older short haired cats with recent matting

Hi. I feel terrible but I just noticed my older cat is getting some mild hair matting around her lower back area. They are small. Is there a gentle way to remove them as I tried brushing her and it seems to pain her a bit..maybe detangler or conditioner during a bath?

You can cut the mats out, but be sure to not get too close to her skin.  Personally, I would just work on them a little bit each day with a soft brush.