Matted Fur on elderly cat

Dear cat lovers!

My friend has had a lovely stray for about fifteen years. 'Little Bear' has very silky, fine fur. When he first arrived as a stray (15 yrs. ago), it took me a couple of weeks clipping away with a pair of manicure scissors to finally get him free of mats. He must have been outside for a long time.

When I went to visit my friend for the first time in quite awhile, I noticed that 'Little Bear' is in a mess again. His tail is very matted and so is his chest. I have been clipping away any loose fur, but am afraid of nicking him as now he's older, his skin is looser.

My question is, short of taking him to the vet to be shaved which would be traumatic to this old kitty, is there anything at all I can use to make getting rid of the mats easier. Olive oil or something else soothing? Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

"Little Bear' and I thank you most kindly!

Christine

A friend of mine was in the same dillemma and she had the groomer shave her,she just couldn't get at it herself and her kitty is 16,she looked awful at first but then we kind of got a kik out of it{you had to see the humor or cry},I started calling her cat The Queen of mean with the looks she gave everyone,i might even have a pic of her somwhere when she first fot done.
I hope you can get some better and other suggestions Christine.

You can split the mats by hand. It is time consuming, but effective once you get the knack.

Start at the top (furthest from the skin) of the mat and just pull it apart gently with your fingers. As you work your way down into the mat you will become aware of why mats are so painful for kitties, you will be amazed how much of his skin is twisted and pulled out of shape.

Once you get the mat all pulled apart, gently comb the section out with a grooming tool such as the furminator. Little Bear may only tolerate one or two at a time, but it does get the job done.

If he is really covered with them, he may just have to be stressed out and brought to the groomer for a shave. Mats hurt. A lot. A half hour of stress he will forget once it's over and he is free of pain.

My girl Mattie has hair that mats very easily. In the summer months, I have to brush her vigorously every day. She was a stray and until I got her used to this I had to sometimes cut out the mats. Sometimes now, I work them out with my fingers. The best solution is frequent brushing. Since this stage has passed, the only solution may be to enlist the vet's help. Good luck.

I would suggest a well respected CAT groomer... What is the lovely lady eating?

Our senior cat won't let us brush him (I think it hurts his hindquarters), so once a year in early summer when he first begins to mat we take him to the groomers, and they bath him and use a conditioner on him that actually gets out the mats and prevents new ones from forming for almost the entire year. They don't even really have to work at combing out the mats, and have never had to shave him, even though the first time we took him in the mats were awful. Plus, he actually LOVES his bath and blowdry .

So, I completely agree with Sharky that a good groomer may be all that is needed.