Dreadlocks-be-gone

I think I have some really incredible news! I need others to test this to find out if I just got lucky or it really works. Bottom line, here's how I got rid of my cats dreadlocks (very bad case):

Short answer "I left her with my brother".

My cat Spatz has had very badly matted hair on her back, yes I'd go as far as to say dreadlocks. I clipped them and did everything but take her to the groomers to have them removed. They didn't seem to bother her but they bothered me.

So, I went on vacation last week and had my brother take care of Spatz.
I get home and almost all of the mats are gone!!!

Spatz has been having hairball troubles so I've been giving her Petromalt. Now my brother is not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree and my instructions on feeding Spatz the Petromalt seem to have gotten lost in his brain somewhere. What he did instead was to massage the Petromalt into the mats!!! Now these were some big mats, but within a week the worst of them were gone!

I'm guessing the oil in the Petromalt helped loosen the hair and further work by Spatz got rid of the rest.

Both Spatz and I are happy now. Hope this helps others as well.

Hmmmm...

When Loomis was sick one of his oral meds was a really greasy liquid, and it usually ended up half dribbling down his chin. All his chin/throat hair fell out.

It came back really quickly but it always did puzzle me why the grease made the hair fall out.

Sounds like an interesting theory, but I definatley would NOT try that on my cat. I don't want to risk it. All cats are different, so anything could happen (ie. falling out hair).

Well I doubt hair falling out would be a problem as the instructions on Petromalt include putting it on their paws so they can lick it off. I think they'd get in a lot of trouble if there were a bunch of kitties running about with hairless paws.

BTW Petromalt is a hairball remedy. Comes in a toothpaste tube, you layout an inch and cats love the taste. It's mostly mineral oil with Malt flavoring.

http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=1294

No, hair falling out would not be caused by mineral oil. Now breaking up tangles ... sure.

Oh ok. I've never looked at Petromalt before. I've only given the Vasoline that was suggested to use. I'll have to try it out.

That is very interesting, Dreadlock. Sort of like a kitty version of No More Tangles. I think your brother may have been on to something!
Sounds like it worked out, and I don't see the harm in it as long as you never use more on the cat than you would as a regular toe-licking dose and you don't mind the greasy spots they'll leave behind.

Although, you should be trying your best to prevent the mats from forming, and cutting them out if necessary, as they can be very painful to your poor baby! I know, from personal experience with my own gnarly mane.

I love the Zoom Groom brush, and a slicker to get out the undercoat.

Hello Cearbhaill, Sunshine and Zissou,
Yes, prevention is the best medicine and Petromalt is pretty benign.

I can tell I should have been more specific in my details so I'll start again with definitions (my own, but there may be "official" definitions):

Hair mat: What you get when a 4 year old who shall remain nameless "accidentally" puts maple syrup on the cat. One can imagine a damp cloth and brush will get this out.

Lite Deadlock: They form at the ends of the hair and do not extend to the skin. One can not brush these out but they are easily clipped out.

Dreadlock: Extends from the skin out, they can not be brushed out, even once the fur is cut out it's near impossible to break the ball apart. (Spatz had one the size of Australia).

Now I don't mean to offend anyone by offering simplistic explanations or repeating myself, but since I've gone this far:

Petromalt is a hairball remedy (please see details above).
Please make sure your cat likes the flavor before applying!
Massage a one inch strip of Petromalt into the Dreadlock/s and let your cat do the rest.

I did not witness what my cat did after the Petromalt was applied. It might have been traumatic but far less traumatic than a trip to the groomers I'm sure.
Yes, Petromalt is greasy so be prepared for some possible clean up, though I have not seen any evidence of stains around the house and after 7 days there was only a slightly noticeable shine on Spatz, which is gone today.

For me, this has been a tiny miracle and nothing good has to happen to me the rest of the year.

For those who get the same results as we did just say "Thank you Barnaby Finnegan for your mistake".