Shaving a Cat??? Help??

lmunsie

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Ok............. I have NO experience in this. I've pretty much only had short haired cats, but here is the story...........

A friend of mine sort of got abandonded by his parents when he was 16, with a huge house and yard to look after, that came with two cats. The cat's are not neglected by any means, however one of them is older (18) with long hair and has gotten QUITE matted. Everytime I go visit I spend some time cutting out her mats, but there are just too many and some really big ones. I want to take care of this for my friend and for the kitty!

How do you go about shaving a cat? Is this the only option? Do you have to get a groomer to do it? Do they have to be put under (i think this would be too much for her at her age) any tips or tricks??? She is pretty good about me tugging at them, she lets me do it for 15 minutes each time before getting too annoyed...... (i've been cutting them out using really dull scissors....just sharp enough to cut hair)
 

goldenkitty45

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If the cat is badly matted, its better to take to a groomer and have it done. Whether or not they will put them under depends on how bad the cat is.

After the cat is shaved, you can start a grooming routine of combing the new hair so that the mats don't occur. Cat's skin is fragile and trying to get out a mat and pulling on the fur/skin is not a wise thing to be doing.
 

tallulah

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I took my ragdoll to the vet earlier this year as she was matting on the chest and it was taking me agest to get them out, it took them a few minutes and the problem was solved, as for sedating it just depends on if the cat will sit still, my ragdoll was not sedated, she just sat and let them, good luck I hope you get sorted.
 

arlyn

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Spaz doesn't groom well these days and has never tolerated being combed or brushed, and though it looks awful, I simply shave just the matts off.

She doesn't care how she looks and I know she feels better with them gone.
 
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lmunsie

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Originally Posted by Arlyn

Spaz doesn't groom well these days and has never tolerated being combed or brushed, and though it looks awful, I simply shave just the matts off.

She doesn't care how she looks and I know she feels better with them gone.
do you shave her yourself?
 

arlyn

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yeah, she'll put up with it long enough for me to get two or three, then she needs a break if there's any more to get.
If the cat isn't used to it though, it's a two person job, someone will need to hold the cat.


ETA: If you look in fur pics I posted 2 vids of her (even 14 year olds are goofy), in the second vid you can see her badly shaven back
 

meowers

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Couldnt hurt to try shaving her yourself if she'll sit still long enough
just make sure you use the right kind of shears, call a groomer and maybe theyll give you some tips for free
 

pee-cleaner

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I strongly suggest using a groomer, since you don't really know how to go about the shaving (neither would I!) I think any money would be well spent and after all, you'd have to buy trimmers to shave kitty anyway if you did it yourself. I would imagine working around the back legs where they attach to the abdomen would be tricky and the cat could be easily cut. Plus the mess--OMG.

Good luck.
 

sakura

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I just paid a groomer to have Matilda shaved. It was $45, but that included a bath too.

Mattie has really long hair and we are staying in someone else's house for 2 months so I needed the hair to not be an issue. She hates being brushed and even with daily brushing, you still end up with hair everywhere. It was becoming a sore issue with my SO and me.
 
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