told me I shouldn't just take him that he might belong to someone. I told hubby that if he belonged to someone they didn't deserve to have him by allowing him to get in such poor condition.
 

arlyn

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My Spaz doesn't allow much grooming, so she does get the occasional mat, but I do go over her coat with my hands daily and any mat I find is quickly taken care of, before it gets bad.

But, she isn't a persian and she does have a fairly easy to care for coat.

I do comb her daily, for as long as she'll tolerate it.

I feel bad for any cat, or dog that gets in such bad condition.
 

twstychik

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Originally Posted by Abymummy

Please, if you cannot groom your LH cats at least 3x weekly, don't own a longhair cat. Today was the first time I actually cried when a cat came to me for grooming. Staining I will accept but for matting like that, it just means the owner doesn't care. If at all, at least send the cat for a clip down every 3 months or so....
I groom Wickett on average ever other week or so. Yes, he has long hair and no, it doesn't mat easily. I check him daily through petting for the beginning of mats and will comb him out. I guess I lucked out with him. Frankie on the other hand will get little dreads on her butt and hips (from being an old lazy cat I think) and hers I usually have to trim out because she hates being brushed there.
 

alleygirl

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My Alley was like Wickett. She never had one mat in her 9 years and didn't require much grooming. Riley, however, seems to develop mats every time he turns around
He HATES grooming, but gets combed and brushed every day no matter how much it hurts (me) lol.
 

pookie-poo

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It's odd....all three of mine are DLH, but Maggie has never had a mat, and rarely will tolerate being combed or brushed for more than a minute or so. Lola has the longest fur, and gets a huge ruff around her neck for the winter. She's just started shedding it, and I pull mats out of it daily (and I comb it daily, too!) Cleo is probably more DMH, but she sometimes gets tiny mats in her britches, but she loves being combed, so it really isn't a problem for her...she actually picks the comb up in her mouth and brings it to me!

Cleo playing with my hair comb!


I totally agree! If you can't be bothered to groom your cat (which means to me that you don't have time to be bothered by your cat period!) you shouldn't have a long haired cat...probably shouldn't have a cat at all. I consider combing my girls an important part of our daily interaction and bonding. They really love the personal attention, and I find it soothing also!
 

bob'smom

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My boys are Maine Coon mixes. Bob almost never gets mats and hates grooming anyway. Bickford gets them all the time (he has such dense fur) so he gets groomed at least 3x per week. He tolerates it for a while but always hates the site of me with the combs (Furminator, Shed Ender, slicker brush and Zoom Groom). Funny thing is I can somewhat groom Bob when I'm finished with Bickford because he's jealous of all that attention not coming his way.
 
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