What am I doing wrong? (matts)

I shaved a few cats for same reason. 2 came at 6 months old are were quite afraid of life let alone a comb(one got over his fear the other never did and ended up euthed do to broken back) and also a younger cat who came with the house.

What comb are you using? and are you going all the way to the skin? I found a comb from dollar store that was wider then flea comb but still spaced on the tight side and seems to help Max. I was forced to shave all hair off and start fresh and good thing was hes getting used to comb without any tugging shaved him in Feb or march this year and hes still pretty bald(think newborn babies head)

Your kitty probably has some Persian in him somewhere. Dash is the same way. I can just look at her and she matts up. I use a seam ripper to get rid of the worse of the matts then shave her in the summer.

My Chester can gets mats on his back end in the same area sometimes. He doesn't like to be brushed and he is also a chubby monkey so it is harder for him to groom those areas. I have found a rake that works really well at getting the mats loose. But they have to sit still and be tolerant of a little pulling. I sometimes will work on it in stages. It works best getting under the mat and working up. I found it online, which is how I had to get mine years ago. We had them at the vet I worked at so I had to get one for myself.

It also works well to get out his seasonal fluff.

Good luck!

http://www.matvet.com/vc/VWvisuelfic...0053C5B7&GR=EN

we dont have that problem with flash, but tbh she is medium to long hair we use one of these

http://www.pet-supermarket.co.uk/pro...sh_CN15033.htm

and she has never matted up, she loves it works on Sooty to but he isnt fond of it

Griffin's hair is like that all over, thick and cottony and mats like crazy. He is clipped in a lion cut now, but before that it took lots of combing to keep the mats at bay. I would look for a comb with closer spaced teeth. I know I could never get a flea comb through Griffin's hair, but after a lot of shopping around I found a comb with teeth that were spaced pretty close together but not as close as a flea comb. If he has particular problem areas, I would keep a comb like that handy wherever you spend a lot of time in your house, and try to take a few minutes to comb through those problem areas several times a day.

If it is really unmanageable for you, you might want to consider trimming those problem areas so the mats aren't such a problem. I know Griffin LOVES his lion cut, but even before that I took my boys to the groomer to have their tummies and groin shaved because it cut the work of combing in half. If you are not comfortable with the groomer in your area, you might consider trimming the hair yourself. (I don't think I'd be comfortable shaving my cats myself, but I have used scissors to just trim up the hair on their hind ends. If you try this, have a helper to hold the cat and BE CAREFUL!!!! I have used a pair of bandage scissors that have a rounded blunt tip for extra safety.)

I use a regular plastic "human" comb. The type that has a set of wide teeth on one end and fine on the other. It's about 7 1/2" long and 1 1/2" wide. I keep a pair of small sharp scissors handy, you can find them at Walmart for 4- 5 bucks.

I try to avoid any pulling as much as possible. Here's what I do. When I hit a knot, I hold the knot firmly at the base. Depending on how close it is to the skin I can either clip it off safely or I cut into it.

Keep in mind that when I'm cutting into a knot, the only skin that the scissors come into contact with, if any, is my fingers. Your fingers have to the be the barrier between your cats skin and the scissors.

When I have to cut into the knot, I clip as close to my fingers as possible. Then I pry/pull the knot apart. Again if the knot is not too close to the skin then I trim off the parts of the knot I have pulled apart. If that is not possible, I use the wide teeth of the comb and while still holding the knot at the base, comb out as much as I can.


If the knot is very small but very close to the skin, I try to pry it apart with my fingers before attempting to run the comb through and by holding the knot at the base while combing out the knot, it allows me to tug harder on the knot without pulling on the skin.

I strongly recommend doing this when the cat is relaxed and amenable. Often, I have to do it in stages over a period of several days to a couple of weeks. (Samson does not like to be brushed) At least he is more accepting of it now and I always give him a treat after each session.


With Chestnut you may want to consider following up with the furminator after you have given him his initial combing/"de-knotting". The furminator will help to get rid of some of his excess hair and that should help reducing down the number of knots he gets. However, when using this tool, you have to be very cautious. Don't go over and over the same spot as the skin could become irritated and sensitive. You also have to be careful with the amount of pressure you use as well, especially in the haunches.

I wouldn't go back to that groomer, unless he was only joking. You could go and watch him work on other cats to see how he is with them, if that is a possibility, but if he doesn't want you watching him, I would hesitate going back to him.

Hopes this helps.