I have one of these and it is fantastic.
Does any one have a good recommendation for dematting tool besides furminator. I have a Maine coon that gets matted fairly quickly.
Yes the mats need to be removed before the bath or they will tighten. I use the kitchen sink and a sprayer for the bath. The sink because it is high enough not to hurt my back (tough getting old!) and a sprayer because you can hold it against the cat so you don't have the noise of the water as loud. The sprayer works better for rinsing the soap out than just dunking the cat into water. My suggestion is to trim the claws first if the cat isn't used to being bathed. While bathing keep the cat turned away from you so they can't climb you. I would be very hesitant about bathing a cat 16+ years old if she isn't used to it. Perhaps a dry shampoo would be better.
Hi,
We adopted a 16+ year old Tortoise cat named Tabby. She is a sweetheart. Unfortunately she has a lot of mats on her tummy and now she needs a bath. I read that the mats should be removed before bathing her. (Going to see if the local pet store sells the comb for removing mats. I've read that if I use Dawn to bathe her, it should be diluted with 1/2 water & 1/2 Dawn.
When bathing your cat, do you use the bucket method (1 for soapy water; 1 for first rinse and 1 for final rinse); or which method works best?
(Oh we also adopted 2 other cats from the same household. The lady died and her son sent all the cats to Animal Control). The other 2 are gray tabbies with short hair,
and they are sweet also. (Peek-a-boo and Puddy-Tat).
Really need advice! Thank you in advance!
Agree with the Furminator not being a dematter, it can pull the skin and really injure cats.
Can't help with a tool because if matted I just shave them down. What I can say is the furmonator should not be used on a matted coat - it isn't a dematting tool. A clean coat will not mat as easily as a dirty one - if you and your cat can tolerate it, try a bath once in awhile after getting the mats out.
All I was saying is that the bath could also be a grooming tool to reduce matting. Using the right tools (combs not a brush ) will help with long hair too. For the record, the silver girl is not a show cat. I showed her to championship but she wasn't a good enough to continue farther. She is my pet and the mother of the golden pictured. About half of my cats have never been in the show hall.
If they get a bath and daily look over then yes it will appear not to mat as quickly but most people don't have show cats and don't bathe them frequently, if at all. Even a daily session with my cat proves trouble and since I am aiming for positive experiences I cannot simply bathe her. Those cats are quite impressive looking though.
I agree, I also use the one on the right and have found it to be very helpful for grooming. It's called a greyhound comb but it was recommended for my Persian and I love it.I have two de-matting tools. The one on the right above is my fav. The other is green handle on left. It's not that great. The one on R is much easier to use and cheaper, and imo, it works better too...it's Safari's W556 comb. I also use Safari's W563 (pictured in middle) in conjunction for daily grooming and both of them together keep matts away. The other safari de-matting comb is big with 5 sharp jagged teeth but I can't remember the exact name if it. It's got a heavy duty rubber grip handle and it is honestly a pain in the butt to use. Since you have to unscrew the teeth to brush in a different direction, I avoid using it unless it's a bad Matt. The other two I listed above are really all I need.