I personally am not a big fan of shaving cats in general unless it's an extreme situation (I know a longhaired cat who had gone all his life without grooming and was so severely matted the only way to get them off was to shave him, for example, and he's now being socialized to grooming while his coat is growing back out to prevent it from happening again) but I think in your cat's case a trim would be helpful. I have a half-Ragdoll girl who has that fluffy coat and while she's never gotten professional grooming I've given her trims here and there, because she does the same thing your boy seems to be doing with the neck ruff. Trimming hers down a little bit seems to have stopped it. I would suggest keeping him trimmed down to a manageable length and work on socializing him to brushing if he needs it to help keep up with the mats better. I just hate to see a gorgeous long coat get shaved when there's other ways of keeping it taken care of. A trim is cheaper and easier to get done, too, and if you give him some practice at home (trim little bits here and there, just a tiny bit off the end so it doesn't scare him or make him look patchy, and give him tons of treats and loves for letting you) he'll learn to sit nicely for a full trim at the groomer's and make it way easier for everyone.
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Should I have my long haired cat shaved?
- Thread starter charlies mom
- Start Date
Charlie's Mom,
I have two Ragdolls that I have to keep shaved. They are half-brother and sister. When they were about four years old Simba started licking and just wouldn't stop. He was getting cortisone shots, which I know is bad, but I didn't know what to do. At six or seven years old he stopped eating and wouldn't move. Another trip to the vet, who said to 'give him another 24 hours,' which turned into giving him 96 hours. By that time I was scared to death and took him to a town which was larger and had more equipment. On a hunch, the vet said as I was getting ready to leave with no results said, "Let's x-ray him to see if that shows anything." Well, it did. His stomach was so full of fur that it was packed and starting down his intestine. The only way to get it out was surgery and I was petrified. His incision was from his chest all the way down, as she wanted to check his liver. Simba pulled through with flying colors. The local vets said to give him Laxatone and Lactulose daily, but that did nothing. About a year later, it happened again and I knew right away what it was. I had been watching him like a hawk, but I guess I went to sleep. The second time the vet didn't want to make an incision into his stomach because he was getting older and she said something else about scar tissue in the stomach. I took him back to the larger town and they were able to get it out with an endoscope. Never again will I put him through that. As badly as I hated to, I had both of them shaved. I just cried and cried when I saw all that beautiful fur gone, but hey, I love my cats so much more than their fur; they are my life. I haven't had any more trouble, rather they haven't, but they still lick. I think it's a grooming "addiction."They are twelve years old and going strong. So if you suspect a hairball, please have him x-rayed. You're cat is so beautiful. Mine are mitted seal points. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. Hairball food does not work. I know exactly how you feel, but my Simba wouldn't have made it more than another day or two. He has never eaten like he did before the surgery and I worry about him constantly. Just don't wait until it's too late. His love for you and yours for him won't change a bit! Good luck!
I have two Ragdolls that I have to keep shaved. They are half-brother and sister. When they were about four years old Simba started licking and just wouldn't stop. He was getting cortisone shots, which I know is bad, but I didn't know what to do. At six or seven years old he stopped eating and wouldn't move. Another trip to the vet, who said to 'give him another 24 hours,' which turned into giving him 96 hours. By that time I was scared to death and took him to a town which was larger and had more equipment. On a hunch, the vet said as I was getting ready to leave with no results said, "Let's x-ray him to see if that shows anything." Well, it did. His stomach was so full of fur that it was packed and starting down his intestine. The only way to get it out was surgery and I was petrified. His incision was from his chest all the way down, as she wanted to check his liver. Simba pulled through with flying colors. The local vets said to give him Laxatone and Lactulose daily, but that did nothing. About a year later, it happened again and I knew right away what it was. I had been watching him like a hawk, but I guess I went to sleep. The second time the vet didn't want to make an incision into his stomach because he was getting older and she said something else about scar tissue in the stomach. I took him back to the larger town and they were able to get it out with an endoscope. Never again will I put him through that. As badly as I hated to, I had both of them shaved. I just cried and cried when I saw all that beautiful fur gone, but hey, I love my cats so much more than their fur; they are my life. I haven't had any more trouble, rather they haven't, but they still lick. I think it's a grooming "addiction."They are twelve years old and going strong. So if you suspect a hairball, please have him x-rayed. You're cat is so beautiful. Mine are mitted seal points. Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. Hairball food does not work. I know exactly how you feel, but my Simba wouldn't have made it more than another day or two. He has never eaten like he did before the surgery and I worry about him constantly. Just don't wait until it's too late. His love for you and yours for him won't change a bit! Good luck!
A sanitary trim is a good idea. Even if you decide to have the cat shaved all over it doesn't need to be right down to the skin. Forest gets a 2 mm buzz cut, which means the mats are gone but he's not totally bald.
The debate is actually between what's best for the cat and what's best for Alpha Kitty - she's been breaking out in hives due to the dander from our new long haired friend.
My cat, Simba, is the one I wrote about his hairball surgery. I just wanted to add that neither one of my Ragdolls have ever had a mat, and their fur is super long, too. They either had allergies or are just over groomers. I have to get them shaved short because that's all they will do--but NOT HIS TAIL. And also, every other month. Minka, his sister has to be sedated!
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- #26
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Thank you everyone for your replies. It really saddens me that I have to shave him because his fur is so beautiful. But at this point brushing out the matts ar very painful for him. I still brush him everyday and I will do better to get into a grooming routine with him.
I'll post one more picture of his fluffiness and then an after picture of his haircut.
I'll post one more picture of his fluffiness and then an after picture of his haircut.
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You can just cut out individual mats instead of brushing them if you really don't want to shave. Very quick and painless (easier than a trip to the groomers for us
What an adorable pic of an adorable boy!
Because of having some much going on now I am shaving down most of my Persian. I hate doing it but having a couple that I keep shaved down, I know the coat will grow back quickly. Those 2 girls I keep shaved down are dangerous to groom (which is why I never placed them in a pet home), so shaving is best.
I don't know much about your cats breed but in Persians the undercoat is so thick you can not use a brush or the coat will actually mat to the point of being felted. Have you tried using a greyhound comb instead? Once he is mat free think about using a comb, it may keep the problem from happening again.
I don't know much about your cats breed but in Persians the undercoat is so thick you can not use a brush or the coat will actually mat to the point of being felted. Have you tried using a greyhound comb instead? Once he is mat free think about using a comb, it may keep the problem from happening again.
