Mats

[fizzgig]

My cat who is a partial Maine coon and therefore a long hair, has started to get mats in the long hair on the backs of her legs and tonight I noticed she has new mats on her butt. The mats on her butt are a little stinky but I don't see any poop in them. She is good about letting me brush her head neck shoulders and back but she really doesnt like being brushed on the back of the legs or the butt. I don't mind cutting the matts out but she won't let me by myself. I tried a wet paper towel and also tried spraying the matts gently with water which helped slightly but didn't really get rid of anything. I have family members that can help but not for a few days and I don't want her to be uncomfortable. I don't want to take her to a groomer or the vet unless I have no other choice because it would stress/freak her out. Does anyone here have any suggestions on how to take care of mats on the bottom without totally stressing out a kitty who doesn't want it done? Thanks in advance!

 

[kittymomma1122]

I took the mats out of my hubands boss's Maine Coon. I got a comb with different length teeth and worked everyday for a week to get them all taken care of. They did not really like it, but I worked at them a little at a time each day until I got them out. We had a play session after each grooming session. It has been about 9 months now and their fur looks beautiful. I set each one in their cat tree when I did it so they were at about waist level and easy for me to work on.

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• kittymomma1122
• Dec 4, 2015

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• kittymomma1122
• May 19, 2015

 

[fizzgig]

Thank you that's what I've been doing with the ones on the back of her legs. Another question that occurred to me, I worked at a dog kennel for 13 years and work at a horse barn now so my sense of smell sucks especially when it comes to things like poop and pee....could the new mats on her butt be from anal glands? There has been no scooting on the carpet and no excessive cleaning (other than the couple of hours right after I rinsed her bottom), her poop has been normal. Are there other signs I should look for? I know most people smell it but like I said my sense of smell sucks.

 

[fizzgig]

By the way those two are gorgeous! Here is a picture of my "little" girl.

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• fizzgig
• Dec 4, 2015

 

[kittymomma1122]

She is beautiful! Harley and Beemer are very beautiful and even more striking when you see them in person. I have a med/long hair also, his fur does not mat much. A few times I have had to get a small mat from under his front arm pits. He came as a stray and I had to bathe him regularly as a kitten so he is easy to bathe and groom.

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• kittymomma1122
• Jan 25, 2015

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• kittymomma1122
• Dec 15, 2014

 

[fizzgig]

He is beautiful, she has had a few baths (due to fleas, we had a horrible flea problem last call). She doesn't like them and cries the whole time but let's me do them. She rarely gets mats that's why I was surprised to find a few at the same time. Mostly she gets hers on her back near her tail this is the first time she's had them on the backs of her legs and her butt and she is not a fan of being brushed or trimmed back there lol.

 

[Cataria]

When I had a mat-happy cat, I usually pulled the mats out with my fingers -- try to hold the base of the fur so that you aren't pulling the skin itself and hurting the cat, and then trying ripping the mat apart or pulling it -- depending on the fur type of the cat, you can often get it to come right out! Considering the location of the mats, you will probably need to have someone help you hold the cat though; haven't met a cat yet that wants to be messed with back there. I would only use the comb if the mat was so close to the skin that I couldn't rip it apart with my fingers.

Alternatively, olive oil at the base of the mat sometimes works. You put it on, wait a few days, and it might come out on its own!

I know you said you didn't want to take her to the groomer, but what I eventually started doing as a preventative measure for my stinky-mat-butt cat was get her fur shaved around her butt so I wouldn't have an issue later on. Something you might want to consider!

Also an FYI -- if you do end up cutting the mats out (or doing a cat butt shave), just be forewarned that when a cat has multiple lengths of fur in an area (like short fur from cutting mixed with long fur), that area where short meets long is much more likely to tangle and get matted up again. So if you do any cutting, just keep an eye on it so you can get rid of any new mats before they get to be a hassle to remove.